PHOTOS | STATS | NOTES | QUOTES | ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
 
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.---The Chattanooga Mocs dropped a high-scoring 105-96 battle against Western Carolina in McKenzie Arena tonight.  The loss moves the Mocs to 5-5 in Southern Conference action, 10-13 overall.
 
All five starters for UTC scored in double-figures, led by freshman Kevin Easley's 25.  Fellow freshman Donovan Toatley tied his career-high for the fourth time with 19 points.  Juniors Jerry Johnson and Jonathan Scott had 14 apiece, while sophomore Ramon Vila chipped in 12. 
 
WCU jumped out to an 11-5 lead early, but the Mocs used an 11-0 run to grad a 16-11 advantage in the opeing minutes of the game.  UTC led by as many as eight in the first half, but Western clawed back to tie the score at 46 before the break.  
 
The Catamounts were on fire in the second half, shooting 17-28 (60.7%) from the field and 6-11 (54.5%) from three-point range. 
 
WCU went up 11 (94-83) on a Marcus Thomas three with just under three to play, but the Mocs did not go away quietly.  Twice they cut the lead back to one possession, the last one coming on an Easley drive that trimmed the Catamount advantage to 97-94 with 1:22 to play.
 
WCU's Cameron Gibson put the lead back to six with a three from the top of the key on the ensuing possession.  Thomas led all scorers with 32 points, while Onno Stenger added 30.  Gibson had 12 and Carlos Dotson put up a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. 
 
Chattanooga drops to fifth in the SoCon standings, behind Furman at 6-4.  They trail Wofford (10-0), UNCG (9-1) and ETSU (8-2). Mercer (3-7), Samford (3-7), Western Carolina (3-7), The Citadel (2-8) and VMI (1-9) follow.
 
The Mocs are home again on Saturday in a SoCon double-header.  The women take on UNCG at 2:00 p.m. followed by the men's game against ETSU at 4:30 p.m.  Tickets are available on GoMocs.com or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
 
RECORDS
Chattanooga 10-13/5-5 | Western Carolina 6-17/3-7
 
3 NOTES TO KNOW
Check out the full complement of notes at the link above.

• UTC is 8-2 at home this season … 4-1 in SoCon games in McKenzie Arena.
• Mocs are 65-27 all-time against Western Carolina … lost three of last four … 38-5 at home … lost two in a row to the Catamounts in McKenzie Arena.   
• Mocs 96 points are a season-high … 105 by Western Carolina are the most allowed this year … 105 for the Catamounts is their season-high … Mocs' 96 ties for the third most allowed by WCU this season. 
   

3 STATS TO KNOW
Check out the full stats at the link above.

• Mocs were whistled for a season-high 26 fouls … Jonathan Scott and A.J. Caldwell both fouled out. 
• WCU shot 33-58 (56.9%) from the field … 14-25 (56.0%) from three and 25-32 (78.1%) from the FT line.
• Catamounts' 14 threes are the most against UTC this season … 25 FTs tied for the most by a UTC opponent this season.

SOCON SCOREBOARD 
Wofford 76 at Mercer 67
Furman 71 at The Citadel 61
at UNCG 93 – VMI 66
ETSU 74 at Samford 66
Western Carolina 105 at Chattanooga 96
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Feb. 2 vs. ETSU, 4:30 p.m. (DH-Women vs. UNCG)
Feb. 7 at VMI, 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. UNCG, 7 p.m.
 
SOCON TOURNAMENT TICKETS
The Ingles Southern Conference Tournament Presented by General Shale is March 8-11 in Asheville, N.C. Tickets are available here on GoMocs.com as well as the Gate 1 Ticket Office at McKenzie Arena. Chattanooga Tournament Headquarters is at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park.
 
GOMOCS.COM IN A WORD FEATURE SERIES
David Jean-Baptiste – Engaged
Thomas Smallwood – Dad
Rod Johnson – Mayor
Kevin Easley – Goofy
Justin Brown – Waffle
Jerry Johnson, Jr. – Buckets
Jonathan Scott – Energy
Keigan Kerby – Hair
Duane Moss – Dwight
Ramon Vila – Everyman  
 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.