The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team ended this past season expecting to have four seniors on its 2017-18 roster.
That number has been cut in half.
Chelsey Shumpert, a 5-foot-4 point guard, will play her fifth and final season at NCAA Division II member Union University in Jackson, Tenn., a Mocs assistant coach said. The assistant spoke on the condition of anonymity because UTC has not officially announced Shumpert's departure.
Ansley Chilton, a 6-foot-3 forward, also won't play for the Mocs next season. The Dade County High School alumna had a year of athletic eligibility remaining but already has graduated from UTC.
Their departures leave sisters Aryanna and Keiana Gilbert as the only seniors returning.
The exit of Shumpert, who graduated this month, leaves the Mocs inexperienced at point guard. She played both guard positions during her Mocs career, finishing with 949 career points and 231 assists. Her 159 3-pointers made are seventh all-time at UTC.
After mainly playing off the ball her first two college seasons - she redshirted in 2015-16 after getting injured early in the schedule - Shumpert moved to point guard full-time as a junior this past season and averaged 10.9 points and 3.1 assists per game. Her departure leaves the Mocs with junior Molly Melton as the most experienced point guard, although the coaching staff has high expectations for incoming freshmen Mya Long (Baylor School) and Jacobi Lynn (McMinn Central).
Chilton played in 46 games for UTC, averaging 1.7 points. She had her most productive game as a sophomore, scoring 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field (including 3-for-4 from 3-point range) in a 59-57 loss at Tennessee.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.