ELON, N.C. --- The Chattanooga Mocs (9-12/3-5) dropped a heartbreaking 88-87 decision at Elon (9-9/4-3) in Southern Conference North Division play. It was a see-saw affair with 10 lead changes and six ties over 40 minutes of play.

The Tennessee trio of Omar Wattad (Johnson City), Z. Mason (Nashville) and Ricky Taylor (Brownsville) combined for 60 of UTC's 87 points. Wattad had a game and season-high 25 points and five rebounds in the loss.

Mason tallied his second double-double in nine days with a season-high 18 points and 11 boards. Taylor chipped in 17 points with five rebounds and four assists.

The Phoenix was paced by Lucas Troutman and Austin Hamilton with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Jack Isenbarger had 19 points, while Ryley Beaumont added 15.

Chattanooga led by as many as nine points early in the second half. Wattad's three at 15:45 put the Mocs up 53-44. The was a seven-point margin, 58-51, after Mason's three-point play with 13:27 left.

Elon went on an 11-3 run to retake the lead, 62-61, on an Isenbarger trey at 10:51. Just over a minute later, Dontay Hampton (Chattanooga, Tenn.) put the Mocs back on top with two free throws. It was a sign of things to come as the second half alone had seven lead changes and three ties.

For the next few possessions, the Phoenix would take the lead, only to see UTC come back and tie it. Elon went up six, 81-75, on two Hamilton free throws at 3:57. The Mocs did not wilt.

Successive three-pointers from Keegan Bell (Huntsville, Ala.) and Wattad gave Chattanooga a one-point advantage, 83-82, with 1:23 to play. Troutman reversed the margin just 16 ticks later with a layup at 1:07.

But that was not his only key play. The Mocs pushed the ball up the floor and Bell found a streaking Jared Bryant (Cincinnati, Ohio) ahead on the break. Troutman recovered, however, to block the freshman's layup attempt from behind.

Hamilton made two free throws just inside 16 seconds before Mason made it a one-point game again, 86-85, with 7.3 remaining. Isenbarger's two charity tosses with a little more than six seconds forced a three-point attempt for UTC. Bell's pull-up trey was just off the mark. Taylor tipped it in at the buzzer to provide the final score, 88-87.

It was a strong night for the Mocs' reserves. Mason's 18 helped provide a 36-10 advantage in bench points. Ronrico White (Knoxville, Tenn.) had eight, all in a pivotal first half push. Bryant and Hampton each had five.

Elon had a nine-point lead, 21-12, at 8:25 in the first half on two Isenbarger free throws UTC fought back with an 8-0 run capped by Hampton's trey 5:54. The Mocs held the Phoenix without a field goal for nearly three minutes to cut the gap.

UTC took its first lead, 37-35, on Mason's jumper with 1:01 left in the half. White's three from the right corner with one second to go provided a 41-38 halftime advantage for the Mocs.

Bell had just three points taking only two shots in the game. He did add eight rebounds and eight assists while controlling the tempo from the point.

Chattanooga returns home for a two-game set with Davidson (Thursday) and Georgia Southern (Saturday). Game time is slated for 7 p.m., against the Wildcats on Academic Night at McKenzie Arena.

Listen to the "Voice of the Mocs" Jim Reynolds on ESPN 105.1 FM in Chattanooga or on GoMocs.com via MocsVision along with live video (subscription). Follow @GoMocs on twitter for stats and notes in game and go to GoMocs.com for links to live stats as well as post-game information.