Women's Basketball 1/3/2013 7:00:00 PM UNCGSpartans.com

Women's Basketball Jumps Back Into SoCon Schedule With Home Matchup Against Chattanooga

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Having completed its nonconference schedule, the UNCG women's basketball team turns its focus back to league action as it hosts Chattanooga Saturday at Fleming Gymnasium.

The game has been designated as the Spartans' annual "Pack the House" night as all tickets, as well as hot dogs at the concessions stand, are just one dollar.

The Spartans have split their last four games and look to win their first Southern Conference game of the season. The Blue and Gold nearly knocked off Western Carolina Dec. 1 in Cullowhee, but the Catamounts mustered a last minute rally to hold off UNCG. The Spartans also fell to College of Charleston at home in their other league encounter.

UNCG suffered an 80-62 loss in its last outing at UAB. Junior Janae' Stevenson (Columbia, S.C./Eau Claire) netted her first double-double of the season and sixth of her career, scoring a career-high 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Also with a double-digit output was freshman Lucy Mason (Stone Mountain, Ga./Chamblee Charter) who dropped in 21 points. She also recorded a career-best six assists.

UNCG stayed even with the Blazers on the glass as each team pulled down 40 rebounds. The Spartans were plagued by 25 turnovers and UAB scored 24 points off those miscues. The Blue and Gold was strong down low, out-scoring the Blazers 40-36 in the paint and shot a slightly better percentage overall – hitting 28 of 62 shots for a 45-percent showing. UAB drained 29 of 65 attempts to end up at 44.6 percent.

• Saturday's contest marks the 37th meeting between UNCG and Chattanooga with the Mocs holding a commanding 30-6 advantage in the series. The Spartans have not beaten Mocs since a 71-68 victory Jan. 2, 2007 in McKenzie Arena.

• In the last meeting between the programs, Chattanooga emerged victorious by a 63-44 scoreline. Breonna Patterson led an undermanned UNCG squad with 10 points, all in the first half, and Sarah Folwell added a season-high nine, all on 3-pointers and all in the second half. Janae' Stevenson also scored nine. UNCG dressed just eight players for the contest. Whitney Hood and Kayla Christopher shared game-high honors with 16 points each for Chattanooga, which snapped a two-game skid and won its 13th straight over the Spartans. The Lady Mocs were ranked 19th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. UNCG held Chattanooga to just 36.8 percent shooting in the game (21-for-57), but the Spartans were just 14-for-51 themselves. The Lady Mocs were 15-for-18 from the free throw line and out-rebounded UNCG 48-30. Chattanooga pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, converting them into 20 second-chance points. UNCG had just eight points on second chances.

• Like the Spartans, Chattanooga played its last contest at UAB. The Mocs were down five at the half, but rallied to secure a 66-57 victory at Bartow Arena. Junior Ashlen Dewart posted her second double-double of the year with 23 points and matching her season-high with 12 rebounds. After shooting 8-of-29 from the field in the first half, the Lady Mocs came back strong in the second making 13-of-25 (52%) from the field and 4-of-9 from the 3-point line.

FROSH LEADING THE WAY...
Freshman Lucy Mason is averaging a stellar 15.9 points per game thus far this season. Not only is she the top freshman scorer in the Southern Conference, but she also ranks second nationally among all rookies.

SPEAKING OF FRESHMEN...
UNCG's seven freshmen have earned valuable playing experience this season and are responsible for over half of the Spartans' offensive output. Of UNCG's 589 points, the rookies have scored 363 (56 percent).

SCORING IS WAY UP...
After averaging just 49.6 points per game last season, the Spartans are scoring 59.2 a contest this year. UNCG netted 71 points against Norfolk State, its most since dropping in 70 at North Carolina Central Nov. 26, 2011.

DEFENSIVE CLAMPS...
UNCG limited North Carolina Central to just 39 points in a victory at Fleming Gymnasium. The Spartans allowed their fewest amount of points in a single game since holding Fordham to 39 in a 50-39 victory at Fleming Gymnasium Dec. 13, 2008.

MAKING IT RAIN FROM RANGE...
Not only did UNCG tie a single-game program record with 12 three-point field goals against nationally-ranked Florida State, the Spartans fired at 57 percent from beyond the arc - marking their highest percentage since hitting five of seven against Chattanooga last season (Jan. 28, 2012).

PLAY THE D...
The Spartans have played some intense defense so far this season, racking up 134 steals and forcing 248 turnovers. Mason owns a team-best 22 steals while UNCG ranks second in the league with 12.2 per contest.

LUCKY NUMBER 7(0)...
Over the last four seasons, UNCG is 20-1 when scoring at least 70 points. The Spartans' last loss when scoring 70 was nearly five years ago, Dec. 20, 2007, when UNCG lost at UCF, 76-73. The Blue and Gold reached 70 points just once last year, but it turned out to be in victory as UNCG downed N.C. Central 70-53 on the road.

THREE-POINT STREAK AT 31...
UNCG has nailed at least one three-point field goal in the last 31 games and 186 of the last 187. The Spartans owned a streak of 155-straight contests with a triple until they went 0-6 at Wofford Dec. 17, 2011.

STUFFED...
Junior Janae' Stevenson is rapidly moving her way up the UNCG career blocked shots list. As a freshman, she swatted 36 shots, the fourth-most in a single season in school history. She did two better with 38 blocked shots last season. With 85 to her credit now, she is fourth in program career history. Stevenson blocked a career-high four shots in UNCG's 55-54 win over Georgia Southern last year. Should she maintain her current pace, Stevenson should easily surpass UNCG's career record of 121 by Rebecca Viverette (1994-98) by the time her career is over.

JUST FINE IN FLEMING...
UNCG has historically been dominant in Fleming Gym, posting a 196-86 (.695) mark at the venue. In 23 years, UNCG has had just four losing seasons in the facility. Last season, the playing surface was christened Lynne Agee Court in honor of the former UNCG coach, who retired in March 2011 after 30 years at the helm. The court was ofﬁcially dedicated at halftime of UNCG's Dec. 3 contest against Samford.

NEXT UP...
After battling Chattanooga, UNCG will welcome Samford to Fleming Gymnasium Monday, Jan. 7 for a Southern Conference encounter. Tipoff between the Spartans and Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m.