UTC Women Suffer First SoCon Loss At UNCG Saturday

  • Saturday, January 11, 2025
 It was a tale of two halves for the Chattanooga women’s basketball team in Greensboro on Saturday, as a slow start from the Mocs proved too much for UTC to come back from as UNCG handed the Mocs their first SoCon loss of the season in a 62-48 result.
 
The Mocs (6-9, 1-1 SoCon) couldn’t find the bottom of the net to open the day at Fleming Gymnasium while the Spartans (11-5, 2-0 SoCon) were dominant over the opening 20 minutes of action. Despite trailing 38-13 at halftime, the Mocs were able to mount a comeback in the second half to make it a much more respectable result on the day.
 
"Coming into this game, getting a different look than we're used to on the offensive end threw us off,” head coach Deandra Schirmer said.
“Credit to them, they came out and played really well. I felt like we weren't ready, and we weren't executing our stuff.
 
“I'm most disappointed in the 21 points in the first quarter and 17 points given up in the [second] quarter. I think that when you look back on this game, we started getting going in the second half, but it's like, that’s too late, you know? As far as coming into this game, our focus defensively and what we could control wasn't there."
 
From the jump the Mocs found themselves in a hole as the Spartans scored the game’s opening basket at the 9:49 mark of the quarter, gaining a lead that UNCG would not lose for the remainder of the game. Showcasing a tough physicality, the Spartans cruised to an early 21-8 lead by the end of the opening quarter.
 
The Spartans didn’t show any signs of slowing down in the second frame, as UNCG’s defense sparked its offense enroute to a dominant showing heading into the halftime break. The Mocs found themselves trailing 38-13 at the half.
 
UTC was able to get its offense more on track in the third quarter, as Caia Elisaldez and Frode Flos van der Schans supplied much of the Mocs’ production. Despite this, UNCG still continued to scorch the bottom of the net. Heading into the fourth quarter, UTC was looking at a 56-27 deficit with 10 minutes left to play in Fleming Gymnasium.
 
The Mocs put together their strongest 10 minutes of the game in the fourth quarter, as UTC out-scored the Spartans 21-6 in a phenomenal final frame of the day. Gianna Corbitt found all of her points in the fourth quarter, as the freshman saw all nine of her points come during UTC’s strong end to the game.
 
Despite this late effort, Chattanooga still was only able to take a bite out of UNCG’s large lead. With a final score of 62-48, the Spartans had handed UTC its first SoCon loss of the year.
 
Karsen Murphy ended the game as the Mocs’ leading scorer, logging 10 points for UTC which included connecting on a pair of three-pointers. Flo van der Schans had a career day of her own in the losing effort, as the Dutch international finished with a new career-high of nine points.
 
Other stat leaders for the Mocs included Caia Elisaldez, who led the team with six assists, as well as Sigrun Olafsdottir, whose four rebounds also were a team-high.
 
Chattanooga’s next game will be back home at McKenzie Arena on Thursday, January 16 against Samford. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is slated for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+ or listen to via WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM. The game will also serve as 80s Night for the Mocs, where fans can receive a retro hat by attending (while supplies last).
 
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