DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chattanooga women’s basketball will be spending Thanksgiving in the Sunshine State this weekend, as the Mocs return to Florida for the first time in five years to take part in the 2023 Daytona Beach Classic, set to run November 24-25 at the Ocean Center.
The Mocs (4-1, 0-0 SoCon) carry a two-game winning streak into the holiday tournament having won their lats two matchups against Tennessee Tech and UVA Wise. This weekend UTC will face a pair of difficult games, first by squaring off against Kent State (2-1, 0-0 MAC) on Friday before taking on Northern Kentucky (1-2, 0-0 Horizon) on Saturday.
Both of Chattanooga’s tournament games can be streamed via FloHoops, with UTC’s game against Kent State tipping off at 5:45 p.m. ET on Friday and their game against NKU beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. All start times are subject to change based on how fast tournament games prior to UTC’s finish. Fans can also tune in on the radio via WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM or the Varsity Network.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: Kent State
Date: Friday, November 24, 2023
Time: 5:45 p.m. ET
Opponent: Northern Kentucky
Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Follow the games live online on FloHoops, WFLI, The Varsity App or the GoMocs App. Links are available online at GoMocs.com.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (4-1, 0-0 SoCon)
The Mocs have been able to bounce back from their lone loss of the season to Marshall, having won their past two games against Tennessee Tech and UVA Wise by a combined 38 points to now sit 4-1 on the young 2023-24 season. That start is the best start for a UTC team since 2013-14, when the Mocs started the year 5-1 before eventually finishing 29-4 and as the SoCon Regular Season and Tournament champions. Chattanooga continues to be one of the nation’s most efficient teams in terms of scoring, as UTC actively ranks ninth in the entire NCAA in field goal percentage (.516), 15th in free throw percentage (.813) and 19th in three-point percentage (.409). Look for the Mocs’ offense to continue to run through the duo of Raven Thompson and Jada Guinn, who have scored a combined 161 of UTC’s 364 points on the year so far.
ABOUT KENT STATE (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
The Golden Flashes have gotten off to a strong start to the 2023-24 season, earning victories over Louisiana and Xavier and having their only loss come against the current No. 7 team in the nation, LSU. The record is even more impressive when you learn that Kent State has yet to play on their home court this season, having only played on the road and now taking part in a neutral site tournament at Daytona Beach this weekend. Katie Shumate will be the biggest threat for the Mocs, as she currently leads the team in scoring (15.3/game), rebounding (8.3/game), blocks (2.0/game) and steals (1.3/game). Shumate, who has been a three-time All-MAC selection in her career with the Golden Flashes, was named to the Preseason All-MAC First Team prior to the season getting underway, and she is well on her way to earning all-conference recognition for her fourth consecutive season.
ABOUT NORTHERN KENTUCKY (1-2, 0-0 Horizon)
While the Norse had a tough start to their new season by dropping an overtime thriller to Indiana State followed by a lose to Eastern Kentucky, NKU has an impressive win on their resume heading into the weekend in Daytona Beach. The Norse were able to take down Marshall, who had handed UTC their lone loss of the season so far, nearly a week ago in Highland Heights, Kentucky to give Northern Kentucky its first win of the season. NKU’s high-powered offense will be the deciding factor in Saturday’s game, as there are currently five players on the Norse roster that are averaging 10+ points/game in 2023-24 including Khamari Mitchell-Steen (17.7/game) and Carter McCray (17.0/game). McCray is also averaging a double-double for the Norse, as she is notching an average of 13.0 rebounds/game through the first three games. A native to Oberlin, Ohio, McCray is coming off of a week where she earned the honor of being named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week after a historic 25-point, 21-rebound performance against the Thundering Herd last Saturday.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Friday’s game between the Mocs and the Golden Flashes marks the very first time that the two teams have played each other in women’s basketball. UTC men’s basketball has played against Kent State three times, with the most recent time coming in 2002.
This is just the sixth time that Chattanooga and Northen Kentucky have met in women’s hoops. The last time the Mocs and Norse battled it out? You’d have to go all the way back to January 25, 1983 when Chattanooga came away with a 93-74 victory over NKU. Northern Kentucky currently leads the all-time series between the teams by a narrow 3-2 margin, but the Mocs will have an opportunity to level the series out in the teams’ first meeting in 40 years.
TOP NOTES
– UTC is coming off a year in which they won their 19th SoCon Tournament and made their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
– The Mocs were selected to finish first in the Preseason SoCon Media Poll and second in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
– Sophomore Raven Thompson became the third-fastest player in program history to reach 500 career points in the team’s home-opener versus King, doing so in just her 34th career game with the team.
– Both Thompson and grad transfer Jada Guinn earned Preseason All-SoCon nods from the conference prior to the season.
– UTC has relied heavily on the two-headed scoring monster of Thompson and Guinn to start the year. The duo has scored a combined 161 of the Mocs’ 364 points this year, with Thompson averaging 16.2 and Guinn averaging 16.0 per game. The last time the Mocs have had two 16+ points/game scorers in the same season? Never, at least until 1996-97 which is as far back as UTC’s statistical records currently go.
– The Mocs have scorched the nets in the team’s opening five games of 2023-24, as UTC currently ranks ninth in the NCAA in team field goal percentage (.516) as well as 19th in the nation in three point percentage (.409).
50 SEASONS OF CHATTANOOGA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The 2023 season for the Chattanooga women’s basketball team marks a major landmark for the program and the university, as UTC women’s basketball officially celebrates its 50th season of competition as a university sponsored athletic program. Following the adoption of the Title IX legislation back in 1972, UTC added women’s basketball, tennis and volleyball programs to its roster of athletic teams, bringing on five decades of history and success for each of the teams. Chattanooga WBB will be putting on multiple promotions and content pieces throughout the 2023-24 season to celebrate the program’s history, culminating in the team hosting its 50th Season Celebration and Reunion during the Mocs’ February 3 matchup against Furman at McKenzie Arena.
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