The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a torrid start by host UNC Greensboro on Saturday afternoon, and the Spartans’ 62-48 victory forced the Mocs to settle for a split of their first Southern Conference road trip of the season.
Two days after returning from a 2 1/2-week break by opening league play with a 67-56 win over Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina, the Mocs were never in the matchup with UNCG — which lost two of three against UTC last season, including the SoCon title game — and fell to 6-9 overall this season.
The Spartans (10-5, 2-0) never trailed and led by double digits for 31:02 of game time, building as much as a 37-point lead in the third quarter. The Mocs did win the final period 21-6 — holding UNCG without a field goal in eight fourth-quarter tries — to make the final score respectable.
The shoe was on the other foot a bit for the Mocs, who had used some new defensive wrinkles to cause trouble for the Catamounts on Thursday night.
“I think that going through the first time in the league, we’re going to figure out how these teams are going to try and guard our action,” first-year UTC head coach Deandra Schirmer said after Saturday’s setback. “Coming into this game, getting a different look than we are used to on the offensive end, I think, threw us off, but also credit to them. I think they came out and they played really well, and they were hitting shots, and I felt like we weren’t ready and we weren’t executing our stuff.”
The Mocs were limited to 25% shooting in the first half, when the Spartans shot 57%. Talented UTC freshman Gianna Corbitt, who finished the game second on the team with nine points, had three first-half fouls, while graduate transfer forward Brooke Anya was charged with two. Each were limited to less than 10 minutes in the first half, which hurt as the Mocs, already dealing with a shorthanded roster due to earlier injuries, were better when both were on the court.
In UTC’s postgame release, Schirmer acknowledged “the foul trouble really hurt us” but also said “we’re going to have to find other ways” — including improving confidence in the bench through player development.
Fifth-year senior forward Karsen Murphy blocked two shots and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while leading UTC with 10 points, while 6-foot-4 sophomore Frode Flos van der Schans had her best game as a Moc, compiling nine points and a pair of rebounds in a career-high 20 minutes.
Sophomore guard Caia Elisaldez added eight points and a game-high six assists. Sigrun Olafsdottir had four assists, but her four rebounds were a team high — and that low number leading the Mocs was an indication of their struggles on the glass, where the Spartans finished with a 36-16 advantage.
UNCG’s Jaila Lee and Nya Smith tied for the game high with 17 points apiece, each going 2-for-4 from 3-point range, teammate Makiah Asidanya joined them in double-digit points with 10, and Yacine N’Diaye had nine rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench.
The Mocs begin a three-game homestand when Samford (5-12 0-1) visits McKenzie Arena at 6 p.m. Thursday. UTC then hosts Mercer at 2 p.m. next Saturday and East Tennessee State at the same time a week later.
Compiled by Gene Henley. Contact him at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.