So much for easing into the conference schedule.
After a taxing nonconference portion of the season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team begins defense of its Southern Conference championship with games tonight at Samford and Saturday at Mercer, the Mocs’ final two opponents last season in Asheville on their way to their fourth consecutive SoCon tournament crown.
The Mocs (6-8) lost road games against the Bulldogs and Bears last season before beating them by a combined 45 points at McKenzie Arena.
“We’ve got to start with the two toughest road games in the league,” UTC coach Jim Foster said after Friday’s victory over Presbyterian. “We’ve got to get out there and play a good, hard-nosed basketball game for 40 minutes against a team that loves to dictate tempo.”
Samford’s Bulldogs (6-8) beat Georgia in Athens. They’ve been led by Hannah Nichols and former Gordon Lee standout Kassidy Blevins, guards who combine to average 27.7 points per game. Mercer also has a Power Five conference win, having defeated Illinois.
The Mocs have no bad losses in nonleague play, with their eight losses to teams with a combined record of 77-24. It’s been an adjustment period for most of the team, particularly at the guard positions. After two-plus seasons of playing off the ball, junior Chelsey Shumpert has moved to point guard.
Freshman Lakelyn Bouldin moved into the starting lineup and currently ranks second on the team in scoring, right behind Queen Alford, who has turned into the team’s most aggressive scorer.
Alford, along with guard-forward Keiana Gilbert and center Jasmine Joyner, have started every game this season. The guards have interchanged, with Aryanna Gilbert having started six contests.
“I’ve had to learn how to keep composure,” Shumpert said after Friday’s win. “I’ve always run 2-guard, so now that I’m playing point, when we huddle up, I’m speaking up and telling everybody to calm down and let’s get what we get.
“That’s good for the whole team.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.