South Cumberland News

The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped during a 93-76 loss on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference action inside McKenzie Arena.
 
Following the loss, Chattanooga falls to 15-14 overall and 7-9 inside SoCon play. UNCG improved to 19-10 overall and 13-3 in conference action after the win.
 
The Mocs fell behind early in the first half by as much as 15 before heading into the break down 12, 43-31. The Spartans dominated the game in the paint and on the boards to help cushion itself a lead as large as 20 before the ultimate 93-76 final.
 
"It was a very tough outing, it wasn't our finest hour. Credit to UNCG, they were the tougher team," said head coach Dan Earl.
 
"They took us out of things on both sides of the ball. Offensively, it seemed like they could just go where they want. It was a struggle. We have a lot to learn from and it was a tough outing, but credit to UNCG."
 
Jamal Johnson set a career-high in points for the second time in as many weeks with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting including a 6-of-11 mark from deep. Demetrius Davis posted his first career 20-point effort with 20 points on a similar 8-of-14 shooting total while adding a 4-of-8 tally from deep.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UNCG raced out to a 10-2 lead in the first two-plus minutes of the game and forced UTC into a timeout at the 17:18 mark of the opening half. Jamal Johnson scored the next eight points to keep the Mocs afloat as the deficit grew to nine, 19-10 (11:42).
 
UTC struggled in ball security over the first 10 minutes of the first half, turning the ball over seven times which led to nine UNCG points. The Spartans held a 27-17 lead at the under eight media with 7:56 on the board.
 
UNCG continued an efficient attack on both sides of the ball and created a sizable separation, claiming a 39-26 lead with 3:54 remaining before the half. The two teams traded points down the stretch of the opening 20 as the visitors took a 43-31 lead into the break.
 
Demetrius Davis came out hot from behind the arc with four-straight threes to help Chattanooga cut into the deficit before UNCG answered to build a 63-48 lead with 9:47 left. UNCG controlled much of the game inside the arc and dominated on the boards and paint to help extend out to a 77-61 advantage with just 4:31 remaining in the game.

The Spartans kept the Mocs in check for the final minutes of action and trounced its way to a 93-76 victory. UNCG outscored UTC 36-14 in points in the paint and out-rebounded the hosts by a wide 40-28 margin.

RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 15-14, 7-9 SoCon · UNCG 19-10, 13-3 SoCon · Series: Chattanooga and UNCG are now tied in the all-time series 27-27.

NOTES TO KNOW
- Chattanooga shot 41.3% (26-of-63) from the field… efficient 43.8% (14-of-32) from deep… marked the first loss this season when shooting 40.0% or better from three… previously 10-0 this season when that occurred.

- Chattanooga suffered a 40-28 disadvantage in rebounds… out-rebounded 30-18 on the defensive side… led to a 36-14 disadvantage in points in the paint.

- UNCG shot a blistering 55.9% (33-of-59) from the field in the win… went 23-of-41 (56.1%) from inside the arc… went 17-of-30 (56.7%) from the floor over the final 20 minutes.

QUOTES
 Jamal Johnson on what went wrong.
"It's hard. The last three games, we were focused on our defensive presence and we executed that well. We just didn't have the right energy today. They're big and strong. It was hard matching their physicality. Credit to them, they're tough." 

Original source can be found here