Wright State withstands late rally for 87-82 victory over Chattanooga in Dr Pepper Classic Championship Game

12/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | By: GoMocs.com

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Sophomore guard Vaughn Duggins notched a game-high 22 points and sophomore guard Todd Brown posted 21 points to lead Wright State (8-3) to an 87-82 victory over Chattanooga (8-5) Sunday evening in the Championship Game of the Dr Pepper Classic at The McKenzie Arena.

After seeing 27-point first half lead cut to 50-34 at the break, Wright State opened the second half with a 16-7 run to extend their lead to 66-41 with 13:01 to play. The Raiders would then remain firmly in control of the game until the 2:23 mark. At that point Chattanooga posted a 24-10 run, fueled by five three-pointers from junior guard Stephen McDowell (Indianapolis, Ind.), to close to within 85-82 before finally falling 87-82.

It was a much different scene in the first half as Wright State took control of the game very early on, posting a dominating 34-5 run and taking a 34-7 lead at the 10:20 mark. During that stretch of 7:30, the Raiders notched 12 consecutive points and outscored Chattanooga 20-1 at one point.

An 8-0 run by the Mocs narrowed the margin to 34-15 before Wright State pushed its lead to 42-18 with 5:27 to play in the half. Chattanooga managed to get back in the game with a 16-8 run just before the break, making the score 50-34 at the break, but would not be able to overcome the early deficit.

In addition to Duggins and Brown's offensive performances, the Raiders also received double-digit performances from freshman guard Troy Tabler and senior forward Jordan Pleiman who finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Tabler finished the evening with 4-of-6 from beyond the arc while Pleiman added a team-high eight rebounds. junior guard Will Graham added a well rounded game with eight points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists.

McDowell led the way for Chattanooga with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, all from three-point range, while junior forward Khalil Hartwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 13 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Kevin Bridgewaters (Columbia, Ky.) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Mocs with 10 points while junior forward Nicchaeus Doaks (Trenton, Tenn.) added nine points and game-highs of nine rebounds and two blocks. Senior forward Marcus Watts (Clinton, S.C.) finished the evening with eight points and six rebounds.