(Photo Credit: Dale Rutemeyer/GoMocs.com) Casey Jones had a fantastic night with 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.---The Chattanooga Mocs used a strong second-half surge in a 79-72 win over visiting Samford Saturday evening. The victory matches last year's win total of 18 as the Mocs move to 18-9, 11-3 in Southern Conference play. Samford falls to 12-16, 5-10 in the league.
It was a two-point game with Chattanooga leading 53-51 with just less than 11 minutes to go. Tre' McLean got to the basket for a layup to ignite seven unanswered points. Eric Robertson followed a defensive stop with a three-pointer. Another stop and the Mocs were in business. Casey Jones drove the lane and found Justin Tuoyo for the layup and a 60-51 advantage at 8:45.
Samford would get no closer than seven the rest of the way. UTC's largest lead of 12 (70-58) came on a Duke Ethridge free throw with 3:14 to go. The Bulldogs scored on layups in the final 13 seconds to get the final margin to seven.
Jones had 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks to lead the way. Robertson matched his 21 points, a career high, making five-of-eight from 3pt range. Tuoyo had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 10 boards.
“We got contributions from a lot of people tonight,” coach Will Wade said. “That's good to see. Obviously, Casey, Eric and Justin popped off the stat sheet, but it was a team effort. Tre' McLean did a great job defensively tonight and had some really nice finishes at the rim. (Greg) Pryor was limited after getting poked in the eye, but Rico (White) really stepped up and carried the load against the press.
“We had a great spirit on the bench as well…that's what I love to see.”
The Bulldogs were led by Evan Taylor's 21 points and seven boards. Tyler Hood added 16 points, while Darius Jones-Gibson chipped in 13.
Chattanooga got off to a slow start before heading into halftime tied at 32-all. Samford forced 10 turnovers for the home team before the break, but just four after it. The 14 miscues led to a 13-11 advantage in points off turnovers for the visitors.
The Mocs entered the night 10th in the nation in blocked shots. They recorded 10 with Jones, Tuoyo and Robertson logging three apiece. It's the second time this season (15 vs Western Carolina) the squad has reached double digit blocks.
Chattanooga shot 54 percent (27-50) from the field including a six-for-13 performance (46.2%) from beyond the arc. That downtown number was powered by Robertson's five-of-eight.
“When he shoots it like that, you think every one of them is going in,” Wade smiled. “He got good looks and knocked them in. He played very well. He had three blocks defensively. He's a little bit longer than people give him credit for defensively. He made some nice plays on the defensive end as well.”
Second-half defense was where the Mocs won this game. They limited the Bulldogs to 42.6 percent (26-61) for the game. In the second frame, the Mocs stifled Samford to 39.4 percent (13-33).
“I thought we did well (defensively),” Wade concluded. “At the end, they drove us a little bit, but I thought defensively we were better. Part of the reason why we were better was because we didn't turn the ball over as much. We only had four turnovers in the second half, so we didn't put our defense in tough situations in transition maybe as much as we did in the first half where we turned it over 10 times.”
Chattanooga remains in the Scenic City for the second of a three-game home stand Thursday with Mercer coming to town. The game tips at 7 p.m., and broadcasts locally on the radio at US 101 the Legend at 96.1 FM. Fans can watch online on the SoCon Digital Network.
Tickets can be purchased via the link above or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627) during business hours. Gameday links to video (SDN), audio (MSN) and live stats are available on GoMocs.com. Follow @GoMocsMBB on Twitter for live updates.
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ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 28 titles with 10 regular season, 10 tournament and eight division.
- 15 NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009
- 10 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009
- 10 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 1 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year: Z. Mason (2014).
- 3 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93) and Will Wade (2014).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter “Moose” McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).
