UTC women’s basketball season starts at Green Bay

Thirteen home dates and nonconference games against 10 national-tournament teams from last season highlight the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball schedule for 2017-18.

Coach Jim Foster’s Mocs, who won 24 games last year, start the season on the road on Nov. 11 at Wisconsin-Green Bay, which won 27 games and advanced to the 2017 NCAA tournament. They open the home season two days later, hosting 21-win Central Florida — one of six 2017 WNIT teams on the nonconference schedule — at McKenzie Arena at 6:30 p.m.

Added to the slate is a three-day trip to Nashville over the Thanksgiving holidays for the 2017 Music City Challenge, where games against Northwestern, Georgetown and Auburn await. Virginia Tech and Hampton also are new opponents.

Indiana, Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast will return games from last season, with FGCU coming to McKenzie on Dec. 17. The Eagles joined Auburn, Hampton, Green Bay and UTC in the 2017 NCAA tournament.

UTC will play in the Gator Holiday Classic in Gainesville, Fla., against Florida and Princeton on Dec. 20-21.

The Mocs return only three players with starting experience from last season — senior sisters Aryanna and Keiana Gilbert and sophomore Lakelyn Bouldin — but the team gained some valuable time together on a recent trip to Canada. The Mocs went 3-0 as the Gilbert sisters and sophomore Arianne Whitaker each averaged 11 points per game.

Freshmen Brooke Burns and Bria Dial each averaged nine per game on the trip, with Dial’s 21-point performance in a 42-point victory being the best single-game total.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@ timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.