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 Senior Tiffany Hamm hopes to lead the Cats to victory at UTC Thursday for the second consecutive year. |
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Western Carolina-Chattanooga Game Notes in PDF Format
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Feb. 4, 2004
Cullowhee, N.C. - Thursday night's game between the Western Carolina Catamounts and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Lady Mocs (Feb. 5th) can be seen live from Chattanooga on College Sports Television (CSTV) at 7:00 pm. This game will mark the first ever national television network exposure for Southern Conference Women's Basketball. CSTV is offered through Direct TV as well as through select cable companies. Call your local provider for availability.
Seniors Yoneko Allen, Christy Blackwell and Tiffany Hamm hope to make it two consecutive years with a win at Chattanooga as the trio closes out their careers at Western this year. Hamm led the squad in last year's contest with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Allen chipped in 14 points, while Blackwell had a season-high 13, adding two steals and a team-high four assists. Allen and Blackwell combined to hit five of six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory for the Catamounts.
THE SERIES
Thursday marks the 52nd all-time meeting between the Catamounts and the Lady Mocs. Chattanooga does own a 44-7 advantage in the series, but are not unbeatable on their home court. Three of the Cats' seven victories over UTC have come on the road, including the 73-69 thriller last season in Chattanooga. In the teams' most recent contest, Chattanooga claimed a 76-53 win over Western in Cullowhee on Jan. 10th. The Mocs outrebounded Western Carolina 52-32 and the Cats were never able to recover from a 10 point deficit at the half as Katie Galloway led the field with 18 points and five assists. Christy Blackwell was the only Catamount to score in double figures with 10 points, adding three assists and two steals.
ON THE CATAMOUNTS
Western Carolina is riding its second three-game winning streak of the season after defeating Georgia Southern on the road and then Davidson and College of Charleston at home to complete the season sweep of the two later teams. Coincidentally, the Cats took down Charleston earlier in January to give the team its first three-game win streak of the year. Western has excelled at the free throw line in the last two games, shooting 96.3 and 83.3 percent, respectively, after struggling in the previous few games. The team currently ranks third in the SoCon at the line, shooting 71.7 percent for the season. The Catamounts are led by senior Tiffany Hamm who is averaging 15.8 ppg, good for third in the league, and 8.3 rpg, also third in the conference. She additionally ranks 13th in field goal percentage (.434), 14th in free throw percentage (.763) and second in defensive boards (6.21/gm). Other Catamounts among the SoCon ranks include junior Jennifer Gardner, senior Christy Blackwell and senior Yoneko Allen.
ON THE MOCS
Chattanooga extended its winning streak to 16 games after back-to-back road wins in the last week, which set a school record and ties for the longest running streak in the nation. The Mocs lead the SoCon in seven statistical categories, including scoring margin, averaging 13.8 more points per game than their opponents. The squad is led by Katasha Brown who is ranked second in the league with 15.9 ppg and third in field goal percentage, shooting 53.3 percent from the field. She also leads the SoCon with a 48.9 3-point field goal percentage on the season.
A WIN WOULD...
A victory over Chattanooga would give Western an 8-12 overall record and 7-6 mark in the league, bringing the Cats above .500 in the SoCon for the first time since early January. It would also make the second consecutive win in Chattanooga for WCU, doing so last year with a 73-69 victory. A win would additionally give the Catamounts their longest winning streak of the season at four games and mark the first time since the 2000-01 season that WCU would win its opening game in the month of February.
THE LAST TIME
Coincidentally, the last time the Lady Mocs lost on their home court was in last year's clash between UTC and Western Carolina. At that time, the Catamounts snapped an eight-game home unbeaten streak at McKenzie Arena. Chattanooga has recently enjoyed an 11-game home unbeaten streak.
Regional cable markets that offer CSTV: Ahoskie, NC Elizabeth City, NC Goldsboro, NC King, NC Laurinburg, NC Mocksville, NC Mooresville, NC Mount Airy, NC Rocky Mount, NC Statesville, NC Whiteville, NC Friendsville, TN Greeneville, TN Dillon, SC Georgetown, SC Hartsville, SC Hilton Head Island, SC Brunswick, GA Canton, GA Cartersville, GA Cartersville, GA, GA Cumming, GA Winder, GA
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