BOX |
NOTES/QUOTES
CHARLESTON, S.C. (January 4, 2025) – The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team earned its first Southern Conference victory of the season after controlling The Citadel during an 81-68 victory inside McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday afternoon.
Chattanooga (9-6, 1-1) put together a strong first half that saw a lead grow to as many as 15 (42-27, 0:53) before eventually claiming a 42-30 halftime edge over The Citadel (5-8, 0-2). A balanced attack saw 10 different players score in the half while the squad assisted 12 times on 18 field goals.
The Mocs came out of the locker room with a fast start in the second half, putting together a 7-0 run over a three-plus minute stretch to help build a 17-point lead, 51-34, before the hosts answered with nine-straight to cut it eight, 51-43 (11:27). The lead never dwindled less than eight points down the stretch as UTC claimed its 81-68 road victory.
All 11 Mocs who saw playing time on Saturday recorded at least one made field goal while the bench provided 26 points during the victory. UTC finished the game shooting 51.7% (30-58) from the floor and ended with a 2.71 assist-to-turnover ratio (19-to-7), both season bests against Division I opponents.
RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 9-6, 1-1 · The Citadel 5-8, 0-2 · 95th Meeting · UTC leads 72-23.
GAME FLOW/INSIDE THE BOX
1H 16:22 –
Bash Wieland and
Makai Richards each finished with layups to give UTC an early 8-6 lead.
1H 14:24 –
Sean Cusano hit a transition three off a
Jack Kostel feed to extend the lead, 13-8.
1H 12:16 – Wieland's fourth basket of the first half broke a brief tie and put the Mocs in front, 17-15.
1H 11:44 –
Honor Huff's 150
th triple in a UTC uniform upped the edge to five yet again, 20-15.
1H 7:01 – Wieland continued his scoring attack with a corner three to give the guests a six-point lead, 25-19.
1H 5:09 – Huff's second deep ball off another Kostel assist allowed the edge to grow to nine, 30-21.
1H 3:15 – After a
Noah Melson three, a quick steal from
Trey Bonham led to a Wieland layup, helping build a 37-24 lead to force a Citadel timeout.
HALF – Chattanooga 42, The Citadel 30
2H 15:38 – Kostel came away with a steal and finished a layup as a part of a 7-0 UTC run to help create a sizable lead, 51-34.
2H 13:15 – Christian Moore (CIT) scored an easy layup off a baseline out-of-bounds as part of a 6-0 spurt, pulling the hosts within 11, 51-40.
2H 8:50 –
Frank Champion took advantage from the free throw line to keep the Mocs in front by 10, 58-48.
2H 6:07 – Bonham cleaned up a missed layup with an easy put back to create more separation, 68-54.
2H 3:11 – Wieland finished at the rim following an offensive rebound to give the Mocs a late 15-point lead, 74-59.
2H 0:49 – Bonham connected on a transition three to provide the ultimate dagger as UTC led by 12, 77-65.
FINAL – Chattanooga 81, Citadel 68
KEY NOTES | MORE
∙ Chattanooga shot an efficient 51.7% (30-58) from the floor in the win… season-high FG% against DI opponent… finished 39.1% (9-23) from deep… snaps five-game streak of 10 or made 3PT.
∙ The Mocs dished out 19 assists on its 30 made field goals… sixth-straight game with 18 or more assists… season-best 2.71 assist-to-turnover ratio against DI opponent.
∙
Honor Huff's first 3PTM of the game was No. 150 in a UTC uniform… just the 12
th Moc to reach the 150 mark in program history… now with 151 at UTC… trails Brandon Born by eight (159) for 11
th on the all-time list.
POSTGAME QUOTES | MORE
Bash Wieland on effort to keep the lead during the second half.
"I mean, the second half, I'm pretty sure it was the 16- or 12-minute mark where we just kind of stumbled there, and I think they cut it to eight or so. That was where we really had to make a stand, and I thought we shared the ball throughout the game really, really well."
UP NEXT – Chattanooga vs. UNCG – Thursday, Jan. 9 – 5 p.m. ET – CBS Sports Network – McKenzie Arena
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