The Chattanooga Mocs got into a shootout tonight in the GSU Sports Arena falling 95-88 at Georgia State. The 183 combined points in regulation are the most in a UTC game since the 125-85 Southern Conference win over The Citadel (210 pts) on Feb. 1, 2016.
Five Mocs reach double figures led by David Jean-Baptiste’s career-high-tying 19. Jonathan Scott also set a new high with 17, while Kevin Easley chipped in 15. Jerry Johnson, Jr., added 14 points and A.J. Caldwell tallied 11 for his first career double-figure night.
D’Marcus Simonds led all scorers with 24 for the home team. Kane Williams and Devin Mitchell had 17 apiece.
The key stretch came late in the second half. Trailing by 11, Caldwell nailed a three with 7:32 to play to slice it to eight, 74-66. Three defensive stops in four possessions gave the Mocs an opening. They got good looks, but just couldn’t get the key shot to fall.
"We had a couple shots that we missed when we really needed them,” Coach Lamont Paris noted. “We had a couple times where we had a three that would have been a big three from a momentum standpoint. It was only three points, but it would have meant more to them than to us.
“They were missed opportunities so to speak."
Four Johnson free throws were all the squad could muster over a two-plus-minute stretch. The Panthers scored on their next four trips and never looked back. Caldwell’s three with 0.2 to play got the lead back into single digits and the 95-88 final.
The end of the first half was also a tough span for the Mocs. Jean-Baptiste’s triple with 2:09 until intermission made it a two-point deficit, 40-38. Georgia State scored on three straight possessions to take a nine-point cushion to the locker room, 47-38.
"We were moving the ball, moving and cutting, that was big time,” Easley shared. “I think it got away from us late in the second half, but that's a lesson to learn. We're a young team. We just have to live and learn out there.
Tonight was the start of a 3-game road trip. The Mocs head to Oxford Sunday for a matchup with Ole Miss (Dec. 16) on SEC Network. It shift quickly to UT Martin (Tuesday, Dec. 18) before completing the pre-holiday slate at home with a lunch date with Bryan. The businessperson special is a Noon start on Friday, Dec. 21. Tickets are available on GoMocs.com or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).