If there is a silver lining in what has been a forgettable start to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball season, it's that none of it really matters.
At least that's been the theme over the past 10 days as coach Katie Burrows and her team have been preparing for the opening of Southern Conference play Thursday night at Western Carolina. While there's no getting around the fact that at 1-13 the team is off to the worst start in program history, the Mocs' real season is beginning with all goals still possible.
"They are excited for the clean slate and to get into conference play and make a statement," Burrows said after a spirited practice this week. "We had a great long break and we had the one game against Ohio where I saw some improvement on things we had been working on.
"I feel we're making progress. In the practices we had last week and the ones we are having now, I can see improvement in our players."
Statistics tell a good bit of the story. The Mocs are being outscored by nearly 20 points per game and out-rebounded by 10. They have exactly 100 fewer assists than their opponents and 70 more turnovers.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / UTC senior guard Lakelyn Bouldin (33) leads the Mocs in scoring with 12.1 points per game.Improving the offensive numbers is, according to Burrows, the key to turning the season around. The Mocs are shooting a woeful 32.7% as a team and have made only 81 of 293 3-point attempts (27.6%).
"We've got to put the ball in the hole," Burrows said. "In the past we haven't had such a hard time scoring, but now we are and it's putting a lot of pressure on us defensively. If we're putting the ball in the hole, it's not as easy for the other team to score.
"Based on some of the things we've adjusted and the way they are currently practicing, I would say it's working."
A lack of depth hasn't helped. Morgan Hill, expected to be a key rotation player, has appeared in only three games due to injury, while sophomore post Abbey Cornelius has missed the last two games, though she is expected back Thursday.
All five starters - Cornelius, Eboni Williams, Nakeia Burks, Bria Dial and senior Lakelyn Bouldin - are playing close to or more than 30 minutes a game. Bouldin, leading the team with 12.1 points per game and hitting 39% of her 3-point attempts, is optimistic the extra time off and some changes implemented in practice will pay off.
"We've made some big jumps in different aspects of our game," she said. "The focus is better than what it was. We're starting a clean slate in conference play, which is refreshing for this team.
"A lot of it is mental. We've learned a lot from the games to this point, and we're starting to take different things from each game and building on them. It's not how we wanted our season to start, but there's still time to change it. We've still got a lot of games to play. It's all about staying positive and encouraging each other and yourself."
It's also likely encouraging for the Mocs that several other SoCon teams have struggled out of conference. In fact, only two league teams, UNC Greensboro (11-4) and Furman (9-5), have winning records. Thursday's opponent, Western Carolina, is 3-12 and coming off a winless league campaign a year ago.
Burrows believes a win Thursday would do wonders for the Mocs' mental state.
"A win would be huge," Burrows said. "We need that to build our confidence. Their attitudes have been great. Even though we're struggling, they have winning attitudes. You can tell they are competitive, and they are eager to get back out there and prove they are better than they've shown."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.