Box Score ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 6, 2026) --- The No. 1 seeded Chattanooga Mocs women's basketball team returns to the Southern Conference Tournament title game for the fourth-straight season and 22nd time in program history after defeating No. 4 Furman 76-65 in the semifinals on Friday inside the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.
Up Next (Bracket): Chattanooga advances to the championship game and will face the winner of No. 2 ETSU and No. 6 Samford on Sunday (March 8) at Noon (ET) inside the Harrah's Cherokee Center. The game can be found on ESPNU with links available on the schedule page.
Records/Series
Chattanooga 20-9, 10-4 SoCon
Furman 18-13, 9-5 SoCon
Chattanooga leads the all-time series 66-32… now winners in 10 of its last 11 games against the Paladins... Have defeated the Paladins in the SoCon Semifinals in two straight seasons.
Chattanooga Leaders
F Gianna Corbitt – 29 points, 10-16 FG (5-10 3FG; 4-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
G Caia Elisaldez – 28 points*, 10-16 FG (2-3 3FG; 6-9 FT), 4 assists, 2 steals (*career high)
Game Breakdown
- Chattanooga scored the first eight points of the game behind a pair of Izzy McPherson threes and a bucket in the paint from Gianna Corbitt.
- The Mocs led 14-9 after the first quarter by limiting Furman to a 3-of-13 FG shooting start in the frame and forcing four turnovers in the process.
- The Paladins went on a 7-0 scoring run to tie the game 16-16 early in the second before an Ava Card three and a Corbitt layup pushed the UTC lead back to five, 21-16 (2Q; 5:04).
- Despite a Furman bucket before the buzzer, Chattanooga took a 10-point lead (33-23) into the halftime break while finishing the half shooting 41.2% (14-of-34) from the floor which included five triples.
- A pair of Corbitt free throws late in the third gave Chattanooga its largest lead of the third quarter, 58-40 (3Q; 1:31), before taking a 62-46 advantage into the final period.
- Furman made a massive charge in the fourth quarter as a lengthy 12-0 run over a five-plus minute span cut the difference to just eight, 73-65, with less than two minutes remaining. Chattanooga hung on down the stretch to eventually walk away with the 76-65 victory.
Notables
- Chattanooga moves to 68-22 all-time in the SoCon Tournament... UTC is 42-5 all-time as the No. 1 seed.
- Coach Schirmer is 5-1 in SoCon Tournament games... Reached Championship game in both of her first two seasons... Fourth Chattanooga Head Coach to reach the Championship game in their first two years (Wes Moore, Jim Foster, Shawn Poppie).
- The Mocs won the rebound battle 34-24... 18-3 when outrebounding their opponent.
- Knocked down 11 triples... 24 across two games in the Tournament... First time this year having 10 or more 3-pointers in consecutive games.
Quotes
Deandra Schrimer, Head Coach
Opening statement after 76-65 win over Furman in semifinals.
"I feel like whenever you're in a tournament scenario, it's the team that comes out with the most amount of urgency and the team that can defend and rebound. I really felt like to start the game today, our team had a lot of urgency. We had a sense of urgency, but we also defended and rebounded very, very well. I also feel like our execution has been clicking. You know, this week of practice has been our best week of practice hands down. We've been prepped for this. We know that Furman is a very talented team. I feel like every team in the conference right now is a very talented team. Furman's very well coached and I just feel like our group right now is on a mission. You can feel that with our defense and you can feel that with our intensity."
Caia Elisaldez, G-Jr.
On what worked well today.
"I'm pretty comfortable in transition. I think that's where I find most of my comfort. Not only scoring, but finding everyone else. I also build most of my confidence off of being able to find my teammates. I know if I'm able to find them, and they're able to score, everyone else feels good. I feel good about what I'm doing, but today, I knew I had to really hone in on my defense and that led to the offensive side of the floor."
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