UTC Women Lead Nation in Blocked Shots Per Game

Chattanooga-(WDEF) Opponents better learn how to handle rejection when they face the UTC women’s basketball team.
Chattanooga has become one of the best in the country at blocking shots.
Over the weekend, UTC set a school record with 14 blocked shots in one game.
When your blocked shots nearly equal your opponent’s made shots. That’s crazy. Saturday, the Mocs blocked 14 Wofford shots. The Terriers made 16 shots.
Said Keiana Gilbert-“Just having 14 blocks off of that game was kind of impressive.”
Jasmine Joyner leads the nation in average blocks per game with just over four. And now UTC leads the nation in blocks per game at just over six.
Said Joyner-“That’s something I love most is blocking shots, and to know that our team holds the record is pretty cool.”
Said head coach Jim Foster-“You lead the nation in anything, and we’ve been fortunate to do it a couple of different times in a couple of different categories. I think there’s 351 Division I schools, so when you think about it, it’s got to be a nice attribute to have. Whatever it is you’re doing well, as long as it’s always on the plus side.”
Added Gilbert-“It is kind of surprising that it’s us when we don’t really have that many 6-foot players on our team, so that’s impressive also.”
Coach Foster says blocked shots can impact a game.
Foster-“Psychologically, a lot of times, blocked shots are a good thing. If it’s coming against certain opponents, they have a tendency to get a little tentative relative to their shot.”
Said Joyner-“I remember one game, one girl said ‘It’s okay, that was her first block of the game’, so I know they talk about me.”
When players miss a block, they’ll usually get a foul. But it sounds like UTC has figured out the science of blocking shots.
Said Foster-“We block with the proper technique. We don’t come down on the ball. We stay high and have a pretty good sense of timing. I don’t know if the team has ever been first in the country in blocked shots and third in fewest fouls committed.”