It’s almost a given at this point that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team can be counted on to defend well and that sophomore point guard Caia Elisaldez will top the list of scorers for the Mocs.
In Saturday’s game at East Tennessee State University, it was in the fourth quarter when those two reliable factors for UTC showed up most.
With the Mocs clamping down and Elisaldez stepping up, UTC outscored the Buccaneers 17-8 in the final period at Brooks Gym to rally for a 51-46 win in Johnson City.
Elisaldez picked up 12 of her 22 points in the final 10 minutes, including some key free throws down the stretch, as she raised her average to 13.8 points per game and led the Mocs in scoring for the 12th time this season and the eighth outing in a row.
“Just knew that I had to do whatever I needed to do for my team, which in this case was sink those free throws,” said Elisaldez, who finished 6-for-6 at the foul line. “That’s all that matters, is doing whatever they need me to do.”
The Mocs won for the third time in four games as the two-time reigning Southern Conference tournament champions improved to 13-12 overall in Deandra Schirmer’s first season as coach, including 8-4 in SoCon play to solidify a top-four seed for the league tournament that tips off March 6 in Asheville, North Carolina.
UTC closes the regular season next week with back-to-back home games, and while the Mocs will be seeking a sweep when Furman visits McKenzie Areana at 6 p.m. Thursday — having beaten the Paladins 68-60 on Feb. 1 — they’ll be looking for a split against Wofford at 2 p.m. Saturday, having lost to the Terriers 57-54 on Jan. 30.
UNC Greensboro clinched the SoCon’s regular-season title with its 57-53 win over Western Carolina on Saturday, but behind the top-seeded Spartans (20-6, 11-1), there’s still a race for positioning in an eight-team bracket with no byes. UTC is tied for second in the standings with Wofford (16-9, 8-4).
The Mocs completed a sweep Saturday with their second close call of the season against ETSU (15-12, 6-6), having won 48-46 on Jan. 25 at McKenzie. They needed the rally in Johnson City after never trailing in the first half — they were up 13-10 after the first quarter and 24-20 at halftime — before the Bucs got going on offense quickly after the break.
The Mocs trailed 38-34 heading into the fourth quarter and were behind by as many as six in the period before responding with an 11-2 run, with Elisaldez scoring six points, Sigrun Olafsdottir knocking down a huge 3-pointer and reigning SoCon player of the week Gianna Corbitt — who finished with 16 points and six rebounds — getting a basket during the outburst. The Mocs took the lead for good at 43-42 on a jumper by Elisaldez with 3:22 remaining.
ETSU was limited to 4-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter and missed all six of its 3-point tries in the period to finish the game 3-for-25 behind the arc. The Bucs turned the ball over eight times in the final period, which led to eight UTC points.
“We came out in the second half, and we weren’t hitting the way we wanted to, and we had to figure out a way to adjust,” said Elisaldez, who also had four assists and led the Mocs in rebounds with a game-high seven. “They were hitting, and credit’s to them, we had to figure out a way to adjust to that, and we had to adjust our defense and adjust our offense and figure out where it was that we were able to score.
“But the team’s grit, that’s what got us this win.”
ETSU’s lone scorer in double figures was Braylyn Milton with 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting (3-for-11 on 3-pointers), but Meghan Downing added nine points and six rebounds.
Aside from the big scoring efforts by Elisaldez and freshman Corbitt, the Mocs got six points, six rebounds and six steals from Olafsdottir. The fifth-year senior and Elisaldez played all 40 minutes.
“I really feel like this game could be that game that we point back to where we really got our momentum going into the conference tournament,” Schirmer said. “I think it was big play after big play, the way down the stretch that we’re defending, throwing different defensive looks at them and just to defend and rebound the basketball.
“Caia knocked down some huge free throws, and I feel like it’s something to be said of, yes, she’s the best player on the court every single time we step out there, but she’s also the most clutch. When we needed her the most, we went to her and she came through, and I’m just so proud of her and our whole entire team.
“It’s a gutsy, gutsy win, but that’s what you’ve got to do on road games.”
Compiled by Gene Henley. Contact him at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.