A 25-2 run that started with 2:33 left in the first half sparked Chattanooga to a 58-45 win over The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in McKenzie Arena. The win was the fifth-straight for the surging Mocs (10-6, 2-1 SoCon) and gave head coach John Shulman his 100th career victory.
The hot second half start came after both teams shot under 30 percent from the field in the first. Junior DeAntre Jefferson (Bloomington, Ill.) started it with four points to close out the first half, but it was back-to-back three-pointers from senior Ty Patterson (Anderson, S.C.) near the 17-minute mark that ignited the run and put the Mocs ahead to stay.
Patterson was the game's high scorer with 14 points on 5-9 shooting, including going 4-7 from three-point range.
Ricky Taylor added 12 for Chattanooga, while Brandon Evans was the only player in double figures for the Spartans, with 10.
All of Shulman's wins have come at UTC, and his preaching of defense shone through in the milestone game. Chattanooga held the Spartans (3-14, 2-3 SoCon) to a season-low 25.8 percent shooting for the game. The 45 points allowed was the fewest by UNCG in a league game since they became a Division I team in 1991. It was also the first time all season the Mocs held a team under 50 points.
The fifth straight win by double digits moves the Mocs into a tie for first in the Southern Conference North Division with a 2-1 league record.
After the run gave Chattanooga its first lead of the game and a 13-point cushion, UNCG never really got close again.
The first half was a different story, however. It was Chattanooga that did not score until four minutes into the game and had scored only 20 at the break, trailing by six. But with the inside-outside combination of Jefferson and Patterson, the Mocs did more than even out the statistics.
Twenty-seven percent shooting in the first became 61.9 in the second, including starting 8-9 from the field in the second frame. Taylor added eight rebounds to lead the Mocs, while Ben Stywall grabbed nine boards for UNCG.
Next up for Chattanooga is The Citadel at McKenzie Arena Thursday, Jan. 14. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. against the Bulldogs.
Catch all of the Mocs' action on ESPN Radio 105.1 FM with the Voice of the Mocs, Jim Reynolds, providing play-by-play in his 30th season behind the microphone. Live stats, live video (selected games) and audio are also available on GoMocs.com.
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