UTC Women Picked Second In Preseason Poll

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team picked to finish second in the Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll and by the SoCon Media the league office announced today.

In the SoCon Coaches poll, the Mocs, with 40 points, were picked second, nine points behind favorite Mercer who received nine of the possible 10 first place votes. UNCG was picked to finish third with 34 points and received the last first place vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or players.

In fourth was East Tennessee State, just one point behind the Spartans.

In the SoCon Media poll Mercer received nine first place votes and 100 points while the Mocs were picked to finish second with 94 points and four first place votes. ETSU was selected to finish third ahead of the Spartans who were two points behind the Bucs with 65.

The Mocs and Mercer finished the last two seasons tied for the regular season title. Chattanooga mounted a comeback in the SoCon Tournament final last season to beat the Bears 61-59 for their fifth consecutive crown.

Chattanooga senior Keiana Gilbert (Pulaski, Tenn.) and sophomore Lakelyn Bouldin (Spencer, Tenn.) were selected to the Preseason All-Conference team by the league coaches. Gilbert was a third team selection last season and Bouldin was named to the all-freshman team.

Gilbert topped 1,000 career points in the Mocs NCAA game at Louisville. In her three seasons at Chattanooga she averages 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field.

“While Keiana is pleased with this honor, she is still trying to figure out who is the best player in her family,” Chattanooga head coach Jim Foster said.

Bouldin broke the UTC freshman 3-point record set by Brooke Hand in 2004-05 with 64 last season. She averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Mercer’s Kahlia Lawrence, the reigning SoCon Player of the Year, was selected the preseason favorite. The Bears have the most on the preseason team with three. Chattanooga has two and five more teams with one selection make out the 10-person list.

The Mocs won their fifth consecutive regular season and tournament titles last year. Chattanooga has won the regular season 21 times and are 18-time SoCon Tournament champions while advancing to the NCAA Tournament 16 times since the bracket expanded in 1989.

Eight letterwinners return to the lineup this season for the Mocs including starters Keiana Gilbert, Aryanna Gilbert and Lakelyn Bouldin. They are joined by six newcomers that include a sophomore transfer and five freshmen.

This summer, the Mocs traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia for a three game tour, winning all three contests.

Chattanooga opens the 2017-18 season on the road at Wisconsin-Green Bay on November 11. The Phoenix were 27-6 last season that included a win over Chattanooga in the Roundhouse and were the Horizon League Champions. They won the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, falling 74-62 against No. 9 Purdue in the first round. Green Bay was ranked fourth in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25.

Chattanooga’s home opener is November 13 against Central Florida on the Mocs’ former home court in Maclellan Gym. The game is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. Aside from courtside VIP seating, all seats will be general admission.

Season tickets are on sale now at the McKenzie Arena box office or online at GoMocs.com. Packages start at $100 for General Admission and $125 for reserved seats. Single game and group tickets are available at GoMocs.com.

2017-18 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll