CHATTANOOGA --- Chattanooga women's basketball picked up a statement win on Monday in the Roundhouse, as the Mocs picked up a 66-60 victory over Lipscomb to hand the Bisons their second loss of the 2024-25 season.
Career performances from Karsen Murphy and Caia Elisaldez, alongside solid outputs from Brooke Anya and Gianna Corbitt proved the difference for the Mocs (4-3) as UTC shot the lights out of McKenzie Arena in the team's victory over the in-state foe, Lipscomb (6-2).
"One thing that we've known all year so far, is that we have a group of fighters. And we have a group of players with a winning spirit," head coach Deandra Schirmer said. "In a game like this, when you match up well, and they make a run and hit some shots, when you have players who have played big games before, that's huge.
"As a coaching staff, I think we're still learning the group, and my biggest thing is that we'll teach skill and game plan, but I just need to know you're going to fight and fight together. All the hustle categories, we're winning. That's winning basketball. I'm proud of this group and how they stay together."
Both teams struggled to break the lid off the basket to start things off, with the first points of the game not coming until the 6:23 mark of the first quarter. The Bisons struck first, connecting on a three-pointer to give Lipscomb an early advantage. However, that would be the first, last and only lead of the day for the Bisons, as less than a minute later Karsen Murphy would connect on a three-pointer of her own to level things out at 3-3.
Chattanooga and Lipscomb would then squabble over the remaining ticks of the first frame, and it would be UTC that would come out ahead through the opening quarter, taking a 15-11 advantage in the second.
The Mocs leaned heavily upon sophomore Caia Elisaldez over the next 10 minutes of action, as Elisaldez sliced and diced the Lipscomb defense with the Bisons having absolutely zero answer to the young point guard. Elisaldez would end the first half by tying her career-high of 15 points, accounting for nearly half of UTC's scoring in the opening 20 minutes.
Behind Elisaldez the Mocs tore apart the Bisons' defense, carrying a 34-22 lead into the halftime break. While UTC was up double-digits, they had a long way to go if they wanted to come away with the win.
Over the course of the third and fourth quarters, it would be the UTC duo of Karsen Murphy and Brooke Anya that would provide Chattanooga with much-needed offensive output to respond to a flurry of buckets by Lipscomb.
Murphy proved to be lethal from three-point range, as she would ultimately nail a career-high five total three-pointers on the day. This would account for all of UTC's three-point baskets in the game. Anya, on the other hand, was a bruiser down low for the Mocs, bullying her way to a season-high 15 points.
Despite solid showings from the aforementioned UTC players, the Bisons continued to hang around as their shots started to fall. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Mocs only held a 51-45 lead on Lipscomb.
Continuing to lean on Murphy and Anya, the Mocs remained just ahead of the charging Bisons. That was until Gianna Corbitt strung together some key moments in the clutch for UTC.
Corbitt would score all eight of her points in the game in the fourth quarter, helping to keep the Bisons at bay. This included a pair of clutch free throws by the freshman; free throws that sealed the victory in favor of the Mocs.
The final buzzer sounded in McKenzie Arena and the Mocs stood tall over their in-state foes, as Chattanooga ended up coming away with a 66-64 victory over Lipscomb, pushing UTC back over the .500 winning mark on the young season.
Murphy finished her night with a career-high 21 points, followed closely by Elisaldez's career-high of 17. Elisaldez also finished as the team leader in assists (5) and steals (2).
Anya would add 15 points while Corbitt notched eight paired with a team-high nine rebounds in a near double-double effort. Corbitt also ended up tallying a career-high and team-leading three blocks in the win.
FROM THE HEAD COACH | QUOTES
On the group coming together.
"From a coaching standpoint, you're only able to impact the game if the players buy-in. If our players don't buy-in, then whatever I say is useless. It's a credit to the team to see that vision and execute that out. We've hit some bumps, the gratitude I have for this group for staying the course, trusting the system and that it might look ugly at first. But we'll be able to put together a nice season if we stick together. We don't flinch. We're going to stand up to any challenge there is and that was shown today."
TOP TAKEAWAYS | NOTES
- This was the second-ever meeting between Chattanooga and Lipscomb.
- The Mocs lead the all-time series 2-0.
- This was the first time that these two teams played in McKenzie Arena.
- UTC shot 51 percent (25-for-49) from the field in the win.
- It marks the third time this season that the Mocs have shot above 50 percent as a team.
- All five of those three-pointers were made by Karsen Murphy.
- Chattanooga out-rebounded Lipscomb 34-23.
- This marks the third time this season that UTC has finished a game with a +10 rebounding margin.
- UTC only had five points come off the bench, the fewest in a game this season.
- The trio of Karsen Murphy, Caia Elisaldez and Brooke Anya accounted for 53 of UTC's 66 points (80.3 percent).
UP NEXT: FGCU HOMEWOOD SUITES TOURNAMENT
UTC now hits the road for Thanksgiving weekend, as the Mocs are set to compete at the 2024 FGCU Homewood Suites Tournament, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers, Florida. The Mocs will have two games awaiting them in the Sunshine State, starting first on Friday, November 29 when UTC takes on Penn University at 1 p.m. ET in a neutral site matchup. Chattanooga will then take on the tournament hosts, FGCU, on Saturday, November 30 at 4 p.m. ET. Only Saturday's game against the Eagles will be available to stream on ESPN+, but both games this weekend will be available to tune into over the radio via WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM or The Varsity app.
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