Chattanooga women’s basketball is set for its first road trip of the 2024-25 season, as the Mocs make their way to Durham, North Carolina, for a Monday night clash with NC Central.
The Mocs (1-1) will be aiming to notch the team’s first win over a Division I foe this weekend, while the Eagles (0-3) will have their sights on earning their first victory of 2024-25. Monday night’s matchup with the Eagles is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. ET start time and will be available to listen to via WFLI and The Varsity Network.
The Mocs sit .500 to start the year as the team preps for its first road trip of the 2024-25 season.
Following a season-opening win over Shorter, UTC fell in a last-second heartbreaker against Tennessee Tech, handing the Mocs their first loss of the season. So far to open the year, it’s been the stout Chattanooga defense that the Mocs have been able to hang their hat on, with UTC currently holding its opponents to 48.5 points/game while forcing 24.0 turnovers/game out of their foes. Karsen Murphy currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points/game. She is followed by sophomore Caia Elisaldez, who has logged 10-point outings in each of the team’s two contests this year. Another standout on the team is true freshman Gianna Corbitt. A native of Oakland Park, Florida, Corbitt currently leads the Mocs in rebounding (7.5 rebounds/game) and is coming off a five-steal game against Tennessee Tech.
It has been a tough start to the 2024-25 campaign for the Eagles, as NC Central has dropped each of their three games to open the season. With that being said, NCCU’s slate of games hasn’t exactly been the easiest in terms of strength of schedule. The Eagles opened their year on the road at Power 4 foe Georgia, dropping that result 96-52. NC Central then had to head to Clemson to take on former Chattanooga head coach Shawn Poppie, the team’s second consecutive Power 4 opponent of the year. Following a 91-33 loss there, the Eagles were able to return home for their home opener this past weekend in Durham against Wofford. Much like the prior two matchups, NC Central was handed a one-sided result with the Terriers going on to win that game 75-56. NCCU’s duo of Kyla Bryant and Morgan Callahan will be the main focus for the Mocs, as Bryant currently leads the team in scoring (13.7 points/game) with Callahan following closely behind at 11.0 points/game this year.
The first and only other time the Mocs and the Eagles met on the women’s basketball hardwood came last year, when NC Central took on UTC in McKenzie Arena on January 3, 2024. Chattanooga’s final non-conference game of the 2023-24 season, the Mocs handed the Eagles a 65-59 loss powered by Jada Guinn’s 21-point performance on the night. With the series now at 1-0 in favor of UTC, the Mocs will now head to Durham for the very-first time to battle the Eagles on their home turf, McDougald-McLendon Arena.