The 2023 SoCon Basketball Championships wrapped up by crowning (27-7) Furman as the men’s basketball champions, and (20-12) Chattanooga as the women’s basketball champions.
The women’s tournament was the first to conclude following the No. 2 Chattanooga Mocs 62-53 win over the No. 1 seeded Wofford Terriers at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. on March 5.
Chattanooga Mocs head coach Shawn Poppie opened his post-game conference by saying, “Obviously, I’m super proud of this and our support. It was loud and proud in there for the Chattanooga Mocs. We felt that the minute we walked out of our hotel today…we’re going dancing, baby!”
The Mocs were led in scoring by Raven Thompson, who had 19 points and nine rebounds in a championship level performance, followed by Yazz Wazeerud-Din and her 16 points.
Sophomore guard Addie Porter was the third Moc to reach double-digits in the game but the only player with a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Porter has taken a backseat in the Mocs offense this season, but that hasn’t bothered her: “I don’t care how many I score. We worked all summer for this. We have all been working for this moment right here,” Porter said following the game.
No. 1 seed Furman prevented a Chattanooga SoCon sweep when the Paladins defeated the No. 7 seeded Mocs 88-79.
Furman’s head coach, Bob Richey, honored his senior players Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson during the post-game press conference saying, “I am going to miss them. We are not done. We’ve got more to do. They’re great players, but their person has grown so much in their time in this program…I don’t know when or how but No. 20 and No. 3 are going in the rafters…They came back this year to win this thing for the program.”
The two players were integral to Furman’s success this season and showed up when it mattered most: the SoCon Championship game.
Slawson shot an efficient 67% from the field enroute to scoring 20 points and grabbing five boards.
Bothwell added 16 points and four rebounds with all of his points coming in the second half.
After the game, Bothwell wasn’t bothered by his performance in the first half of play. “That’s not going to shake my confidence…I have Jalen Slawson, my best friend, playing his butt off. We were winning at half time, so I was happy as I can be. It’s all about a team victory,” said the fifth-year senior.
The Mocs and Paladins will now have to wait until Selection Sunday on March 12 to find out where they will be seeded and who they will play in the opening round of their respective March Madness tournaments.
