Box Score
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Senior guard Kevin Bridgewaters posted a career-high 24 points leading five Mocs in double-figures as Chattanooga (14-7/9-2) defeated Georgia Southern (14-8/7-5) Thursday evening in a Southern Conference men's basketball game at The McKenzie Arena.
After leading 46-35 at the half, Chattanooga poured it on to start the second 20 minutes with a 13-3 run to push its lead to 72-50 with 11:31 to play. A 21-12 stretch by Georgia Southern over the next 7:22 narrowed the gap to 82-71. Trailing 86-74, the Eagles would not go away as they mounted a fierce rally to close to within five points, 93-88, with 19 seconds remaining in the game. They would get no closer, however, as the Mocs went 3-of-4 from the foul line down the stretch to secure the 96-91 victory.
In the first half, after trailing 7-6 early on, UTC used a 6-0 run to take a 12-7 lead with 16:25 to play before the Eagles mounted a 5-0 run of their own to knot the score at 12-12 at the 14:52 mark. From there, the teams would be separated by no more than three points at any one time over the next 10:28 until UTC ran off eight straight points to take a 35-29 lead with 4:24 remaining in the half. During that stretch the lead changed hands five times and the teams tied a total four times.
That 8-0 run, capped by a Bridgewaters three-pointer, was part of a larger 19-6 run by the Mocs to end the half and take a 46-35 advantage into the break and set the stage for a tumultuous second half.
For the Mocs, junior forward Nicchaeus Doaks joined Bridgewaters in double-figures with 15 points and added eight rebounds and five assists while junior guard Stephen McDowell finished with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Junior forward Kevin Goffney posted 12 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Matt Gywnne (Angier, N.C.) totaled 11 points on the night. Senior forward Marcus Watts chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.
Senior forward Louis Graham led the way for Georgia Southern with a game-high 27 points, while senior guard Dwayne Foreman added 23 points and a game-high seven assists. Freshman guard Willie Powers rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points for the Eagles.
The Mocs will be back in action this Saturday night when they take on the Davidson Wildcats at 7 p.m. at The McKenzie Arena.
