The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team is set to host Southern Conference rival Mercer Saturday afternoon.
Chattanooga and Mercer met 10 times before the Bears entered the Southern Conference. The Mocs are 16-3 against Mercer and 6-2 on the road. The two teams have tied for the league title in each of the last two years and met in the SoCon Tournament final with the Mocs winning both.
Mercer came away with a 71-50 win over the Mocs at The McKenzie Arena earlier this season, snapping UTC’s 52-game home court SoCon win streak.
The Mocs are 16-10 overall and 7-5 in Southern Conference action.
The Mocs defense leads the SoCon, allowing opponents just 55.4 points per game and ranks 20th in the NCAA. UTC has held opponents to 50 or fewer points nine times. The Mocs also lead the league in field goal percentage defense (.380) and blocked shots (4.2) and are second for 3-point field goal percentage defense (.274). On offense, the Mocs are shooting 41 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from long range while leading the SoCon in 3-point field goals made, averaging 5.9 per game.
Chattanooga leads the nation in fewest fouls per game, committing just 12.1 per contest. The Mocs have committed 10 or fewer 12 times this season including a season-low five against Western Carolina and six at Wofford.
Mercer entered the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll this week for the first time. The Bears, with an impressive 25-2 overall record and an undefeated league mark, received 33 points in the poll, four ahead of Michigan. Mercer received 19 points in the AP Top 25 and are three spots outside of the Top 25. The Bears moved up a spot in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 to fourth and received one first place vote.
Mercer leads the Southern Conference eight statistical categories including scoring offense (71.0), scoring margin (+15.5) and field goal percentage (43.7%). With a league-leading 9.5 turnovers per game, the Bears lead the nation in fewest miscues.
Mercer enters the USA Today Coaches Top 25 and is receiving votes in the AP Top 25. This will be UTC’s first game in conference play against a ranked opponent.