UTC wins as Jada Guinn steps up with Raven Thompson injured

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / UTCs Caia Elisaldez drives toward the basket and away from North Alabama's Olivia Jones (20) and Sara Wohlgemuth during Saturday's game at McKenzie Arena. Elisaldez scored the decisive points in a 68-65 victory for the Mocs, who have won seven straight games. Staff photo by Olivia Ross / UTCs Caia Elisaldez drives toward the basket and away from North Alabama's Olivia Jones (20) and Sara Wohlgemuth during Saturday's game at McKenzie Arena. Elisaldez scored the decisive points in a 68-65 victory for the Mocs, who have won seven straight games.

By Gene Henley December 9, 2023 4 min read

With the outcome hanging in the balance and without her primary running (scoring) mate, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Jada Guinn knew she needed to raise her game.

There was no perfect offense for head coach Shawn Poppie to call, considering the injury to sophomore forward Raven Thompson in the third quarter Saturday against North Alabama, but he knew he needed to ask for more from Guinn.

So time and time again down the stretch, he ran actions for the 5-foot-10 guard. The goal? Make the right call.

In the fourth quarter, she did just that.

Guinn finished with 11 of her game-high 21 points in the final 10 minutes, and the Mocs got the go-ahead basket from freshman guard Caia Elisaldez and some key defensive stops down the stretch to win 68-65 at McKenzie Arena. It’s the seventh consecutive victory for the Mocs (9-1), who played for the first time since last Sunday’s 59-53 home win against Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference, the program’s first win over a ranked foe since 2014.