CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--- Jordan Miller and Amu Saaka combined for 50 points to lead Furman past the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 87-78 Saturday night in the McKenzie Arena. Miller's 31 points is a new season high for an opponent against the Mocs.
Chattanooga falls to 13-14 on the season, 5-9 in the Southern Conference North Division. Furman is now 12-13, 6-8 in the SoCon South.
Junior post Deantre Jefferson led the Mocs with 15 points off the bench as the Mocs held a 38-26 advantage in points in the paint. Keegan Bell and Ricky Taylor each had 14, while Ty Patterson chipped in 12. Bell also had seven assists with just one turnover.
Miller hit 10 of 18 shots including four of seven from three-point range and seven of 10 from the free throw line. Saaka had 19 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Darryl Evans had a game-high eight assists.
The game was close early and the game went back and forth throughout the first. Taylor scored seven of the Mocs' first 10 points and Chattanooga led 10-5 at the 16:06 mark. Both teams struggled from the field in the early going, as Furman started just 7-21 and UTC went 10-26 over the same stretch.
The Mocs got two fast break buckets and took a six point lead with 4:44 to go in the first, but Furman responded and Neil Duval cut it to 23-21 with an inside basket with just over three minutes to go before the break.
Two Ty Patterson free throws extended it back to four, but an 11-2 run to end the half put Furman up 32-27 going into the locker room. The Mocs went the final 4:44 of the first without a field goal, and shot just 35.7 percent overall.
Saaka scored eight straight points over the end of the first and start of the second to make it a 14-2 run and a 35-27 lead for the Paladins just 14 seconds into the second half. The Mocs responded with back-to-back inside baskets and kept the lead from reaching double digits. They made seven of nine from the field to start the second and closed the lead to four on three separate occasions, but Furman pushed back.
Saaka and Miller led the second half attack for the Paladins, and Miller's fourth three of the game made it a 56-47 with 12:36 to play. That sparked a 14-4 run for Furman and the Paladins pushed out to a 67-51 lead with 10:02 to play.
A 17-8 Mocs run cut the lead to seven, 75-68, with 4:14 to play. Jefferson had eight points in the run and capped it with a three-point play inside. But Miller responded again with a layup and a foul of his own. He missed the foul shot but Neil Duval got the rebound and the put-back made it an 11 point lead.
Bell did his best to get the Mocs back into it, scoring the team's next nine points on two free throws and 3-3 shooting. They closed it to within seven again, 82-75 with 3:09 left, but could not make it all the way back. Furman made its free throws down the stretch and closed it out.
Twenty-four of Miller's 31 came after intermission as the Paladins shot a sizzling 63 percent, making 17 of 27 second-half shots. For the game, Furman shot 53.7 percent from the floor compared to 45.9 percent for the Mocs. The Paladins and Mocs entered the contest ranked second and third, respectively, in the league in field goal percentage defense.
Chattanooga forced 18 turnovers on the evening as Bell and Patterson each had three of the team's nine steals. Furman won the battle of the boards by a narrow 37-36 margin.
The Mocs are off until hitting the road next Saturday at Samford. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. (EST). The final home game is the following Monday, Feb. 22, as Davidson comes to town (7 p.m.).
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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