No. 2 Chattanooga 63, No. 7 Furman 52
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Both teams traded 3-pointers to start the game before No. 7 Furman stormed out to a 16-8 lead over No. 2 Chattanooga and held the lead for the first three quarters. The Mocs stormed back to take the lead in the fourth and rolled to a 63-52 win in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
The Paladins were dominant in the post early, notching 14 of its 19 first-quarter points in the paint and shooting at a 50% clip. Chattanooga opened the second period with a second-chance layup and 3-point jumper to reduce the Furman lead to two. The Mocs pulled to within one late in the quarter after Brooklyn Crouch converted a layup off a turnover, but Furman’s Jaelyn Acker responded with a tough turnaround jumper on the other end. Acker led all scorers with 11 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range in the opening half.
Chattanooga opened the second half with a quick bucket to cut it back to a one-point deficit, but the Paladins responded with a 12-3 run to take their lead to 10 late in the third quarter. Chattanooga’s Yazz Wazeerud-Din drained a 3-pointer with time ticking down in the third quarter to cut the Furman lead to five. The Mocs parlayed that momentum into a huge fourth quarter, taking their first lead of the game midway through the period and never looking back. After trailing for much of the game, Chattanooga outscored Furman 27-9 in the final period, going 7-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Raven Thompson led a quartet of double-digit scorers for Chattanooga, recording a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Wazeerud-Din was close behind with 16 points, while Abbey Cornelius and Addie Porter contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Acker led Furman with 13 points, followed by Grace van Rij at 11 points. Jada Sessions just missed a double-double, notching 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Mocs advance to play the winner of No. 3 ETSU and No. 6 Samford in Friday's semifinal round. That game tips off at 1:15 p.m. in Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
RECORDS: No. 2 Chattanooga 18-12 | No. 7 Furman 11-19
STATS TO KNOW
- After trailing by 10 with 2:30 to play in the third, Chattanooga outscored the Paladins 34-13.
- Chattanooga shot 50% from the field and from three in the second half after having a 33% field goal and 23% three-point percentage in the first half.
- Furman won the rebounding battle 38-30, while the Mocs had a better turnover margin at 10-18 with 10 steals.
- Thompson recorded just her third career double-double, and first since Nov. 30.
No. 3 ETSU 63, No. 7 Samford 47
No. 3 ETSU trailed early, but rallied in the second quarter to roll to a 63-47 win over No. 6 Samford in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
Samford scored the first bucket of the game, but it was ETSU that pulled out to an early advantage thanks to an 8-0 run in the middle of the first quarter. The lead would be short-lived as the Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run of their own to carry a 13-11 lead into the second quarter. The teams traded baskets early in the second, but it was ETSU that pulled away to a four-point lead at the half. Jiselle Thomas paced the Buccaneers with 10 points, knocking down both of her attempts from deep. Samford’s Sussy Ngulefac scored nine points, as the Bulldogs recorded 16 of their 24 first-half points in the paint.
ETSU carried its momentum into the second half, dominating on both ends of the court to take a 12-point lead into the final period. The Buccaneers allowed just three field goals in the quarter and attacked the offensive glass on the other end, turning four offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points. ETSU did not let up in the fourth quarter, outscoring Samford 18-14 to secure the 16-point victory. Jakhyia Davis was perfect from the floor in the second half for the Buccaneers, shooting 6-for-6 from the field for 14 points and six rebounds in the half.
Davis scored 20 points and grabbed 10 points to lead ETSU with her second double-double of the season. Thomas scored 18 points and dished out five assists, while Kendall Folley added 17 points. Ngulefac and Masyn Marchbanks led the Samford offense with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
ETSU advanced to play No. 2 Chattanooga in Friday's semifinal round. That game tips off at 1:15 p.m. in Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
RECORDS: No. 3 ETSU 23-8 | No. 6 Samford 13-17
STATS TO KNOW
- ETSU outrebounded Samford 45-22, including an offensive rebounding margin of 18-6. The Bucs converted its offensive board into 18 second-chance points, compared to just seven for the Bulldogs.
- The Bucs scored 40 points in the paint, including 28 in the second half.
- Davis recorded her second career double-double and first since Jan. 21 in a win over Wofford
2023 Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
Thursday, March 2
Game 1 – No. 1 Wofford 71, No. 8 Western Carolina 56
Game 2 – No. 4 UNCG 63, No. 5 Mercer 59 (OT)
Game 3 – No. 2 Chattanooga 63, No. 7 Furman 52
Game 4 – No. 3 ETSU 63, No. 6 Samford 47
Friday, March 3
Game 5 – No. 1 Wofford vs. No. 4 UNCG, 11 a.m.*
Game 6 – No. 2 Chattanooga vs. No. 3 ETSU, 1:15 p.m. ^
Sunday, March 5
Championship Game
Game 7 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 12 p.m.
NOTE: All times Eastern. All games to be broadcast on ESPN+, with the championship game also on Nexstar.
* Tip-off as part of Education Day program on March 2 and March 3.
^ Denotes approximate game time. The first games both days will have a firm start time. Each game thereafter will start 30 minutes following the conclusion of the preceding game but will not start prior to the listed time.