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MVP GUINN’S 32-POINT SCORING BARRAGE LEADS CHATTANOOGA TO SOCON TOURNAMENT CROWN, 69-60, OVER UNC GREENSBORO
Mocs win 20th tournament title
ASHEVILLE, N.C.--Top seed Chattanooga (28-4), winners of 17 of its last 18 games, claimed the Ingles Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament championship for a second straight year and punched its ticket to the NCAA tourney with a hard-fought 69-60 victory over No. 2 seed UNC Greensboro Sunday at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.
All-League First Team selections Jada Guinn (19.3 ppg) and Raven Thompson (14.3 ppg), the No. 2 and 4 scorers in the Southern Conference, respectively, did not disappoint in combining for 46 points for the Mocs.
Guinn, a 5-8 graduate student from Oak Ridge, Tenn., scored 24 of her game-high 32 points in the second half and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. She averaged 27.0 points in her three tournament games to lead all players. She made 13 of 23 field goal attempts against UNC Greensboro, marking the 31st time in 32 games she has reached double figures in scoring this year. She also added six rebounds.
Thompson, who was named the Most Outstanding Player at last year's conference tournament, poured in eight of her 14 points in the second quarter to lift Chattanooga into a 32-29 lead at halftime.
Freshman Hannah Kohn, one of Chattanooga's top weapons off the bench, continued her three-point mastery with three shots made in three attempts beyond the arc. Hitting at a .479 clip for the season, Kohn and Samford's Sadie Stetson share the league among all conference players with 67 three-pointers in 2023-24.
UNC Greensboro, which handed the Mocs their only loss of the conference season two weeks ago in Chattanooga (68-64), kept the game close until the waning minutes. Ayanna Khalfani, a graduate transfer from the University of San Diego who was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, scored 15 points to lead the Spartans, while Isis Grady tallied 12 and Nia Howard added nine.
Trailing 5-3 early, UNC Greensboro reeled off seven unanswered points and secured a 12-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Howard, a 5-8 junior guard who entered the game averaging 5.9 points, scored seven of the Spartans' 12 points in the first period.
Chattanooga's defense, which led the Southern Conference (54.3 ppg) and ranked eighth nationally this season, stifled a UNCG offense that made only 36.5 percent (19-of-52) of its field goal tries.
The Mocs never trailed in the second half. Their largest lead of the game was nine points at 62-53 with 5:16 left and the final score.
RECORDS: No. 1 Chattanooga 28-4, No. 2 UNC Greensboro 21-11
STATS TO KNOW
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
First Team
Summah Evans, Mercer
Jayde Gamble, UNCG
Ayanna Khalfani, UNCG
Jada Guinn, Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, Wofford
Second Team
Tate Walter, Furman
Mackenzie Johnson, Mercer
Nia Howard, UNCG
Hannah Kohn, Chattanooga
Raven Thompson, Chattanooga
Most Outstanding Player
Jada Guinn, Chattanooga
Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Sigrun Olafsdottir, Chattanooga
2024 Ingles Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship
Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
Thursday, March 2
Game 1 – No. 1 Chattanooga 64, No. 8 Western Carolina 43
Game 2 – No. 2 UNCG 64, No. 7 Furman 44
Game 3 – No. 3 Wofford 66, No. 6 Samford 45
Game 4 – No. 4 Mercer 67, No. 5 ETSU 52
Friday, March 3
Game 5 – No. 1 Chattanooga 66, No. 4 Mercer 55
Game 6 – No. 2 UNCG 72, No. 3 Wofford 62
Sunday, March 5
Championship Game
Game 7 – No. 1 Chattanooga 69, No. 2 UNCG 60
All-League First Team selections Jada Guinn (19.3 ppg) and Raven Thompson (14.3 ppg), the No. 2 and 4 scorers in the Southern Conference, respectively, did not disappoint in combining for 46 points for the Mocs.
Guinn, a 5-8 graduate student from Oak Ridge, Tenn., scored 24 of her game-high 32 points in the second half and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. She averaged 27.0 points in her three tournament games to lead all players. She made 13 of 23 field goal attempts against UNC Greensboro, marking the 31st time in 32 games she has reached double figures in scoring this year. She also added six rebounds.
Thompson, who was named the Most Outstanding Player at last year's conference tournament, poured in eight of her 14 points in the second quarter to lift Chattanooga into a 32-29 lead at halftime.
Freshman Hannah Kohn, one of Chattanooga's top weapons off the bench, continued her three-point mastery with three shots made in three attempts beyond the arc. Hitting at a .479 clip for the season, Kohn and Samford's Sadie Stetson share the league among all conference players with 67 three-pointers in 2023-24.
UNC Greensboro, which handed the Mocs their only loss of the conference season two weeks ago in Chattanooga (68-64), kept the game close until the waning minutes. Ayanna Khalfani, a graduate transfer from the University of San Diego who was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, scored 15 points to lead the Spartans, while Isis Grady tallied 12 and Nia Howard added nine.
Trailing 5-3 early, UNC Greensboro reeled off seven unanswered points and secured a 12-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Howard, a 5-8 junior guard who entered the game averaging 5.9 points, scored seven of the Spartans' 12 points in the first period.
Chattanooga's defense, which led the Southern Conference (54.3 ppg) and ranked eighth nationally this season, stifled a UNCG offense that made only 36.5 percent (19-of-52) of its field goal tries.
The Mocs never trailed in the second half. Their largest lead of the game was nine points at 62-53 with 5:16 left and the final score.
RECORDS: No. 1 Chattanooga 28-4, No. 2 UNC Greensboro 21-11
STATS TO KNOW
- Chattanooga is now a perfect 20-0 in SoCon Championship final games.
- The Mocs have now led at halftime in 29 of its 32 games this season.
- Despite the loss, UNC Greensboro won the rebounding battle by a 37-27 edge.
- Both clubs did a good job protecting the ball despite it being a physical game as Chattangooga committed only three turnovers and UNCG six.
- Chattanooga is ranked 13th nationally in the most recent CollegeInsider Mid Major poll.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
First Team
Summah Evans, Mercer
Jayde Gamble, UNCG
Ayanna Khalfani, UNCG
Jada Guinn, Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, Wofford
Second Team
Tate Walter, Furman
Mackenzie Johnson, Mercer
Nia Howard, UNCG
Hannah Kohn, Chattanooga
Raven Thompson, Chattanooga
Most Outstanding Player
Jada Guinn, Chattanooga
Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Sigrun Olafsdottir, Chattanooga
2024 Ingles Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship
Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
Thursday, March 2
Game 1 – No. 1 Chattanooga 64, No. 8 Western Carolina 43
Game 2 – No. 2 UNCG 64, No. 7 Furman 44
Game 3 – No. 3 Wofford 66, No. 6 Samford 45
Game 4 – No. 4 Mercer 67, No. 5 ETSU 52
Friday, March 3
Game 5 – No. 1 Chattanooga 66, No. 4 Mercer 55
Game 6 – No. 2 UNCG 72, No. 3 Wofford 62
Sunday, March 5
Championship Game
Game 7 – No. 1 Chattanooga 69, No. 2 UNCG 60