While the forecast may call for a possibility of wintry weather in the morning, the day will warm up and the Mocs will hit the floor to host Mercer in a crucial Southern Conference matchup Thursday night at the McKenzie Arena.
This will be the 24th meeting between the two programs. Mercer beat the Mocs 55-48 earlier this season in Macon. UTC leads the series 16-7, but Mercer holds a slight 6-5 edge in the SoCon regular season. The Bears have won the last five meetings, all in the regular season.
"We want to do a game dedicated to cancer awareness in general," head coach Katie Burrows said.
"If you have lost someone to cancer, a cancer survivor or battling cancer now we want to honor you or your family members. We invite all of you out and look forward to seeing you at the game."
The first 300 fans will receive a t-shirt with ribbons on the back representing the many forms of cancer.
Tickets are on sale for $5.00 for UTC Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. Purchase tickets online using your UTC email address. Tickets are also available at the McKenzie Arena box office during normal operating hours (M-F: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.). Present your MOCS card to get the discount.
The Mocs are 7-4 in Southern Conference action and 8-17 overall. UTC has won four of its last five games. UTC won back-to-back road games last week at Furman (69-63) and Wofford (51-49). Bria Dial sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer against the Terriers to move the Mocs into a tie with Wofford.
Lakelyn Bouldin leads the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game and is one point shy of reaching 1400 career points. She ranks ninth all-time at UTC for scoring, moved to third for 3-pointers made (218) and leads Chattanooga in career free throw percentage.
Eboni Williams leads Chattanooga on the boards with 8.5 rebounds per game and is third on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game. Bria Dial has a team-best 45 3-pointers and is second on the team in scoring with 9.7 points per game. Abbey Cornelius pulled down 11 boards in the last game and is second on the team with 6.2 boards per game.
The Bears have won two of their last three games and is 3-7 overall against the SoCon. Mercer is averaging 59.2 points per game and shooting 37.6 percent from the field.
Jaron Dougherty leads the team with 15.3 points per game and is averaging 7.3 rebounds. Shannon Titus has a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game and is second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game. Amoria Neal-Tysor has a team-high 36 3-pointers and is third on the team with 12.1 points per game.