CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. | In their first ever Women's National Invitation Tournament appearance, the Alabama A&M University women's basketball team (21-11, 14-4) fell 53-49 to the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday afternoon.

The Mocs held a seven-point lead before the Bulldogs went on a 11-0 run to take control with just over two minutes remaining in the final frame. UTC's Gianna Corbit added four points to tie the contest, but back-to-back AAMU fouls and made free throws proved to be the difference maker, sending UTC to the second round of the WNIT.

The Bulldogs saw 13 points and 14 rebounds from Alisha Wilson and another 11 points from Kalia Walker. Jaiyah Harris-Smith paced the Maroon and White with three assists, while Aniya Palmer added three steals and Tia Harvey recorded the lone Bulldog block.

UTC saw two Mocs in double figures, with Gianna Corbitt leading the way with 27 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and one block while Caia Elisaldez tacked on 13 points of her own. Karsen Murphy added nine rebounds and two blocks in the contest as well.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• The Bulldogs were first to get on the board and took a quick 6-0 lead 
• A pair of jumpers and a triple from Karsen Murphy brought the Mocs within one as the teams entered the halfway point of the frame  
• The contest leveled at 12 from a Caia Elisaldez layup from a fast break 
• Frode Van Der Schans grabbed a rebound before adding a pair of points with just over a minute and a half remaining in the opening quarter, but a jumper from Wilson ended the stanza with both teams tied at 14 
• Each team traded points before a pair of Chattanooga three pointers and a jumper from Corbitt gave the Mocs a five-point lead with less than five minutes remaining 
• A shot from beyond the arc from Murphy was answered with a layup from Wilson but Elisaldez added another pair of points to end the half with the Mocs in front, 29-23 
• Much like the first half, the Bulldogs opened the third quarter with six unanswered points to tie the game, 29-29 
• Corbitt halted the Bulldogs' run with two triples, and a pair of points from Elisaldez put UTC back ahead by six  
• Wilson added four points before Harris-Smith grabbed a steal, got the ball to Walker who added a layup on the fast break to come within one of the contest (37-36, 3:24) 
• Both teams added two more and UTC held the one-point margin as they entered the final frame 
• Corbitt and Elisaldez accounted for six more points but AAMU eventually took the lead after a 11-0 run with just over two minutes left in regulation (49-45) 
• Corbitt added four more to tie the contest before the Mocs drew a pair of fouls and made their foul shots to solidify the 53-49 win to advance to the second round of the WNIT 

GAME NOTES  

• Alabama A&M shot 32.2 percent (19-59) from the field and 7.7% percent (1-13)  from behind the arc  
• AAMU went 10-13 (76.9) percent) from the line  
• The Bulldogs grabbed 31 total rebounds, 23 of them defensively  
• Alisha Wilson recorded 13 points and 14 rebounds 
• Kalia Walker added 11 points 
• Jaiyah Harris-Smith recorded three assists while Aniya Palmer accounted for three steals  
• The Bulldogs finished with 20 points in the paint, 7 bench points, and 11 points from 15 UTC turnovers   
• Chattanooga shot 36.2 percent (21-58) from the field, 71.4 percent from the line (5-7), and 26.1 percent (6-23) from behind the arc  
• The Mocs grabbed 44 rebounds  
• Gianna Corbitt paced the Mocs with 27 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and one steal 
• Caia Elisaldez recorded 13 points and a team high seven assists 
• The Mocs saw 26 points in the paint, just two bench points, and 10 points from 15 Bulldog turnovers 

For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), Twitter (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).