UTC (8-17, 7-4 SoCon) vs. MERCER (6-19, 3-7)
7 p.m. Thursday at McKenzie Arena
Video & Radio: ESPN+ & 97.7 FM/1070 AM
Storyline: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women sit in an enviable situation in the Southern Conference standings at a half-game out of first place, and the Mocs have an enviable schedule with their final three regular-season games at home starting with this visit from the Bears. The keys for UTC coach Katie Burrows’ 2019-20 team are pretty much the same every game – to shoot a decent percentage from the field and to limit turnovers. Do those things, and the Mocs are a tough team to beat because they play solid defense and, with Eboni Williams and Abbey Cornelius inside, they rebound consistently well, too. In a 55-48 loss at Mercer last month the Mocs shot just 33.9% and committed 18 turnovers. They are coming off an emotional win Saturday at Wofford on Bria Dial’s 3-pointer at the buzzer, so they are riding high where momentum and confidence are concerned. To earn the season split with the Bears, who are the SoCon’s least prolific 3-point shooters, UTC must limit Jaron Dougherty (15.3 points per game), who scored 29 points in the first meeting of the season series, and Shannon Titus (13.4) inside.
What’s at stake? Win out, and the Mocs can finish no worse than tied for first entering the SoCon tournament. A couple of losses could push them all the way down to sixth, though, so taking care of business against Mercer is crucial.