Box Score FARGO, N.D. – Chattanooga had a stiff challenge on Thursday night in its WBIT debut, taking on No. 1 seed, North Dakota State on its home court. The Bison proved their seeding, defeating the Mocs 75-62, ending UTC's season over 1,200 miles away from McKenzie Arena.

Caia Elisaldez, the SoCon Player of the Year, did what she could, scoring a career-high 33 points, for her 12th game of 20 or more points on the year. It's the most points by a UTC player this season and the most by a Moc in a National Tournament in school history. However, she was the only Moc in double-figures offensively in tonight's game. 

North Dakota State was led by Avery Koenen, who posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jocelyn Schiller was another important player for the Bison, scoring 14 points. The Bison also controlled the glass, outrebounding Chattanooga 36-26. 

Records
Chattanooga: 20-11, 10-4 SoCon
North Dakota State: 29-4, 15-1 Summit

Behind six early points from Avery Koenen, the Bison raced out to a 7-2 lead. The Mocs weathered the early storm though, using baskets from Elisaldez and Gianna Corbitt to eventually tie it at 10 at the 2:20 mark. However, NDSU made its final three shots of the period to go up 17-10.

Elisaldez scored an inside basket on UTC's opening possession of the second quarter, however the Bison responded by scoring the next 12 points and all of a sudden led 29-12. The Mocs got back as close as 10 points on a Kalifa Ford basket at the 3:19 mark. NDSU kept pressing on though, as it built up a 39-24 lead at halftime.

The Bison continued to extend their lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Mocs 20-14. Chattanooga's best run in the quarter came on an 8-2 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Elisaldez and Frode Flos van der Schans. It was UTC's first two triples of the night. Going into the final period, NDSU led 59-38.

A 6-0 run for Chattanooga in the fourth quarter, with baskets from van der Schans, Corbitt, and Elisaldez put it as close as 14 points at the 3:56 mark. Later an Elisaldez free throw with under a minute remaining put it as close as 13 points. In total, UTC outscored NDSU 24-16 in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too much as it fell 75-62.

Quote
Head Coach Deandra Schirmer

Opening Statement
"I felt like they (NDSU) did an excellent job being aggressive on defense. That put us back on our heels a little bit. And then they're scoring out in transition. Obviously, they have a fantastic team, probably an NCAA Tournament caliber team. And we wanted to come out here and prove what kind of basketball we have, and we wanted to come out here and show what kind of team we have. And I'm proud of our group for that. I'm proud of how we fought to finish the game. I'm proud of Caia (Elisaldez) over here, who, as she's done all year, night in and night out, put the team on her back."

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