UTC (4-14, 3-1 SoCon) at SAMFORD (7-11, 2-1)
7 p.m. Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama
Video & radio: ESPN+ & 97.7 FM/1070 AM
Storyline: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team will try to take major momentum gained from back-to-back Southern Conference wins at McKenzie Arena on the road against Samford, a program UTC swept last season. In last week's home wins, coach Katie Burrows' team received major lifts from several players, including career scoring highs for junior Bria Dial (23 versus Wofford) and fifth-year senior NaKeia Burks (17 against Furman), but the Mocs are still turning the ball over too often. UTC has also improved on the other end of the court, and a big key against the Bulldogs will be defending inside against 6-foot-2 center Natalie Armstrong, who leads Samford in scoring this season with an average of 14 points per game on 52% shooting. The UTC backcourt must continue to rebound well, too, because Samford's Charity Brown and Sarah Myers have a combined average of 12 boards per game.
What's at stake? The Mocs have conquered their home woes. Now it's time to take that magic on the road, where they are 2-8 in true away games this season (they're 2-0 at neutral sites). How they play at Samford will set the tone for this three-game road swing that continues Saturday at Mercer and finishes a week from then at East Tennessee State.
Up next: Saturday's game is at 2 p.m. in Macon, Georgia.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.