FINAL STATS
NOTES
QUOTES
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The winning streak is now four as Chattanooga (8-10/4-3 SoCon) defeated North Division leader Western Carolina (8-7/3-2 SoCon) 82-75 in the McKenzie Arena on a wintry Saturday night. With the victory, UTC is now in a virtual tie for first with the Catamounts, who have lost their last two conference games.
The game was a tale of two halves as Western Carolina led for a majority of the first half, while UTC did not trail in the second.
The Catamounts got on the scoreboard first thanks to a Brandon Giles three as Western Carolina slowly built an early 10-4 lead in the first four minutes of the game. A Stephen McDowell three cut the lead in half before WCU jumped back up to nine with thanks to a 6-0 run.
Both teams would then begin to exchange buckets as the Mocs started to slowly chip away at the Catamounts. Chattanooga would eventually tie the game at 33 with 4:49 remaining thanks to a pair of Khalil Hartwell free throws.
After a Western Carolina layup put the Catamounts up two, the Mocs would then open up on a 8-0 run to give UTC a 41-35 lead, its first of the contest. Western Carolina would be able to cut into the Chattanooga lead however as the Mocs ended the first half with a slim 43-42 margin.
At the beginning of the second half the Mocs were finally able to get some breathing room from the physical Catamounts team as Chattanooga surged to a 15-point lead, 57-42, by virtue of a 14-0 run. The Mocs' defense clamped down on Western Carolina's offense, holding WCU without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the period.
Chattanooga would continue to keep a comfortable lead, leading by as many as 17, until the six-minute mark as the Western Carolina offense awoke with an 11-2 run that brought the Catamounts within five, 76-71, with only 2:10 to play in the contest. However, the UTC defense made stops at the perfect time, holding WCU to only one field goal for the remainder of the game as Chattanooga pulled out the 82-75 win.
Stephen McDowell continued his hot shooting as the senior had a game-high 25 points off 10-of-19 shooting (52.6 percent). Nicchaeus Doaks finished with his seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Ty Patterson had a big night off the bench for the Mocs with 17 points. The junior was big from behind the three-point arc, sinking four-of-five (80 percent) from long distance and kept the Mocs in the game with 12 of his 17 coming in the first half. Khalil Hartwell was also in double-digits for UTC with 11 points.
Western Carolina was led by Brandon Giles with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Harouna Mutumbo added 12 points and eight rebounds as the Catamounts held a 49-42 on the glass.
The Mocs will now hit the road as the team will travel to Greensboro, N.C. for a match up with UNC Greensboro on Thursday, Jan. 22. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. from Fleming Gym. Chattanooga's next home game will be Jan. 28 as the Mocs will host reigning Southern Conference champion Davidson, another 7 p.m. start.
An online auction will begin tomorrow, Sunday Jan. 18, as two pairs of courtside seats will be available for the Davidson tilt. Check GoMocs.com for more details.
