The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team returns to action tonight at the McKenzie Arena as the No. 23 Chattanooga will host Wofford in Southern Conference action at 6 p.m.
The Mocs are riding a 16-game win streak and have won 42 straight SoCon regular season games. UTC’s home court win streak, snapped earlier this season at 40 games, is back up to nine.
The game will be carried live on The Legend 96.1 FM, Chattanooga’s flagship station. Live stats, streaming audio and streaming video will be available at GoMocs.com free off charge. Tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased online at GoMocs.com or at the McKenzie Arena box office at 423.266.6627 (MOCS).
CLIMBING THE RANKS
The Mocs moved up two spots in their second week in the AP Top 25. UTC is ranked 23rd. It has been 31 years since Chattanooga was ranked by the AP. UTC spent the final three weeks in the poll at No. 19 and were 20th in the final poll when just 20 teams were ranked.
CHATTANOOGA TEAM STATS (20-3, 8-0)
The Mocs are ranked 23rd in the AP Top 25 poll this week after entering the poll for the first time in 31 years last week. While Chattanooga is sixth in the SoCon for scoring, the Mocs are first in fewest allowed points (51.4) and scoring margin (+10.9). UTC is shooting 43.6 percent from the floor – ranked third in the league – and allow opponents to shoot 38 percent. From the 3-point line, UTC is first in the SoCon making 6.5 per game while shooting 34.1 percent from beyond the arc. UTC is first in the league with 13.7 assists per game and leads the conference with a 1.0 assist-turnover ratio. On defense, UTC leads the league in turnover margin at +3.96 and blocked shots with six per game. Chattanooga is second in the SoCon for steals with 9.4 per game and ranks last for rebounds per game with 32.7 per game.
WOFFORD TEAM STATS (7-16, 2-6)67
The Terriers rank last in the SoCon for scoring with 57.9 points per game and allow 64.6 points per game for a scoring margin of -6.7 points. From the field, Wofford ranks seventh making just 36.4 percent of its shots and allows opponents to make 40 percent of their efforts. From beyond the arc, the Terriers shoot 28 percent and dish out just 9.3 assists per game. Wofford ranks third in the league in steals with 8.6 per game and make 5.2 treys per game.
WOFFORD INDIVIDUAL STATS
Jordan Frazier who missed three games this season to injury, including her team’s game against Chattanooga earlier this season, leads the Terriers in scoring and is ranked third in the league with 15.8 points per game. She is the lone Terrier in double figures. Three more Wofford players rank among the SoCon’s Top 30 in scoring while three are in the ranks for rebounding. Frazier leads the conference in steals per game with 3.0 and is fifth for 3-pointers made with 1.8 per game. Maria Corella ranks eighth for 3-pointers made with 1.6 per game and is 23rd in the SoCon for scoring. Ashton Fleming has a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the conference.
WOFFORD IN THE SOCON STANDINGS
Wofford is sitting in sixth in the SoCon with a 2-6 league mark. Wofford dropped its first five SoCon games before getting wins over UNCG and Western Carolina, but had its two-game win streak snapped with a loss at Samford on Saturday.
CHATTANOOGA vs. WOFFORD
This will be the 44th meeting between the Mocs and the Terriers. Chattanooga is 41-2 against Wofford with UTC’s two losses happening in the Southern Conference tournament in 1998 and again in 1999. The Mocs have won 35 straight contests against and are 2-0 in overtime. UTC won the meeting earlier this season 70-43 at Wofford.
CHATTANOOGA INDIVIDUAL STATS
Four of UTC’s starters rank among the Top 25 in the SoCon for scoring with sophomore Chelsey Shumpert, a two-time SoCon Player of the Week, leading the way with 11.9 points per game and ranks among the league’s best in five more categories including third for 3-pointers made. Freshman Keiana Gilbert, second on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game and was twice selected the SoCon Freshman of the Week this season while at the same time, being named the ESPNW National Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness Mid-Major Player of the Week. She also leads the way in rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, steals and playing time.
Sophomore Jasmine Joyner leads the Southern Conference in blocked shots per game with four and is ranked sixth in the nation in that category. Her 93 is a Chattanooga record for a single season while ranking fifth in the SoCon for a season. She also ranks among the top in the conference in five more categories including scoring, rebounding and steals. Junior Alicia Payne is leads the SoCon in assists-turnovers with 3.1 assists per game compared to 1.2 turnovers per game. Senior Ka’Vonne Towns is 25th in the conference for scoring, fourth for steals and 13th for assists while sitting fourth for 3-pointers made.