CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The star power of the opponent doesn’t concern Chattanooga. As long as the Mocs are playing at home, they believe they are going to win.
Chelsey Shumpert scored a career-high 18 points, including five 3-pointers, and Chattanooga stunned No. 7 Stanford 54-46 on Wednesday night for its second home victory over a top-10 opponent this season.
“It gives us confidence for the rest of the season,” Shumpert said. “I think we just played hard. That’s what we do.”
The Mocs (7-3) pulled off their latest stunner three weeks after producing a 67-63 upset of Tennessee, which was ranked fourth during their Nov. 26 meeting. Chattanooga has won 43 of its last 44 home games.
Chattanooga coach Jim Foster, a wine aficionado, said after the Tennessee game that “I think it’s going be an Opus night” in reference to a favorite cabernet. Foster was asked Wednesday if he plans a similar celebration for this victory.
“I may go there again,” Foster said. “I know I’ve got some stashed away at a friend’s house.”
Chattanooga (7-3) won despite being held without a basket after Keiana Gilbert gave the Mocs a 44-34 lead with 11:26 remaining. The Mocs made 7 of 8 free throws in the last 50 seconds.
Stanford (6-3) shot just 27.7 percent and absorbed its first regular-season, non-conference loss to an unranked foe since falling at Saint Mary’s on Nov. 17, 2000. The Cardinal’s leading scorer was Lili Thompson, whose nine points were less than half her previous season average of 19.7.
“(Foster) does a great job preparing his team,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “He’s a basketball junkie. He loves basketball. He works hard. Their team is a very disciplined team. They’re going to play his way, or they’re not going to play. They played us very tough, very aggressive.”
The Mocs used uncanny 3-point accuracy to build a double-digit lead. After missing its first four 3-point attempts, Chattanooga went 7 of 11 from beyond the arc the rest of the first half. The Mocs continually worked the shot clock down to the last 5 or 10 seconds.
Stanford cut the lead to three points with 2:10 remaining and again with 36 seconds left, but the Cardinal couldn’t come all the way back.
“Throughout the entire game, defense meant everything,” said Chattanooga guard Moses Johnson, who scored 10 points in a reserve role. “It kind of gave us our momentum, and especially in the last couple of minutes, it was very important for us to try to contest everything they gave.”
TIP-INS
Stanford: After entering ranked sixth among Division I teams with a 3-point percentage of .405, Stanford went 4 of 17 from beyond the arc, including 1 of 10 in the second half.
Chattanooga: Jasmine Joyner blocked five shots for the Mocs. Joyner had been averaging 3.7 blocks and had set a school single-game record last month by blocking eight shots in an 88-53 loss at No. 5 Notre Dame, which was then ranked third.
MEDICAL REPORT
The Mocs played a second straight game without sophomore guard-forward Aryanna Gilbert, who injured her knee in practice on Friday. Gilbert had started seven of Chattanooga’s first eight games and averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.
STAT LINES
Shumpert has gone 9 of 18 from 3-point range in Chattanooga’s last two games after going 10 of 41 from beyond the arc in the Mocs’ first eight. … Johnson scored 10 points Wednesday after failing to score in either of Chattanooga’s last two games.
UP NEXT
Stanford: At No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday.
Chattanooga: Hosts Morgan State on Saturday in the Chattanooga Christmas Classic.
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