Deandra Schirmer Wins Coaching Debut as Mocs Defeat Shorter 66-49

(gomocs.com)

CHATTANOOGA — In her first game as head coach of Chattanooga women’s basketball, head coach Deandra Schirmer and the Mocs found themselves in the win column after grabbing a 66-49 season-opening victory over Shorter University on Monday night.

The Mocs (1-0) had contributors both young and old helping to guide the defending Southern Conference champions to a win in the Roundhouse, as it took a wide array of standout efforts from the Mocs to help get the job done versus the Hawks.

“One of the things we preach to our players is it’s normal to be nervous, that means you care,” head coach Deandra Schirmer said. “Your heart pumps, your adrenaline is going, that means that what you’re about to do means a lot to you. So going into this game this program means a lot to me. These fans, this community means a lot to me and coming out and representing Chattanooga in the right way meant a lot to me. One thing that helps with those nerves is trust and I had a lot of trust in my team tonight.”

UTC was slow out of the gate to open the night, with Shorter finding itself ahead 18-13 at the conclusion of the first quarter. This slow start can mainly be credited to Chattanooga struggled to hit on some open shots, going 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) from three in the opening 10-minute period.

With the offense struggling, it was Chattanooga’s defense that helped turned the tide of the game with the Mocs only allowing Shorter to score a total of three points in the second quarter. That, combined with more consistent scoring from the Mocs, helped UTC carry a 27-21 halftime lead into the locker room.

The Mocs then turned up the heat in the third quarter thanks in large part to a spark being provided by true freshman Izzy McPherson. Playing in her first collegiate game with the Mocs, McPherson had the play of the night for UTC, connecting on a four-point play that helped Chattanooga close out the third quarter on an 11-0 scoring run. Now leading 44-33, the Mocs carried a double-digit advantage into the fourth.

Chattanooga ended up going on a 19-3 scoring run overall when including the start of the fourth frame, pulling out to a 52-36 lead on the Hawks. From this point on, the Mocs were able to let the air out of the ball and control their double-digit advantage all the way to the final buzzer. With the scoreboard reading 66-49, Coach Schirmer and the 2024-25 Mocs could add Win No. 1 to their season resume.

Senior Karsen Murphy put on a career performance for the Mocs, tallying a team-high 16 points including having four made three-pointers. 11 of those points would come in the fourth quarter for the Glendive, Montana, native.

Both Sigrun Olafsdottir (11) and Caia Elisaldez (10) joined Murphy as double-digit scorers on the night. Olafsdottir would end the night with a team-high four assists, while Elisaldez paced the Mocs with a career-high three steals.

Freshmen Gianna Corbitt and Izzy McPherson also put together notable performances for the Mocs, as Corbitt led the Mocs with 11 rebounds in her debut alongside six points, while McPherson was able to tally nine points on the night.

On Karsen Murphy’s game tonight.
“There’s no one more deserving of the success she’s about to have and the awards she’s about to have than Karsen Murphy. I mean she’s someone who is a self-starter. She’s somebody who’s self-made and I learned that when I first got here. She’s somebody from a coaching standpoint that you want the team to do it for. We want to have a good year for players like Karsen and Sigrun who put in the work and who deserves it more than anything. I’m proud of her that she got a moment.”

– UTC only allowed three points in the second quarter, the fewest allowed in a frame since giving up three to Western Carolina in the SoCon Quarterfinals on Mar. 7, 2024.

– UTC out-rebounded the Hawks 40 to 23 tonight, finishing with a +17 rebounding margin.

– The last time the Mocs had a +17 rebounding margin or higher? Feb. 19, 2021 vs. UNCG (48/28 +20).

– 15 of the Mocs’ boards came on the offensive glass.

– A total of 17 of UTC’s 66 points (25.8 percent) came from freshmen.

– Gianna Corbitt’s 11 rebounds make her the first UTC freshman to have double-digit rebounds in a game since Raven Thompson logged 10 in UTC’s win over ETSU on March 3, 2023.

– Karsen Murphy led the team with a career-high 16 points. Her previous career-best was 14 points, which she’s scored twice most recently on Nov. 15, 2023 at Tennessee Tech.

With the 2024-25 season now underway, the Mocs will now welcome their first Division I opponent to the Roundhouse this Thursday as Tennessee Tech is set to come to town. Tip off against the Golden Eagles is currently slated for 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be available on ESPN+ as well as over the radio on 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM.