GREENSBORO, N.C. --- It was a tale of two halves for the Chattanooga women's basketball team in Greensboro on Saturday, as a slow start from the Mocs proved too much for UTC to come back from as UNCG handed the Mocs their first SoCon loss of the season in a 62-48 result.

The Mocs (6-9, 1-1 SoCon) couldn't find the bottom of the net to open the day at Fleming Gymnasium while the Spartans (11-5, 2-0 SoCon) were dominant over the opening 20 minutes of action. Despite trailing 38-13 at halftime, the Mocs were able to mount a comeback in the second half to make it a much more respectable result on the day.

"Coming into this game, getting a different look than we're used to on the offensive end threw us off," head coach Deandra Schirmer said. "Credit to them, they came out and played really well. I felt like we weren't ready, and we weren't executing our stuff.

"I'm most disappointed in the 21 points in the first quarter and 17 points given up in the [second] quarter. I think that when you look back on this game, we started getting going in the second half, but it's like, that's too late, you know? As far as coming into this game, our focus defensively and what we could control wasn't there."

From the jump the Mocs found themselves in a hole as the Spartans scored the game's opening basket at the 9:49 mark of the quarter, gaining a lead that UNCG would not lose for the remainder of the game. Showcasing a tough physicality, the Spartans cruised to an early 21-8 lead by the end of the opening quarter.

The Spartans didn't show any signs of slowing down in the second frame, as UNCG's defense sparked its offense enroute to a dominant showing heading into the halftime break. The Mocs found themselves trailing 38-13 at the half.

UTC was able to get its offense more on track in the third quarter, as Caia Elisaldez and Frode Flos van der Schans supplied much of the Mocs' production. Despite this, UNCG still continued to scorch the bottom of the net. Heading into the fourth quarter, UTC was looking at a 56-27 deficit with 10 minutes left to play in Fleming Gymnasium.

The Mocs put together their strongest 10 minutes of the game in the fourth quarter, as UTC out-scored the Spartans 21-6 in a phenomenal final frame of the day. Gianna Corbitt found all of her points in the fourth quarter, as the freshman saw all nine of her points come during UTC's strong end to the game.

Despite this late effort, Chattanooga still was only able to take a bite out of UNCG's large lead. With a final score of 62-48, the Spartans had handed UTC its first SoCon loss of the year.

Karsen Murphy ended the game as the Mocs' leading scorer, logging 10 points for UTC which included connecting on a pair of three-pointers. Flo van der Schans had a career day of her own in the losing effort, as the Dutch international finished with a new career-high of nine points.

Other stat leaders for the Mocs included Caia Elisaldez, who led the team with six assists, as well as Sigrun Olafsdottir, whose four rebounds also were a team-high.

FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On foul trouble early in the game.
"I do think obviously, the foul trouble really hurt us. You know, two of our we don't have the depth that they have. You know, we have a very limited bench, and when we have two of our starters out in the first with, you know, three fouls. And then, from a coaching standpoint, not really having the bench to put anybody else in, it's tough, you know. And so for us, we're going to have to find other ways. We're also going to have to develop our kids so that we can't have that confidence to put the bench players in as well. And so it's a lot of different moving pieces. I feel like, you know, looking at this film, I'm excited to look at the film and see areas that we can make improvements going into the game, and understanding that in a conference where you get to play everybody twice the second game, being at home, and be able to able to understand what their game plan is, looking forward to that rematch."

TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- This marked the 66th meeting between Chattanooga and UNCG.
- The Mocs now lead the all-time series 51-15.
- UTC is 19-8 when playing the Spartans in Greensboro.
- This game was a rematch of the 2024 SoCon Tournament title game (UTC won 69-60).
- Neither team has won two-straight games over the other since the Mocs strung together back-to-back wins over the Spartans on Feb. 6, 2020 and Feb. 19 2021.
- Since then both teams have alternated winning games over the past ten contests.
- Coach Schirmer went with the following starting five: Elisaldez, Olafsdottir, Murphy, Corbitt, Anya.
- The Mocs are now 3-4 this season when playing that starting lineup.
- UTC finished 44.4 percent (20-for-45) from the floor while UNCG was 45.2 percent (19-for-42) as a team.
- The Spartans also shot 41.2 percent (7-for-17) from three while the Mocs were 33.3 percent (5-for-15).
- 17 of UNCG's points came from free throws.
- The Mocs were out-rebounded 36-16.
- 12 turnovers by the Mocs are tied for the fewest by the team this season.
- UNCG finished with 10 second chance points, while UTC had zero.
- The Spartans never trailed in the game.

UP NEXT: SAMFORD
Chattanooga's next game will be back home at McKenzie Arena on Thursday, January 16 against Samford. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is slated for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+ or listen to via WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM. The game will also serve as 80s Night for the Mocs, where fans can receive a retro hat by attending (while supplies last).

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