CHATTANOOGA --- It was a nail-biting, defensive classic between Chattanooga women's basketball and East Tennessee State on Saturday in the Roundhouse, but it was ultimately a clutch basket by Caia Elisaldez with just 0:24 left in the game that proved the difference as the Mocs claimed a 48-46 victory over their in-state rival.

The Mocs (9-9, 4-1 SoCon) leaned heavily upon their defense to survive a late comeback push from the Buccaneers (11-9, 2-3 SoCon). UTC has now won their last six meetings against ETSU, as well as 11 of their last 12 against the Bucs.

"I feel like this season is such a teaching point to our players as far as perseverance goes," head coach Deandra Schirmer said. "We've been trying to preach to them that if you do things the right way, things are going to work out for you.

"I feel like when you do the things the right way, when you're communicating, when you're playing together, when you're playing unselfishly, and when you're playing good defense… I think that things are going to naturally flow your way."

From the jump this one looked like it was shaping up to be a defensive slugfest in McKenzie Arena as both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net over the opening five minutes of action. Points would start to come for UTC in the latter half of the first, as Caia Elisaldez shouldered the load for Chattanooga as the sophomore concluded the opening quarter with 11 of her eventual 17 points in the game.

Her dynamic offensive performance, alongside a gritty effort by the Mocs on defense, saw UTC holding a 15-13 lead through the opening 10 minutes of play.

Just like the previous frame, the second quarter saw both teams stall on offense over the opening five minutes of play, with the first basket not coming until the 5:16 mark of the frame. While the Mocs held the Bucs to just nine points in the frame, ETSU's defense was also able to hang its hat on a strong defensive showing as the Buccaneers carried a narrow 22-21 lead into the halftime break.

Continuing to lean on the team's defense, the Mocs put together their strongest performance of the night in the third quarter. Fired up from facing a halftime deficit, UTC came out of the locker room looking to finish off their in-state rival with the Mocs going on a 15-0 scoring run over the opening 9:08 of the quarter.

ETSU's first points of the frame wouldn't come until the final minute of the frame, and while East Tennessee State cut the UTC lead back down to 10 points, it wouldn't last long as Sigrun Olafsdottir ended the third quarter with an exclamation point by connecting on a half-court three-pointer as time expired, giving Chattanooga a 39-26 lead heading into the fourth.

Despite the momentum being in UTC's corner, ETSU wasn't about to go quietly into the night. Slowly but surely the Bucs chipped away at their deficit, eventually erasing it after Courtney Miller hit on a game-tying layup with just 0:32 left on the clock.

After a UTC timeout, the Mocs then turned to their sophomore leader, Caia Elisaldez, to get them over the finish line. With 0:24 left in regulation, the Whittier, California, native drove to rim and connected on an and-one basket to hand the Mocs a 48-46 lead over their rivals.

While Elisaldez didn't see her free throw drop, one last defensive stop was all it took for the Mocs to clinch the crucial victory over the Bucs. Surviving the late comeback push, the Mocs strung together their third-straight SoCon win in dramatic fashion.

With the win, UTC remains in third place in the SoCon standings at 4-1, with UNCG holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mocs. Chattanooga now has a two-game cushion between them and the No. 4 spot in the conference standings as the team approaches the halfway point of the SoCon season.

Elisaldez wrapped up her day by recording team-highs in points (17) and assists (4) in the win. Gianna Corbitt would also notch the fourth double-double of her career after finishing with 12 points paired with a team-leading 10 boards. Olafsdottir also finished as a double-digit scorer for the Mocs after dropping 11 points for UTC, all of which came in the second half.

FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On Sigrun Olafdottir's half court shot at the end of the third quarter
"We talk about being really good in the end of quarter situations, and so we talk about the last minute. We want to win every quarter in the last minute, whether it's getting a two for one or whatever. So when it was a short shot clock, Sigrun gets the ball, and her eyes are already up, they're flying past her and she gets to her spot. That was fantastic. I don't know if I've ever seen anything like that live. That long of a shot and that big of a game for it to win us the game. But I mean, it couldn't happen to a better person. And on the night that we're honoring her, for her to have not only a big shot, but she had some big drives too. She had some big defensive plays."

TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- Today marked the 94th meeting all-time between Chattanooga and ETSU.
- The Mocs now lead the series 69-25.
- UTC is 36-9 when hosting the Bucs.
- The Mocs have won their last six meetings with the Buccaneers dating back to a loss on Feb. 12, 2022 (ETSU won 65-62).
- UTC has also won 11 of their last 12 meetings with the Buccaneers dating back to 2019.
- Coach Schirmer went with the following starting five: Elisaldez, Olafsdottir, Murphy, Corbitt, Anya.
- The Mocs are now 6-4 this season when playing that starting lineup.
- 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 793 straight games.
- Deandra Schirmer has now started off her UTC tenure with a 4-1 record in SoCon play.
- She joins Jim Foster (5-0), Kate Burrows (4-1) and Sharon Fanning (4-1) as one of only four UTC head coaches to at least win four of their first five SoCon games with the program.
- The Mocs have now strung together three-straight wins.
- It marks UTC's longest win streak of the 2024-25 season.
- Caia Elisaldez hit the go-ahead basket for UTC with 0:24 left in regulation. She finished with a team-high 17 points.
- Gianna Corbitt ended the day with her fourth career double-double.

UP NEXT: WOFFORD
Chattanooga will now hit the road for a pair of SoCon tilts, starting first on Thursday, January 30 with UTC set to take on first-place Wofford in Spartanburg. Tipoff against the Terriers is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will be available on ESPN+ as well as WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM. The Mocs will then travel to Greenville, South Carolina, to take on Furman on Saturday, February 1 at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can also catch that game against the Paladins either on ESPN+ or WFLI.

50 SEASONS OF CHATTANOOGA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The 2023 season for the Chattanooga women's basketball team marks a major landmark for the program and the university, as UTC women's basketball officially celebrates its 50th season of competition as a university sponsored athletic program. Following the adoption of the Title IX legislation back in 1972, UTC added women's basketball, tennis and volleyball programs to its roster of athletic teams, bringing on five decades of history and success for each of the teams. Chattanooga WBB will be putting on multiple promotions and content pieces throughout the 2023-24 season to celebrate the program's history, culminating in the team hosting its 50th Season Celebration and Reunion during the Mocs' February 3 matchup against Furman at McKenzie Arena.

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