QUOTES |
NOTES
CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team fell behind early in the first half and chipped its way back in the second half, but eventually fell to College of Charleston 85-78 in the 2022-23 season opener on Monday night in front of 4,006 fans inside TD Arena.
Chattanooga falls to 0-1 on the young season following its first season-opening loss since 2019. Charleston, who was picked to finish fourth in the preseason CAA poll, opens the season 1-0 and handles the Mocs for the fifth-straight time in the series' history.
"Charleston played a hard game and credit to them. The first half, we didn't match their physicality," said head coach Dan Earl.
"They had 11 offensive rebounds in the half which is tough for us, and then you see 21 turnovers on the stat sheet and it's hard to overcome that. We have to continue to get better and be ready for the next one."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Chattanooga took a 7-5 lead at the first media timeout following a Jamal Johnson drive that converted his first two points in a UTC uniform. A frantic pace on both sides of the floor saw Charleston take a 17-15 lead on a three ahead of the second media at 11:39.
The scoring continued over the next four minutes with both teams finding themselves locked at 23-23 with 7:52 left in the first half following a Jake Stephens three at the top of the key. Charleston would open up a double-digit lead with 11 unanswered points over a four-minute stretch to take a 34-23 lead (3:57).
Chattanooga stopped the bleeding with a Demetrius Davis driving layup, his first points at the DI level, to cut the deficit back to nine, 34-25 (2:42). In totality, Charleston ended the final seven minutes of the half at a 19-8 advance to take a 42-31 lead into the break.
The Mocs cut the deficit to single digits at eight, 48-40, after Davis connected on a three on the left wing ahead of the under 16 media (15:57). After Charleston upped the lead to 14 at 54-40, UTC responded with an 11-2 run to pull within five, 56-51, with 10:31 left in the contest.
Charleston again created separation from its visitors and built the lead back up to nine, 70-61, before the Mocs rallied for five-straight to make it 70-66 (4:35). A Davis layup with 2:57 on the clock cut it to one possession, 72-69, before five quick Cougars points allowed the lead to grow to eight, 77-69, with 1:28.
Charleston closed things out down the stretch and came away with an 85-78 victory in the 2022-23 season opener. Johnson and Stephens paced the Mocs with 20 points each while Davis finished with 19 in his DI debut. Stephens and Davis each posted double-doubles with 11 and 12 rebounds, respectively.
NOTES TO KNOW
- Chattanooga falls to 0-1 on the season… Charleston opens the season 1-0… Chattanooga falls in its season opener for the first time since November 5, 2019… 79-68 loss at EKU… that team would go on to win the next three games and finish the season 20-13.
- The team allowed 42 first half points to Charleston on Monday… most points allowed in the opening half since February 7, 2021 against Western Carolina (44).
- Chattanooga committed 21 turnovers in Monday's loss… 21 turnovers marks the most since turning it over 22 times at UNCG on February 9, 2019.
QUOTES
"That was one good thing, the resolve. You look in the huddle and guys are ready to compete and get after it. It was a little demoralizing how easy they were scoring, in the first half particularly. We played so much harder in the second half. I think we tried to make a lot of homerun plays in the first half, where I thought we moved the ball better and got better looks in the second. We have to build on that." –
head coach Dan Earl on the second half effort.
SERIES – Charleston now leads the all-time series 23-10 overall (12-1 in Charleston) and has five-straight victories over UTC.
NEXT UP – Thursday, Nov. 10 – vs. Oakland City – 7PM ET – McKenzie Arena –
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SINGLE GAME TICKET INFO | BUY
Single-game and season tickets are now on sale. General admission pricing begins at $10 for both the men and women with a $12 option available for the men's games. Padded reserved seating for the women's games is $16 and $20 for the men while a $15 reserved option is also available for the men's games.
Get a deal on weekday games! Check out the Mocs "4 for $40" deal. Get four tickets, four drinks, and four hot dogs or four nachos all for $40!! Some may call that a steal!
Group options are available as well and must be purchased in advance by calling The McKenzie Arena ticket office at
423-266-MOCS (6627) or come by the Gate 3 ticket office at the Roundhouse. Business hours for the box office are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
MINI PLANS
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MBB vs. Oakland City, 7 p.m.
FB vs. Samford, 1:30 p.m.
WBB vs. Austin Peay, 7 p.m.
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