Cullowhee, N.C. – Catamount women's basketball continues its Tennessee road swing on Saturday afternoon, traveling to The McKenzie Arena to face the Chattanooga Mocs in another key Southern Conference match-up. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Coverage of Saturday's game is available through UTC's production on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats links available at CatamountSports.com.
Saturday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (11-12, 1-7 SoCon) at Chattanooga (10-11, 5-3 SoCon)
Feb. 8, 2025, | Mckenzie Arena | Chattanooga, Tenn. | 2 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/2ajt52ks
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/3tre6e8e
Both teams look to get back into the win column on Saturday as the Catamounts (11-12, 1-7 SoCon) were downed by ETSU in Johnson City, 77-64, on Thursday while the Mocs (10-11, 5-3 SoCon) fell at home to UNC Greensboro, 58-50. Saturday's game is the frontend of a UTC doubleheader.
Full Court Press – About the Teams:
Longtime rivals, the Catamounts and Mocs meet for the 101st time in the longest series in either team's respective history. WCU trails 13-87, dropping the first meeting in Cullowhee 67-56. WCU's most recent win in the series was a 56-48 victory in Chattanooga in the 2022-23 season.
The Mocs scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to rally past the Catamounts back on Jan. 9. Seven players across both teams recorded double-figure scoring totals.
The two teams didn't share an opponent in the non-conference season but are quite familiar with SoCon opposition at this point of the year. Chattanooga is 5-3 in SoCon play with two of those losses coming against UNCG and another coming in a 57-54 loss to Wofford in Spartanburg. The Catamounts are 1-7 in conference play and are looking to halt a six-game skid. In the current stretch, two games have been decided by fewer than five points with four ending with less than a 10-point margin.
Players to Watch:
Three Catamounts – grad transfer AC Carter, senior Zanoria Cruz, and sophomore Tyja Beans – led the way in the first round against Chattanooga in January, going for 17, 14, and 12 points, respectively. Cruz and Beans were busy on the glass as well, combining for 13 rebounds in what was the SoCon opener for both teams.
As has been the case for much of the season, Chattanooga was led by Caia Elisadelz who rolled to 21 points on a 9-of-14 shooting performance. Outside of Elisadelz, the Mocs had three other double-figure games with Ava Card (11 poins), Karsen Murphy (10), and Anya Brooke (10) all going for double-digit scoring.
In their most recent outing at ETSU, the Catamounts were again paced by the Southern Conference's leading scorer AC Carter, who recorded 15 points and nine rebounds in Johnson City. WCU also found more success from the perimeter as Chelsea Wooten enjoyed a strong 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range.
Elisadelz has been a force for the Mocs as of late, stringing together a trio of 20-point efforts including a 20-point run in their loss to UNCG. Outside of the 5'5 sophomore, Chattanooga has received consistent production from freshman Gianna Corbitt, who is the only other Moc to average double-figure scoring. Corbitt is also fifth in the SoCon in rebounds per game, with a 6.9 mark.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU returns home next week for their final regular season games on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center as it hosts the Wofford Terriers on Feb. 13 and the Furman Paladins on Feb. 15. Tip is set for 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. in the frontend of a hoops doubleheader, respectively.
