Basketball teams kick off season with Blue and Gold games

The men's and women's basketball teams tipped off the season with the annual Blue and Gold games, Thursday. While everyone else was getting ready for Halloween, the Mocs and Lady Mocs were playing in a scrimmage against themselves. Needless to say, Chatttanooga won.

However, fans who were there caught a show between the games.

Athletic Director Rick Hart dressed up as a famous Star Wars character, Chewbacca, and danced along with the Sugar Mocs to the song "One-Eyed, One Horn, Flying Purple People Eater."

The Lady Mocs White team beat the Blue team, 43-22, and the Mocs Gold team beat the Blue team, 55-53.



Lady Mocs' basketball game

White beat Blue, Thursday at the McKenzie Arena, with a final score of 43-22.

Leading the White squad were sophomore Anelia Murray, Lithonia, Ga., and junior Jenaya Wade-Fray, Madison, Ala., combining for 34 points in the night.

Murray went eight for eight and had six rebounds. Wade-Fray was six for seven, notching four 3-pointers.

Leading the Blue team was LaCondra Mason, a Chattanooga senior, with six points and seven rebounds.

Also contributing to the Blue team was Megan Rollins, junior transfer from Monteagle, Tenn., throwing four points on the board.

Freshman Andrea Neil, a point guard from Memphis, helped with two assists and a 3-pointer, the only 3-pointer for the Blue team.

The Lady Mocs are picked as the Southern Conference favorites as they go after their 10th consecutive league title, according to a poll of the league's 11 head coaches.

Junior Shanara Hollinquest, Sylacauga, Ala., was the only Lady Moc representative on the 11-person Preseason All-Conference team. The forward posted a 58.2 field goal percentage and scored an average 11.6 points per game in the league.

The women will face off against Lee University, November 10th. The game will start at 7 p.m.

Also coming up for the Lady Mocs is the game against rival East Tennessee State University, Nov. 17. Last year the Lady Mocs beat them by one point in a 70-69 win.

The 2009 Southern Conference Tournament is March 5-9 in Chattanooga.



Mocs' basketball game

The men's game came a bit closer as the Gold team out-scored the Blue team by 2 points. The final score of the game was 55-53.

Stephan McDowell, Indianapolis, Ind., and Ty Patterson, a junior from Anderson, S.C., led the game with 16 points apiece.

Following closely was senior Nicchaeus Doaks, Trenton, Tenn., who was perfect from the floor. He was five for five with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Keyron Sheard, a senior from Red Bank, N.J., also had a great night with five assists and 11 points.

Sheard averaged 3.6 points, 55 assists and 26 steals last season.

Head Coach John Shulman said Sheard was as good as Kevin Bridgewaters last season and is expected to have a good senior year.

The Mocs were picked as the preseason favorites in the North Division, earning 66 points (the maximum allowed in the coaches balloting.)

The Mocs team is made up of six seniors, one junior, two sophomores and five freshmen, a young recruitment from previous years.

The men's basketball team has three returning starters and two reserves ready to step up to the starting lineup.

The men will first face the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Nov. 15. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The 2009 SoCon Tournament will take place March 6-9 in Chattanooga at McKenzie Arena.