Education Day brought elementary and middle school students to McKenzie Arena for the Mocs women’s basketball team’s Nov. 25 contest against Lipscomb. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Department held its annual Education Day at the women’s basketball game against Lipscomb on Monday, Nov. 25, in McKenzie Arena. The Mocs welcomed over 2,000 elementary and middle school students for the mid-day contest against the Bison.
Education Day has become an annual tradition at UTC, with one game close to Thanksgiving or holiday break moving to an early tipoff to allow local students to come to campus and experience the atmosphere.
“We are always looking for a way to highlight our University and athletic programs to as many people as possible,” UTC Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton said. “This is a great opportunity for us to show off our campus to a large number of area youth in a way that we hope will be memorable for them.
“They also enhance an outstanding environment for competition and that helps our teams perform. We hope that they have a good time and come back as fans—and maybe even students down the road.”
The youthful exuberance of those in the stands helped the Mocs improve to 4-3 on the year with a 66-60 victory. UTC led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but only held a 62-60 advantage with 30 seconds to play.
The Mocs closed out the game with four straight makes from the free throw line to secure the win. Senior Karsen Murphy led all scorers with 21 points, while sophomore Caia Elisaldez added 17 and senior Brooke Anya had 15.
UTC’s next home game is at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, against Kennesaw State. Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at 423-266-MOCS (6627).
Education Day photo gallery by Angela Foster
