The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team dropped a 95-64 non-conference game to No. 15 Georgia Tech tonight. The Mocs were led by senior Ty Patterson's 22 points but fell to 5-5 on the year. The Yellow Jackets improved to 7-1 with the win.
The Mocs started out the night riding the adrenaline of playing a top-25 team and a big crowd at the McKenzie Arena. Patterson opened the game with a 3-pointer and then found junior Ridge McKeither underneath for a huge slam on the next possession. Freshman Josh Odem drilled another 3-pointer from the far side to ignite the crowd and give UTC an 8-2 lead.
After that, Georgia Tech turned up the defensive pressure and shutdown the Mocs' inside game for the rest of the half. After starting with three makes in three tries, the Mocs took 18 shots to hit their next three field goals.
Georgia Tech went on a 14-2 run to take a 16-10 lead at the 13-minute mark, capped by a three-point play from Maurice Miller. The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 35-19 with 6:25 left in the half.
Unable to get things going against Georgia Tech's size, the Mocs attacked from long-range. Two more 3s from Patterson and a deep bomb from sophomore Keegan Ball cut the lead to 38-31 with four minutes left in the half and brought the crowd back into the game.
Georgia Tech closed the half on a 14-2 run, pounding the ball inside on their remaining possessions to take a 52-33 lead at the break. The Yellow Jackets scorched the nets, shooting 69.2% from the field in the first half. They also hit five of their seven attempts from behind the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes. The Mocs shot 11-32 (34.4%) from the field in the first half, including 7-18 (38.9%) from 3-point range.
The Yellow Jackets opened the second half on a 7-2 run to post a 59-35 lead with 16 minutes left in the game. Patterson cut the lead to 20 at 68-48 on another 3-pointer, but that is as close as the Mocs would get for the rest of the night.
Patterson's 22 points was one shy of a career-high and the second most Georgia Tech has allowed to a single player this season. He was 8-15 from the field and 6-12 from the free throw line, adding five rebounds three points and three steals. Bell scored 13 points but was just 5-17 from the field and 3-13 from 3-point range. He also added five assists.
Chattanooga shot 32.8% from the floor and 12-38 (31.6%) from 3-point range. The 38 attempts from the behind the arc set a new school record.
The Yellow Jackets were led by junior Gani Lawal's game-high 29 points and seven boards. The 6-9 forward was 8-8 from the field and 13-19 from the free throw. Georgia Tech shot a season-high 60.8% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range. They also dished out a season-high 20 assists in the win.
The Mocs hit the road for another non-conference tilt at Murray State in Murray, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 3:00 p.m. (E.S.T.). Catch all of the action on ESPN Radio 105.1 FM in Chattanooga. Jim Reynolds, the "Voice of the Mocs," will provide the play-by-play and fans can also listen online on GoMocs.com. Chattanooga will be back at home on Dec. 21 against Tennessee Temple at 7:00 p.m.
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ChattanoogaMocs, or on Twitter, www.twitter.com/GoMocs.
