The Chattanooga women’s basketball team will hit the road for its fifth consecutive road game and third in the Southern Conference. The Mocs will take on ETSU in the Bucs’ SoCon-opener. ETSU had to postpone its opening weekend in league play due to COVID-19 protocols within the program.
The Mocs 3-14, 1-1 SoCon, edged out Samford 71-69 Monday night in a rescheduled game in a double-overtime battle.
Amaria Pugh led four players in double figures and Abbey Cornelius recorded her fifth double-double. Chattanooga is averaging 61.5 points per game in league play and 36.5 rebounds. Abbey Cornelius leads the team in scoring (13.4) and rebounding (9.6) and ranks sixth in the nation for defensive rebounds. Dena Jarrells has a team-high 28 3-pointers and is second on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game and is third in the league with 45 assists.
ETSU, 1-12, 0-0, opens Southern Conference play against the Mocs under first-year head coach Simon Harris. The Bucs average 54.6 points and 34.5 rebounds per game while shooting 33.6 percent from the field. Jaila Roberts leads the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game and is averaging 4.1 rebounds. Carly Hooks is second for scoring with 9.6 points and Damiah Griffin is third with 8.3 points per game.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Site: Johnson City, Tenn. | Brooks Gym
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MOCS vs. BUCS
The Mocs and the Bucs rivalry spans the entire history of UTC’s program, meeting first in 1975. The Mocs lead the series 61-24 and 42-16 in SoCon action. In Johnson City, UTC is 27-14. Chattanooga won both games last season and is on a four-game win streak. The streak started with a thrilling triple overtime win by the Mocs at Brooks Gym in 2020.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
As travel partners, the Mocs and Bucs each hosted a game last season. UTC won both. In the season finale, UTC won 65-54 on the road.
GAME 1 - UTC 66, ETSU 51
UTC extended its win streak to four games defeating ETSU 66-51 at home. Bria Dial led the Mocs with 20 points and Eboni Williams recorded her third straight double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Dena Jarrells had 12 points, 3 assists and two steals. UTC fell behind briefly in the second quarter before retaking the lead for good with 7:27 left in the first half. The Mocs pushed their lead to double figures in the third and led 51-39 headed into the fourth quarter. UTC held off the Bucs in the final period for the win. The Mocs shot 48.9% with six 3-pointers. ETSU outrebounded the Mocs 41-32 with 18 offensive boards (7 pts).
GAME 2 - UTC 65, ETSU 54
Dena Jarrells scored a career-high 17 points with a trio of 3s. Bria Dial also dropped in three from range for 16 points and Abbey Cornelius just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. ETSU, led by Carley Hooks, led 17-14 at the end of the first and stretched its lead to 23-15 at the 6:34 mark of the second. Jarrells answered with a 3-pointer sparking a 15-2 run and UTC led 30-25 at the half. The Mocs led 47-33 heading into the fourth and pushed that lead to 56-33 just over two minutes later. ETSU outpaced the Mocs 21-9 over the rest of the period, but could not overcome the Mocs lead.
LAST TIME OUT
Chattanooga edged Samford 71-69 in double-overtime in Birmingham. Amaria Pugh scored a season-high 18 points and led four Mocs in double figures. Abbey Cornelius recorded her fifth double-double of the year and Dena Jarrells dropped in three from deep.