Boxscore
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Senior guard Kevin Bridgewaters (Columbia, Ky.) led six Mocs in double-figures with a season-high 20 points and seven rebounds as Chattanooga (13-6, 8-2) defeated Appalachian State (11-7, 6-3) 89-77 Saturday afternoon in a Southern Conference men's basketball game at The McKenzie Arena.
Leading 68-60 with 9:12 to play in the game, a Bridgewaters' three-pointer and a dunk by junior forward Nicchaeus Doaks (Trenton, Tenn.) on successive plays keyed an 8-2 run to push Chattanooga's lead to 76-62 with 6:41 remaining in the game. From there, UTC extended their lead to a game-high 16 points with 3:31 remaining and maintained at least a ten point advantage the rest of the way before closing out the 89-77 victory.
A closely contested game in the first half, Chattanooga battled out to an early 13-5 lead before an 11-3 run by the Mountaineers tied the score at 16-16 with 10:35 remaining in the half. Over the next 3:51, the two teams would be separated by no more than four points until a three-pointer from freshman guard Stephen McClellan (Cohutta, Ga.) put UTC up 30-23 at the 5:50 mark.
Back-to-back baskets by Appalachian State, including a three-pointer by sophomore guard Kellen Brand, made the score 32-28 before the Mocs put together a 12-6 run to close the half and take a 44-34 lead into the break.
The Mountaineers rallied at the beginning of the second half, posting a 10-4 run over the first four minutes, to close to within 48-46 before the Mocs responded with a 6-0 run of their own to pushed their lead to 54-46 with 13:17 to play. From there, the two teams were nearly even until Bridgewaters' three-pointer keyed the Mocs decisive run.
Freshman guard Donald Sims paced Appalachian State with a game-high 23 points as he connected on 6-of-12 three-point attempts while Brand finished the afternoon with 17 points. Senior forward Donte Minter added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds while sophomore guard Ryann Abraham rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.
For Chattanooga, Bridgewaters finished with a team-high 20 points as he connected on 3-of-5 three-pointers and all nine of his free throws while Doaks added 18 points. Junior guard Stephen McDowell (Indianapolis, Ind.) posted 15 points on the afternoon while senior forward Marcus Watts (Clinton, S.C.) tallied 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Junior center Qavotstaraj Waddell (Norfolk, Va.) collected his first career double-double as he notched career-highs of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
As a team, Chattanooga shot 56 percent for the game while holding the Mountaineers to only 39 percent.
The Mocs return to action on Thursday, January 31 when they host Georgia Southern at 7 p.m.
