Jax State Concludes Non-Conference Slate Thursday at Chattanooga

JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's basketball will take part in their final non-conference tune-up of the 2022-23 season on Thursday as they head north to play Chattanooga.

The Gamecocks (6-4) will look for their fourth consecutive victory in that showdown at McKenzie Arena, which will tip off at 6 p.m. CT. It serves as the first home game of December for the Mocs (8-6) after spending the last several weeks on the road playing foes like Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, and Marshall.

Jax State enters Thursday's contest winners of their last three games. In their last game at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Dec. 14, JSU used a big second half to pull away from Alabama State, 71-60. Last week in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, the Gamecocks picked up two impressive wins over Utah Tech and Campbell. Now, head coach Rick Pietri's squad will aim for their first true road victory of the season in the Volunteer State.

Chattanooga has won two of their last three games but suffered a narrow 60-56 setback at Marshall last Wednesday. The Mocs are 4-1 at McKenzie Arena, including wins over Kennesaw State, Tennessee State, and Young Harris. The only team to hand Chattanooga a loss in their friendly confines is ASUN member Austin Peay, who downed the Mocs 58-53 on Nov. 12.

First-year head coach Shawn Poppie has engineered a quick turnaround for a Mocs program that went 7-23 a year ago by bringing in a plethora of talent from the transfer portal. Stetson transfer Yazz Wazeerud-Din is averaging a team-high 16.3 points per game while freshman forward Raven Thompson leads the team with 7.8 rebounds to go along with her 13.0 points per game. Returner Abbey Cornelius has also had a solid start to the season and is scoring 11.5 points and grabbing 7.3 rebounds per outing.

The Mocs appear to sport one of the best defenses in the SoCon this year. By allowing just 53.3 points per game, Chattanooga ranks 15^th nationally in scoring defense. Their marks in fouls per game (15.1, 67^th) and defensive field goal percentage (37%, 88^th) are also in the Top 100 for all Division I programs.

As for JSU, several performers have put together strong openings to the 2022-23 campaign. Imari Martin and Shawnta Shaw lead the squad with 12.8 and 12.7 points per game. Graduate forward Kennedy Gavin, who ended up with a selection to the Holiday Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team, has a team-best 7.1 rebounds and 8.4 points per contest. Jacksonville native Kyra Williams has also been reliable thus far and is scoring 9.8 points per game.

After a pair of smothering efforts in Sin City, Jacksonville State's defense remains among the best in the Division I ranks. Their defensive three-point percentage of 24.5% is 12^th best in the nation, and their 54.1 points allowed per game is 21^st in the country. JSU's discipline on defensive has shined in non-conference play as well, and their 14.7 fouls per game is Top 50 in Division I.

JSU is 1-7 against Chattanooga since joining the NCAA in 1982. Their only win against the historical power came last season at The Pete in a 61-51 triumph. Jax State has never defeated UTC on the road.

Thursday's game at McKenzie Arena will start at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. Fans unable to attend can follow along with all the action via streaming or listening on the radio. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Logan Maddox will cover the matchup on the Gamecock Sports Network.

Links to follow along with live stats or to watch or listen to those non-conference tests will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. Score updates and highlights will be posted on JSU women's basketball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecocksWBB).

To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, be sure to follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State University Women's Basketball), Twitter (@JSUGamecocksWBB), and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksWBB) accounts.

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Players Mentioned

Kennedy Gavin

Imari Martin

Shawnta Shaw

Kyra Williams

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