The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team won for the fourth time in its past five games and improved to 6-5 this season with a dominating 81-51 victory against Tennessee State on Thursday night in Nashville.
UTC — which held a 13-point lead after two quarters and blew the game open by shooting 62% from the field in the second half — got a combined 44 points from junior Caia Elisaldez and sophomore Gianna Corbitt. The Mocs moved above .500 for the first time since they were 2-1 a month ago.
“We’ve had a little bit more of a break in between games,” UTC sophomore Ava Card said, “and we’ve had time to work on what we need to work on, and one of those things is shooting the ball. We’ve been in the gym for hours — everybody has a designated day — we’re getting up a bunch of shots, and so I think that has translated for us on the court recently.
“I also feel like the effort was just really hard. We really wanted this win; that was what we kept talking about, was to walk in here, get the win and keep the streak going into conference (play).”
UTC is off until next week, when it hosts Western Kentucky on Dec. 19, then finishes its nonconference slate after Christmas as Division II’s Southern Wesleyan comes to McKenzie Arena on Dec. 30. The Mocs tip off Southern Conference play at home as well, facing Wofford on Jan. 8.
Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee State (1-8), which has lost seven straight series meetings with UTC dating to a November 1998 victory in Chattanooga, was led in scoring by Laila Lancaster, who had 14 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Lancaster was 4-for-5 from the field and 6-for-8 on free throws.
Erin Martin, who also came off the bench for the Tigers, added nine points, six rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals in 23 minutes.
Here are three storylines from UTC’s win.
Stars being stars: Coach Deandra Schirmer’s second UTC team has been built around the unique skill sets of Elisaldez and Corbitt, and they were dominant against the Tigers. Elisaldez scored 16 of her 23 points in the first half while finishing the game with seventh assists, and Corbitt — who is 18-for-22 from the field in the past two games — scored 21 points and added 10 rebounds. Those standout performances made the game easier for their teammates.
Role players step up: Once you have the stars, the role players can filter in and perform with more confidence. With Elisaldez and Corbitt taking on the former responsibility as of late, it has allowed other UTC players to settle in. Kalifa Ford, a former Division II All-American who is still shaking off some rust after missing last season due to injury, scored 11 points against the Tigers and will be a key third option this season, while Izzy McPherson, who was off to an excellent start as a freshman before a season-ending injury last year, knocked down a 3-pointer during the third-quarter onslaught and will also be vital to the team’s success. On top of that, Card hauled in nine rebounds and has looked considerably better on both ends.
Early defensive success: While the Tigers won’t be winning any offensive efficiency titles (they’re shooting 35% from the field and 24% from 3-point range after Thursday’s game), that doesn’t mean the Mocs weren’t good defensively. Only Vanderbilt had forced the Tigers into a worse 3-point shooting performance this season, and the solid showing by UTC forced six turnovers in the first quarter alone, which the Mocs turned into nine points to help build a 19-10 advantage early on. Tennessee State finished the game with 18 turnovers, resulting in 23 UTC points.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Schirmer said. “As a coach, that’s something I’m really proud of with this group. We’ve had to go through some really, really tough games, some nail-biters, and to be able to have a game like this where we busted it open, I think that’s the first time I’ve been calm on the bench in the fourth quarter this entire season.
“I’m sure I’m going to get some great sleep tonight.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.