Caia Elisaldez’s layup and free throw with one-tenth of a second remaining propelled the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team to its third consecutive victory Friday night, with the Mocs rallying to beat Western Kentucky 59-58 at McKenzie Arena.
It was the start of a four-game homestand for the Mocs, who improved to 7-5 while dropping the Lady Toppers of Conference USA to 4-7. UTC is off until after Christmas, with the Mocs returning to the court on Dec. 30 by hosting Southern Wesleyan — an NCAA Division II program from Central, South Carolina — then getting a shorter break before tipping off Southern Conference play the following week with games against Wofford on Jan. 8 and Furman on Jan. 10.
Sophomore forward Gianna Corbitt continued her hot play with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead UTC’s attack against the Lady Toppers, who led 13-8, 34-25 and 43-40 at the quarter breaks. Elisaldez had 12 points and seven assists, and Kalifa Ford added nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Western Kentucky got a double-double from Torri James, who was 8-for-10 from the field while scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, plus 16 points from Trinity Rowe, who was 4-for-7 on 3-pointers with four assists, as well as 11 efficient points from Salma Khedr on 4-for-5 shooting in 17 minutes.
It wasn’t the first time this season Elisaldez delivered the decisive points late in a close game. The 5-foot-5 junior guard made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left after getting fouled while attempint a 3-pointer when the Mocs beat Sacramento State in the CBU Classic on Nov. 28 in Riverside, California.