CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Mocs Women's Basketball team is set for a trip across the country to Riverside, California for the CBU Classic. Joining Chattanooga in the Multi-Team Event (MTE) is Sacramento State, UC Santa Barbara, and the tournament hosts, California Baptist. Chattanooga is paired up with Sacramento State in the Semifinal round, with tip-off slated from the Fowler Events Center for 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday. The Mocs will play again on Saturday against UC Santa Barbara or California Baptist.

Teams
Chattanooga (3-4, 0-0 SoCon)
Sacramento State (5-2, 0-0 Big Sky)
California Baptist (5-0, 0-0 WAC)
UC Santa Barbara (4-1, 0-0  Big West)

Tournament Schedule
Friday
Game One: California Baptist vs. UC Santa Barbara
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST

Game Two: Chattanooga vs. Sacramento State
Time: 5:00 p.m. EST

Saturday
Game Three: Loser of Game One vs. Loser of Game Two
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST

Game Four: Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two
Time: 5:30 p.m. EST

All games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and available to listen to on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM.

First Meetings on Deck
The Mocs have never played either of the other three schools in the tournament. All three schools it could face this weekend are located in California.

Women's Basketball History in California
This tournament will represent Chattanooga's 10th and 11th career games in the state of California and its first since 2012 where it went 1-1 in the St Mary's Classic with a win over Portland State. Chattanooga holds a 6-3 all-time record in the Golden State. Most notably, the 1991-92 Women's Basketball team played in Los Angeles in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament where it fell 72-76 to Clemson. 

Scouting Chattanooga
The Mocs got back in the win column on Saturday with a 64-62 result over Northern Kentucky after previously losing three games in a row. Chattanooga got a great performance from junior guard Caia Elisaldez, who posted 13 points and a career-high 10 assists for the team's first double-double of the year. Additionally, sophomore forward Gianna Corbitt came through with her second-game in a row of scoring 18 points which led to her being named SoCon Player of the Week. Elisaldez (12.7 ppg) and Corbitt (12.6 ppg) are Chattanooga's leading scorers through seven games. As a team, the Mocs are averaging 61.9 points per game and giving up 66.6 points per game to their opponents. Chattanooga has started to heat up as a team when it comes to shooting 3-pointers, making a season-high seven in three of its last four games. 

Scouting Sacramento State
The Hornets come into the CBU Classic winners of three of their last four games, with the lone loss coming in OT against UC Davis in their last game. Natalie Picton leads the offensive attack for Sacramento State, as the junior guard averages 14.3 points per game. Her back court partner, Rubi Gray has also been a key player this season, scoring 13.4 points per game. Sacramento State is averaging 73.4 points per game and allowing just 56.4 points per game, as it holds a +17 point scoring margin. Additionally, the Hornets average 40.9 rebounds per game. 

Scouting California Baptist
California Baptist is one of 42 remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I, as it has rattled off five wins in a row to begin this season. The Lancers have won by double-digits in all of their games, except a season-opening 56-53 win against cross-town rival, UC Riverside. Lauren OIsen, a freshman guard, and Chance Bucher, a graduate student guard, are two important players for California Baptist, averaging 15.6 points per game and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Filipa Barros, another guard for the Lancers, is an additional player opposing teams must watch out for, as she scored 24 points in her last game and is one of four players in the country with a triple-double this season. California Baptist is a strong rebounding team, averaging 45.6 per game, which ranks 24th in the country. Defensively, the Lancers force 22 turnovers a game.

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara has had an impressive start to the season with its lone loss coming on the road at No. 3 UCLA. In its last game, the Gauchos won at San Jose State, 75-60. Their game against Westcliff on November 22 was canceled, therefore it will be nine days between games when UC Santa Barbara steps on the court on Friday against the tournament hosts. Redshirt sophomore forward Julia Puente-Valverde is UC Santa Barbara's go-to offensive option, averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game while also bringing in a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game. She is 58% from the field so far this season. Junior Zoe Boreter, another member of the front court, also averages double-digits in scoring with 12.8 points per game. As a team, the Gauchos are lethal from downtown, making 10 triples a game, which ranks 10th in the country. Defensively they are giving up just 62 points a game. 

Homecoming for Caia
Elisaldez, the Preseason SoCon Player of the Year, will have the opportunity to play in front of family and friends during Chattanooga's two games in the CBU Classic. The Southern California product is looking to build off a double-double performance in her last game against Northern Kentucky. 

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