Mocs Drop Fourth Straight Game After Falling 85-80 to Wofford

(gomocs.com)

CHATTANOOGA – The Chattanooga Mocs men’s basketball team suffered its fourth-straight defeat in another close Southern Conference battle, ultimately dropping an 85-80 contest to Wofford on Wednesday night inside McKenzie Arena.
 
Following the loss, Chattanooga falls to 11-11 overall and 3-6 inside SoCon play at the halfway point of the regular season league slate. Wofford improves to 12-10 overall and 4-5 in conference action.
 
The Mocs (50) and Terriers (49) combined for 99 second-half points after the visitors grabbed a 36-30 lead at the break. UTC just couldn’t find crucial defensive stops down the stretch as Wofford finished the second half shooting 55.2% (16-of-29) from the floor.
 
“They made plays down the stretch when they needed to, and we couldn’t get stops. I thought our guys did compete. We had some stretches where we didn’t execute on offense and score the ball, but for the most part, we were competing,” said head coach Dan Earl.
 
“We just could not get stops. It was another frustrating loss, but I told the guys to keep their head high. There’s a lot of season left and we need to turn it around.”
 
Jamal Johnson led the team with a game-high 22 points (7-of-13 FG, 4-of-8 3PT) while Dalvin White posted 13 points (4-of-9 FG, 4-of-7 3PT) as the duo both crossed the 1,000-point mark for their collegiate career. Khristion Courseault scored 14 points (6-of-10 FG) and dished out a team-high four assists with no turnovers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Chattanooga opened the game with a 9-8 lead at the first media timeout (15:12) behind four early points from KC Hankton. The two teams would stay neck-and-neck as UTC held a slight 14-13 edge with 10:29 left in the opening half.
 
Wofford used a 7-0 run over the next two-plus minutes to build a 23-16 run at the 7:46 mark and forced the hosts into a timeout. The Terriers continued to hold separation, 31-23 (3:55), before the Mocs ended the half on a 5-0 run to close the gap to 36-30 at the break. Jamal Johnson’s half-ending basket allowed him to reach 1,000 career points.
 
Dalvin White connected on back-to-back threes early in the second half to cut the deficit to two, 40-38 (17:18), while also surpassing 1,000 career points in the process. The Mocs earned its first tie since midway through the first half when Johnson connected on a three to tie things 47-47 (13:52).
 
Chattanooga jumped ahead 53-49 (11:45) on White’s third three of the half before Wofford answered with a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 58-53 (9:02) advantage. The Terriers shot at a high percentage in the second half to help fend off the UTC charge which saw the home team pull within four, 68-64 (5:30).
 
The Mocs made it a one possession game with 28 seconds left after a quick 6-0 run brought the tally to 80-78. Wofford converted on five of its final six free-throw attempts to help ice the 85-80 victory inside the Roundhouse.

RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 11-11, 3-6 SoCon · Wofford 11-11, 4-5 SoCon · Series: Chattanooga now leads the series 29-21.

NOTES TO KNOW
– Chattanooga out-rebounded Wofford by a 36-32 count… 13-10 on the offensive glass… five different Mocs had three or more rebounds… Sam Alexis led the way with nine total… six offensive.
 
– Jamal Johnson and Dalvin White each surpassed 1,000 career points at the NCAA Division I level… Johnson finished with a game-high 22 points… White added 13 points.
 
– Chattanooga struggled to shoot the ball from deep in the first half… went 3-of-12 (25.0%) in the first 20 minutes… finished the game 10-of-26 (38.5%)… just the second time in the last five games with 10 triples… UTC previously carried a 10-straight game stretch with 10 or more.

QUOTES
Dan Earl on not getting defensive stops.
“I thought that was the biggest thing. They made some big plays. We had some costly turnovers when we really needed to take care of the ball. I don’t think it was a lack of fight, but we have to be tougher to get those crucial stops on defense.”

Khristion Courseault on stepping up with Jake Stephens being sidelined.
“I think that everyone has done a good job stepping up in his absence, we’re missing a lot with him being out. Everyone is doing a good job picking it up. We just need to get stops down the stretch. Hopefully, we can continue the offensive efficiency and move forward.”

NEXT UP – at ETSU – Saturday, Jan. 28 – 4:00 p.m. ET – Johnson City, Tenn. – ESPN+