JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. --- Saturday's game was a must-win for Chattanooga women's basketball for a multitude of reasons, and while it took the full 40 minutes to get the job done, the Mocs prevailed over their in-state rivals ETSU in Brooks Gymnasium by a score of 51-46.
While the Mocs (13-12, 8-4 SoCon) led the Bucs (15-12, 6-6 SoCon) for the entirety of the first half, a 9-0 scoring run to open the third quarter saw ETSU up for much of the second half. However, the Mocs dug deep and when it mattered most converted on some crucial plays down the stretch to ultimately seal a massive win as the push for SoCon Tournament seeding reaches its final few games.
"I'm so proud of this group," head coach Deandra Schirmer. "The way that we won that game was that ETSU got a big lead in that fourth quarter, and then we just had winning play after winning play after winning play.
"I really felt like this game could be the game we point back to where we started to gather momentum going into the conference tournament. To see how our players responded and how they trust in each other, I just think it was big play after big play. It's a gutsy win, but sometimes that's what you've gotta do in road games."
The Mocs set the tone early in Johnson City, opening the game on a 9-2 scoring run over the opening 4:10 of action. While the Bucs clapped back, cutting UTC's advantage to just one possession, the Mocs still were able to carry a 13-10 lead into the first quarter break.
Chattanooga continued to keep themselves just out of ETSU's reach over the course of the second quarter thanks in large part to the play of true freshman Gianna Corbitt. At the halftime break, Corbitt had already netted 14 of her eventual 16 points for the Mocs, willing UTC to a 24-20 halftime lead.
East Tennessee State gave the Mocs their best shot to open the second half, as the Buccaneers put together a 9-0 scoring run to not only give ETSU their first lead of the game but put the Mocs down multiple possessions in an already low-scoring affair.
Hanging tight with the Bucs, the Mocs were able to stay within striking distance of ETSU as quarter three expired. Trailing 38-34, UTC had 10 minutes to flip the script on their in-state rivals.
An early basket by the Bucs opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, but the Mocs remained unfazed despite now facing a 40-34 deficit with time ticking away in Brooks Gymnasium. That's when UTC's Iron Woman, Sigrun Olafsdottir delivered a play that proved to be the turning point of the game.
With 6:19 left in the game, Olafsdottir made an athletic play to punch the ball loose from ETSU's clutches. Showcasing nothing but hustle and grit, Olafsdottir leapt to keep the ball from going out of bounds, launching a no-look pass to a sprinting Caia Elisaldez in transition for the easy Chattanooga layup.
On its surface it may just seem like a play that cut UTC's deficit down to four, but in reality it was the spark the Mocs needed to make their final push.
It wasn't long after this play that Olafsdottir would hit on a clutch three-pointer to cut ETSU's advantage down to just one point. The following possession after a defensive stop by the Mocs, Elisaldez gave the Mocs a 43-42 lead with only 3:22 left in regulation.
This would mark the final time that the Buccaneers held the lead on the Mocs. Leaning heavily on Elisaldez, who was connecting on clutch baskets and free throws left and right, the Mocs remained steadfast in their quest to knock off ETSU.
Elisaldez provided the icing on the cake for the Mocs by connecting on clutch free throws for UTC despite having been banged up by the Bucs. One last defensive stop and hustle play from Chattanooga was enough, as the Mocs came away from Johnson City victorious with a 51-46 victory over their in-state foes.
It's becoming redundant to say, but Caia Elisaldez looked unstoppable for the Mocs as the sophomore scored a team-leading 22 points in the win, just two points shy of her career-high from earlier in the season. Elisaldez would also add a career-high seven rebounds to her stat line, marking the first time this season that the five-foot-five point guard finished as the team leader in rebounding in a game.
As mentioned earlier, Corbitt wound up scoring 16 points for UTC while bringing down six boards of her own. Sigrun Olafsdottir also continued to put up Defensive Player of the Year type numbers for the Mocs, logging a career-high six steals while also recording a block in the victory.
FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On ETSU being able to start the second half on a 9-0 run thanks to their offensive rebounding.
"It's tough for us on the offensive glass sometimes with the way that we are defensively. We have our posts that are getting out in transition so they're not always in there to secure rebounds, but I really just thought that they were out-hustling us. I got into them a little bit in the second half where I was like, 'they're out-working us'. We've all lost games, I've lost games in my career and this season, but I do not ever want us to be getting out-worked. That's how they responded was they came out and just worked and worked and worked. I'm just so proud of the effort that we had. They're starting to learn what it means to play like a champion. Not just be a good basketball player, but what it looks like to be a champion."
TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- This marked the 95th all-time meeting between Chattanooga and ETSU.
- The Mocs lead the all-time series against the Bucs, 70-25.
- This includes UTC having won their last seven matchups with ETSU as well as 12 of their last 13.
- Chattanooga is now 31-14 when playing ETSU in Johnson City.
- The last time UTC lost to ETSU came back on Feb. 12, 2022 (ETSU won 65-62).
- The last time UTC lost in Johnson City came back on Feb. 9, 2019 (ETSU won 64-54).
- Coach Schirmer went with the following starting five: Elisaldez, Olafsdottir, Murphy, Corbitt, Anya.
- The Mocs are now 10-7 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 801 straight games.
- UTC out-shot the Bucs 45 percent (19-for-42) to 32 percent (19-for-59) from the floor.
- The Mocs also held ETSU to shooting just 12 percent (3-for-25) from three.
- Chattanooga scored 20 points off turnovers compared to ETSU's 15 points off turnovers.
- However, ETSU did win the turnover battle by forcing 17 while only committing 15.
- The Mocs were out-rebounded 34-29.
- This included ETSU finishing with 14 offensive boards compared to UTC's three.
- This marks the first time the Mocs were out-rebounded by an opponent since the team played Wofford on Jan. 30.
- UTC saw zero of the team's points come off the bench.
- This marks back-to-back games that the Mocs have had zero points come from off the bench. Third time this season.
- ETSU out-scored the Mocs in the paint 28-22.
- The teams finished tied in fastbreak points, 6-6.
- Chattanooga out-scored ETSU 17-8 in the fourth quarter.
- Caia Elisaldez and Gianna Corbitt scored a combined 38 of UTC's 51 points (74.5 percent).
- With the win, the Mocs remain in the mix for the No. 2 seed as the team awaits Wofford's Saturday night game against Mercer.
- If UTC finishes tied for second with Wofford, the Terriers would take the No. 2 seed and the Mocs would be the No. 3 seed in Asheville.
- The lowest seed the Mocs could now get is the No. 4 seed. That would require the Mocs to lose out and Samford to win out.
UP NEXT: FURMAN
The Mocs now head into their final week of the regular season, a week that UTC will be able to experience from their own doorstep as Chattanooga's penultimate game of the year will involved welcoming Furman to the Roundhouse on Thursday, February 27 at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ or over the radio on WFLI 104.3 FM or The Varsity app.
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