WBK: No.1 Chattanooga and No. 6 Samford advance to conference championship

Game 5 – No. 1 Chattanooga 76, No. 4 Furman 65

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Gianna Corbitt and Caia Elisaldez were dominant on Friday, powering No. 1 seed Chattanooga to a spot in the Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game.

Corbitt, a sophomore forward, and Elisaldez, a junior point guard and the SoCon Player of the Year, scored 29 and 28 points, respectively, in a 76–65 semifinal win over No. 4 Furman at Harrah’s Cherokee Center–Asheville. Elisaldez’s 28 points marked a career high.

Corbitt, who scored 20 points in Thursday’s win over Western Carolina, shot 10‑of‑16 from the field and 5‑of‑10 from three‑point range. Her 11 made threes over the last two days leave her just one shy of the tournament record. She also led all players with 13 rebounds and four steals. Corbitt’s most productive stretch came in the third quarter, when she scored 13 points as the Mocs outscored the Paladins 29–23 to build a 62–46 lead.

Elisaldez, who entered the game averaging a team‑best 16 points per contest, scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, including the final three of the game after Furman cut a 20‑point deficit (73–53) down to eight. She also added four assists.

For Furman, Clare Coyle scored 17 points and Alyssa Erwin added 15.

Chattanooga improved to 20–9 and will face the winner of ETSU vs. Samford in Sunday’s championship game at noon. The Mocs will be seeking their 21st SoCon title.

Notes

• Corbitt is 11‑of‑19 from three‑point range in the tournament. She is one make shy of tying the record for most threes in a single tournament and needs eight more attempts to tie the attempts record (27).
• Chattanooga has made 21‑of‑46 three‑point attempts as a team. The tournament record for most made threes is 31, set by the Mocs in 2010.
• Chattanooga scored 24 points off 16 Furman turnovers.

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Game 6 – No. 6 Samford 57, No. 2 ETSU 48 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Strong shooting both inside and beyond the arc lifted No. 6 Samford to a 57–48 win over No. 2 ETSU in Friday afternoon’s semifinal of the Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament at Harrah’s Cherokee Center–Asheville.

Samford improved to 15–18 and advanced to Sunday’s championship game against top‑seeded Chattanooga, which shared the regular‑season title with ETSU and Wofford. The Buccaneers concluded the season at 18–13.

The Bulldogs were efficient offensively, shooting 46.3 percent (19‑of‑41) from the field and 38.1 percent (8‑of‑21) from three‑point range. ETSU struggled throughout, finishing at 28.3 percent (17‑of‑60), marking the eighth time this season the Bucs shot under 30 percent.

ETSU swept the regular‑season series but fell behind early on Friday, trailing 27–21 at halftime. Samford opened the third quarter with a 14–5 run to build a 41–26 lead and maintained control the rest of the way to secure the nine‑point victory.

Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Francie Morris with 15 points and a game‑high 11 rebounds. Kaylee Yarbrough added 13 points off the bench, while Sierra Godbolt scored 12 and Briana Rivera contributed 10.

Daniela López led ETSU with 13 points, and Carmen Richardson added 11.

Notes

• Samford last reached the SoCon title game in 2020, when it defeated UNCG 59–54. The Bulldogs are 3–1 all‑time in championship games.
• Samford and Chattanooga split their regular‑season meetings, with each team winning at home.
• After a five‑game losing streak in January, Samford has won seven of its last nine games.