The Chattanooga Mocs had a great opportunity to move up in the Southern Conference standings, but for whatever reason, they were unable to do so.
There were several reasons why they lost a tough 77-69 verdict to the Furman Paladins before 3,402 disappointed fans at McKenzie Arena.
First off, they were guilty of 15 turnovers that led to 21 points for the visitors. They also suffered at the free throw line where they only connected on 68 percent by sinking 17 of 25 shots.
Or maybe it was just a payback to the Mocs after Chattanooga’s David Jean-Baptiste beat the Paladins with a dramatic 3-pointer in overtime at last year’s Southern Conference championship game.
Wednesday’s game was a battle for sure, but it seemed like the Paladins had the upper hand all night long. They won most of the loose ball battles and they also claimed 10 offensive rebounds.
Shooting percentages were similar, but the Paladins were able to convert at the end of the game when the outcome was still to be determined and the Mocs were not.
“That was a tough game,” said UTC coach Dan Earl in the interview room after his team fell to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in conference play with their second straight defeat.
“We certainly didn’t play our best basketball. Turnovers and missed free throws hurt, but give credit to Furman as they have talented players who can drive and they also keep you honest with the 3 ball.
“Furman was just faster to the ball than we were. They did a nice job defending Jake Stephens, but we have to find answers when that is the case.
“We didn’t step up enough offensively and really didn’t get good looks at the end. We have to keep working on our late-game offensive execution.
“Brody Robinson gave us a nice spark late, but we just have to be more aggressive on offense as we were really stagnant at times. But we’ll keep working and hope things get better,” the first-year Moc leader added.
Chattanooga had an 8-0 run early in the game to build its biggest lead at 11-4 with 14:18 left in the opening 20 minutes.
The Mocs still led 13-6 when Furman scored nine straight and the Paladins took a 40-37 lead into the dressing room at halftime.
The lead changed hands four times in the second half and the score was tied on four occasions.
Five straight points from Robinson turned a 58-55 Furman lead into a 60-58 Chattanooga advantage, but the Mocs couldn’t seem to get the big bucket when they had possession and the lead.
Stephens sank two free throws with 4:28 to play to give the Mocs their last lead at 66-64, but by the time A.J. Caldwell scored on a putback with 22.9 seconds left, Furman had scored nine unanswered points and were well on their way to victory.
Stephens scored 18 points to lead the Mocs in scoring while Jamal Johnson followed with 10.
Robinson was next with nine points in just over seven minutes of action while Demetrius Davis and Dalvin White both finished with eight points.
Mike Bothwell, Furman’s leading scorer who entered play averaging 19.5 points, finished with 22 to lead the Paladins. Jalen Slawson, who did an effective job defending Stephens, was next with 21.
J.P. Pegues and Marcus Foster were also in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Stephens grabbed eight rebounds as the Mocs won that battle by a 35-31 margin. Slawson and Foster both had seven for Furman.
The Mocs will be at home again on Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. game with East Tennessee State University while Furman stays on the road for a game at Wofford on Saturday.
FURMAN (77) – Hien, Slawson 21, Pegues 11, Bothwell 22, Foster 10, VanderWal 2, Hughey, Whitt 5, Williams 6.
CHATTANOOGA (69) – Davis 6, Stephens 18, Caldwell 7, Johnson 10, White 8, Brady 1, Courseault 2, Hankton, Walker 5, Alexis 1, Robinson 9.
FIELD GOALS: Furman 25 of 58 for 43.1 percent; Chattanooga 22 of 54 for 40.7 percent.
3-POINT GOALS: Furman 7 of 27 for 25.9 percent (Slawson 1-5, Pegues 1-5, Bothwell 2-4, Foster 2-7, Hughey 0-1, Whitt 1-3, Williams 0-2); Chattanooga 8 of 29 for 27.6 percent (Davis 1-4, Stephens 0-2, Caldwell 1-4, Johnson 2-8, White 2-5, Courseault 0-2, Walker 0-1, Robinson 2-3).
FREE THROWS: Furman 20 of 25 for 80.0 percent; Chattanooga 17 of 25 for 68.0 percent.
REBOUNDS: Furman 31 (Slawson 7, Foster 7, Pegues 6); Chattanooga 35 (Stephens 8, Davis 6, Johnson 5).
ASSISTS: Furman 8 (Pegues 3, Slawson 2, Foster 2); Chattanooga 7 (Stephens 2, White 2).
TURNOVERS: Furman 9 (Foster 3, Slawson 2, Bothwell 2); Chattanooga 15 (Stephens 5, Johnson 5).
STEALS: Furman 3 (Slawson 2); Chattanooga 5 (Davis 2, Johnson 2).
BLOCKS: Furman 2 (Slawson, Pegues); Chattanooga 4 (Stephens 3).
HALFTIME SCORE: Furman, 40-37.
ATTENDANCE: 3,402.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)