ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An emphatic second and third quarter helped power Chattanooga past Wofford, 63-53, as the Mocs ran away in the title game of the 2023 Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
 
Wofford hit five of its first baskets from long range to surge out to an early 17-7 lead over Chattanooga and carried an eight-point lead after the opening 10 minutes of play. Helen Matthews accounted for nearly half of the Terriers’ first-quarter point total with eight points. The Mocs came out a much-improved team in the second quarter, hitting their next two shots to cut the deficit to three. Wofford responded to push its lead back out to six before the tide began to turn in Chattanooga’s favor. The Mocs put together a 10-2 run to close the half with a two-point advantage. Chattanooga guard Addie Porter led the charge with 12 points, with all four of her baskets coming from downtown.
 
Chattanooga came out of the break firing, as the Mocs opened a 13-point advantage in the third quarter. Yazz Wazeerud-Din found her rhythm, piling on nine points as all five of Chattanooga’s starters played the entire 10 minutes of the quarter. Wofford began to fight back, cutting the deficit down to seven midway through the half, but the Mocs had an answer at every step, leading by as much as 14 in the fourth quarter. Raven Thompson played an integral role in the Mocs’ second-half effort, scoring 13 points and pulling down seven boards.
 
Thompson nearly had her third double-double of the tournament, pouring in 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Thompson was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the Southern Conference tournament after averaging 19.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Wazeerud-Din matched Thompson’s 13 points in the second half, finishing with 16 points. Porter notched a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Matthews led the Terriers with a career-best 25 points and Rachael Rose was the other double-digit scorer at 15 points, with 10 of those coming in the final quarter. Wofford sprinted out of the gates to take the early lead but was outscored 40-19 in the second and third quarters, which would prove to be the difference.
 
The 2023 NCAA Selection Show will air at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 12, on ESPN.

  
RECORDS: No. 1 Wofford 22-9 | No. 2 Chattanooga 20-12
 
STATS TO KNOW
- Thompson is the first freshman to be named the most outstanding player since 1993.
- Chattanooga won its 19^th conference championship and its first since 2017. The Mocs are now 19-0 in the title game.
- Chattanooga’s Shawn Poppie won a conference title in his first season at the helm, which has not happened since Samford won the championship in 2020 under then-first-year coach Carley Kuhns.
- Wofford won the turnover battle 15-9, but Chattanooga held control of the boards, outrebounding its opponent 36-24.

 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
First Team
Isys Grady, UNCG
Addie Porter, Chattanooga
Raven Thompson, Chattanooga (MOP)
Yaz Wazeerud-Din, Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, Wofford
 
Second Team
Jakhyia Davis, ETSU
Abbey Cornelius, Chattanooga
Jackie Carman, Wofford
Lilly Hatton, Wofford
Helen Matthews, Wofford

Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Audrey Canter, Chattanooga
 
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
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 68, No. 4 UNCG 63
Game 6 – No. 2 Chattanooga 69, No. 3 ETSU 40
 
Sunday, March 5
Championship Game
Game 7 – No. 2 Chattanooga 63, No. 1 Wofford 53