CHATTANOOGA --- Tip your hat, Abbey Cornelius, there's a new record holder in town. After stepping on the court for Saturday's 60-37 blowout victory over Mercer, Sigrun Olafsdottir set a new program record for most career games played in a Mocs jersey after appearing in her 137th game in the win.

As easy as it may seem to get caught in Olafsdottir's prestige, there was plenty to be excited about from a whole team standpoint for the Mocs after Saturday's tilt. Chattanooga (8-9, 3-1 SoCon) saw a wire to-wire win over Mercer 6-12, 1-2 SoCon) after UTC's defense helped the offense steamroll through the opposition in the Roundhouse.

The result marks the fewest points allowed by the Mocs to a SoCon opponent since logging a 47-32 win over Western Carolina back on Jan. 6, 2018.

"I think that we're coming in here and establishing the program the way that we wanted to run it," head coach Deandra Schirmer said. "We kept saying, trust the process, it's going to come. Trust the process, it's going to come. And in the meantime, we made sure that we established our defense, and our defensive rebounding has carried us through the season so far.

"Tonight, it really felt like we turned a corner offensively. It really felt like we were moving, we were playing together. The ball was hot. We were making the right passes and executing the way that we want to execute. And I was really proud to see that."

There was one key difference between Saturday's breezy win and Thursday's nail-biter— that being Chattanooga never gave Mercer a lead. Although the game was tied at three different points, the Mocs never fell behind the Bears, and made sure they would not have to worry about making a comeback as the last tie in the game came at just 6:20 in the first quarter. After that point, it was Blue and Gold as far as the eye could see.

Gianna Corbitt finished with her third career double-double after leading the team with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Karsen Murphy joined Corbitt as the only other Moc to post double-digit scoring numbers as she put up 12 points from two a pair of 3-pointers and a solid six pack of field goals within the heart of the offense.

Murphy heard her name called early and often as a first quarter jumper held true to break the 8-8 tie and give the Mocs a lead that would remain until the final whistle. Ava Card closed the quarter out with a free throw and a smooth three-point dagger to bring the fans in the Roundhouse to their feet as the first quarter came to a close.

Stay-at-home defender Olafsdottir left her post to take care of some unfinished business as she bullied her way through the point to secure a layup for her first points of the half to open the second quarter. Corbitt and Elisaldez continued with business as usual as they heard their names called multiple times as they took Chattanooga to a 33-18 lead at halftime.

The Mocs meshed through the second half as they went 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) on three-point shots and a perfect 4-for-4 on free throws, making sure to capitalize on every chance the Bears sent their way. The fireworks topped off midway through the third quarter as Chattanooga featured a 26-point lead.

Defensively, Chattanooga held Mercer in tight, never taking their foot off the gas from tipoff. On the backend, the Mocs held the bears to only 37 total points, with only one Bear posting a double-digit outing. Additionally, the Mocs held Mercer to go 0-for-8 from three-point range in the contest, the first time since Feb. 29 against Furman last season that an opponent has failed to hit a three against the Mocs in a game.

In total, eight Mocs found their way into the scorer's sheet when all was said and done on Saturday. All 10 of UTC's active roster was able to check into the game as well.

FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On Sigrun Olafsdottir breaking UTC's games played record.
"I communicated to the team that Sigrun was about to pass the all-time record here at Chattanooga for games played, and I explained to the team how being such a historic program that UTC women's basketball is, how much that means, and how I could not think of a better player to be the face of Chattanooga women's basketball, to be the iron woman than Sigrun Olafsdottir. Every one of her teammates would say the same thing. A lot of times. We'll talk about, what legacy do you leave? And I think the legacy that Sigrun leaves is a legacy of hard work. It's a legacy of leadership. It's a legacy of being an excellent teammate. It's a legacy of being just an amazing basketball player, but also an amazing person. And who would have thought when she came here and everything that she's been through, that she would really be the key piece in the success that we've had this season so far, but also the success she's had as a two-time SoCon champion. So I think it's couldn't go to anybody more deserving than Sigrun. And just so proud to have her a part of our group."

TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- This marked the 35th all-time meeting between Chattanooga and Mercer.
- The Mocs now lead the series 24-11.
- UTC is 12-3 all-time when hosting the Bears.
- The Mocs have won the last six meetings with Mercer dating back to a Feb. 3, 2022 loss in McKenzie Arena.
- Chattanooga currently holds the longest active streak in the entire NCAA when it comes to consecutive games with a made three-pointer.
- Dating back to December 1999, UTC has made a three-pointer in 792 straight games.
- The Mocs held the Bears to just 37 points, marking the fewest points scored by Mercer against Chattanooga in the 35-game series between the two teams.
- It's also the fewest points allowed to a SoCon opponent since the 47-32 win over Western Carolina in the Roundhouse on Jan. 6, 2018.
- The last time the Mocs held a league opponent below 40 came on Feb. 8 last season at Samford (held the Bulldogs to 39).
- It was a wire-to-wire victory for UTC, as the Mocs never trailed and led for a total time of 35:50.
- This marks the second time UTC completed a wire-to-wire win this season. The other came at NC Central back on Nov. 11.
- Mercer also failed to make a single three-pointer (0-for-8) in the game.
- The last time the Mocs held an opponent to zero made threes in a game came on Feb. 29 last season against Furman (0-for-10).
- UTC finished with a season-low nine turnovers as a team.
- This marks back-to-back games that the Mocs have recorded a season-low for turnovers (UTC finished with 10 turnovers against Samford on Thursday).
- Gianna Corbitt logged her third career double-double after leading the team in points (14) and rebounds (11).
- Sigrun Olafsdottir set the program record for career games played (137).

UP NEXT: ETSU
The Mocs will now have a full week to rest, recover and prep for an in-state rivalry clash next Saturday, January 25 at the Roundhouse when ETSU comes to town. Tipoff against the Buccaneers is set for 2 p.m. ET, and that game can be found either on ESPN+ or via WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM.

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