Bears Trek To SoCon-Leading Chattanooga On Friday

Friday, January 30

Chattanooga, Tenn.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

Chattanooga

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Bears Trek To SoCon-Leading Chattanooga On Friday

1/29/2026 10:16:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – The Mercer women's basketball team will open up a two-game trip through the Volunteer State on Friday evening when the Bears trek to southeast Tennessee to take on Southern Conference-leading Chattanooga. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in McKenzie Arena.

Fans unable to make the trip to Chattanooga can still follow the action for free via a live statistics link provided by the UTC athletics department. The game is also scheduled to be broadcasted live on ESPN+.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Friday, January 30 Time: 6 p.m. ET Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. I McKenzie Arena TV: ESPN+ Live Statistics: MercerBears.com/Live Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

TICKETS
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by the Chattanooga athletic ticketing portal.

LAST TIME OUT
Mercer rallied all the way back from a 13-point deficit in the first quarter to take the lead with 2-1/2 minutes left to play, but visiting Wofford used a trio of free throws, as well as a couple of late defensive stands, to stymie the Bears, 67-64, on Saturday afternoon in Hawkins Arena. Senior Nahawa Diarra scored a team-high 16 points, while also matching a team-high with seven rebounds as well.

ABOUT MERCER
The Bears (12-8, 2-3 SoCon) will look to right their ship after being on the wrong end of two home decisions last week. Mercer ranks second among the eight Southern Conference teams in turnovers forced per game (18.85) thanks to 9.7 steals an outing (2^nd SoCon), and has been sparked offensively by a league-best 14.95 made free throws per game as well. Senior Ariana Bennett (11.7 ppg) continues to carry the torch in the scoring column for the Orange & Black, but two other players – senior Nahawa Diarra (11.6) and junior Abigail Holtman (11.2) show double-digit scoring averages as well. Sophomore guard Stephanie Utomi (21-for-34) has shot better than 61 percent from the field over the last six contests and registered her first career double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in last week's setback to Furman.

SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA
The Mocs (13-5, 5-0 SoCon) are still perfect through nine Southern Conference outings this season, and will bring a nine-game win streak into Friday's matchup with the Bears. Chattanooga has managed a Southern Conference-best 41.5 percent success rate from the field so far in 2025-26, while also boasting the nation's 41^st-best scoring defense (57.6 points/game allowed). Junior Caia Elisaldez (14.6 ppg) and three-time SoCon Player of the Week selection Gianna Corbitt (13.5) rank third and sixth, respectively, among the league's top scorers, while Corbitt also ranks second in the SoCon with 8.2 rebounds per game. Both players are among the nation's top 3-point shooters as well.

MERCER/CHATTANOOGA SERIES
Chattanooga leads the 43-year-old series, 26-11, and will ride an eight-game series win streak into McKenzie Arena on Friday including a trio of wins over the Bears last season. Mercer's last win in the series, however, came on the road when the Bears stormed into McKenzie Arena and delivered a 59-53 loss to the Mocs on Feb. 3, 2022.

ON DECK
The Bears will close out their Tennessee road trip on Sunday when they make the short hop to Johnson City, Tenn., to lock horns with East Tennessee State (9-11, 2-3 SoCon) in Brooks Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (X/Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_wbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.