STATS |
NOTES |
QUOTES
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SPARTANBURG, S.C.---The Chattanooga Mocs claimed a come-from-behind 73-68 win over the Wofford Terriers Saturday night in Johnson Arena. A pair of reserves,
Nat Dixon and
Rodney Chatman, figured heavily in securing the victory.
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Down 58-50 as the clock ticked inside six-and-a-half minutes remaining, the Mocs got things going with a 15-1 run. After
Justin Tuoyo got the lead to seven, Dixon drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut it to four.
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Cameron Jackson's free throw made it a five-point game. Chatman's layup was followed by his first career block on the defensive end setting up
Tre' McLean's triple in transition to knot the score at 59-all. Dixon gave his squad the lead for good with his second 3pt with 4:01 to go. Chatman's and-1 layup two minutes later capped the spurt for the 65-59 advantage.
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Dixon's layup made it a seven-point game, 67-60, at the 1:16 mark. Fletcher Magee's 3pt just 10 seconds later was the first field goal for the home team in a 6:52 span. The Mocs played stellar defense and made six of their last eight free throws for the eight-point win.
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Greg Pryor had a team-high 19 points to go with a career-high eight rebounds. Tuoyo added 11 points and four blocks, while Chatman and
Casey Jones had 10 points apiece. Magee led all scorers with 26 points as Ryan Sawvell contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds.
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The defensive effort in the final eight-and-a-half minutes was suffocating. The sharp-shooting Terriers were limited to just one field goal making 5.9 percent (1-17) from the field including 11.1 percent (1-9) from beyond the arc.
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Pryor scored the Mocs first 14 points in the opening six-plus minutes. Tuoyo put the visitors up 23-22 with 5:05 until the break. Wofford went on a 13-2 run to take a 10-point advantage, 35-25, on Magee's layup at 1:46.
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Tuoyo and Chatman baskets cut it to six.
Casey Jones' tip-in on a missed McLean jumper sent the Mocs into halftime down 35-31.
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Next Saturday's ETSU game includes the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 1977 NCAA Division II National Championship squad. The Mocs plan a commemorative t-shirt as well as a fantastic ticket bargain. General admission seating is just $5 with kids who come to the game in their youth jersey admitted free.
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RECORDS
Chattanooga – 18-7, 9-4 in the SoCon. Wofford – 13-14, 9-5 in league play.
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STAT OF THE GAME
All of
Nat Dixon's nine points came in the final 5:47 of the game. Click the stats link above for a complete look at today's statistics.
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QUOTABLE
"We look forward to what he [
Nat Dixon] gives us every night. He gives us great energy every single practice and game, and he makes us a lot better as a team. It was no surprise what he did tonight offensively and defensively." – Senior
Greg Pryor. For more thoughts from coach and student-athletes, click the quotes link above.
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NOTABLE
0 – Losses in Johnson Arena for seniors
Greg Pryor (4-0),
Tre' McLean (3-0) and
Justin Tuoyo (3-0). For further breakdown on stats and facts from today's game, click notes link above.
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SOCON SCOREBOARD
at VMI 101, The Citadel, 78
UNCG 76, Western Carolina 68
at ETSU 88, Mercer 71
at Furman 90, Samford 73
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NEXT UP
Wednesday, Feb. 15 at VMI. Tipoff is at 7 p.m., airing on the WatchESPN app (ESPN3) as well as locally on the airwaves on Real 96.1 FM in Chattanooga. Links to live stats, video and audio (Mocs Sports Network) are on GoMocs.com's
men's basketball schedule page.
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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.
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ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 30 titles with 11 regular season, 11 tournament and eight division.
- 16 NCAA Tournament Appearances (11 DI): 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2016
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 3 SoCon Defensive Players of the Year: Z. Mason (2014),
Justin Tuoyo (2015, 2016).
- 4 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93), Will Wade (2014) and
Matt McCall (2016).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter "Moose" McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).