The Chattanooga Mocs moved past VMI by a 92-72 tally to head into the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Championships presented by Ingles. The Mocs used a dominant start and not allowing a glimmer of hope to the Keydets throughout.
The Mocs scored on their first four possessions leading for all but the 12 seconds it was 0-0. They were led by Khristion Courseault and Jake Stephens with 21 points apiece. Courseault set a Mocs tourney record making all nine shot attempts including three from 3pt range.
A.J.
Caldwell collected 11 rebounds to lead the Mocs to a 12-board advantage for the game, 43-31. VMI’s Tony Felder led a trio in double digits with 19.
The Mocs take on the two seed Samford Saturday in Harrah’s Cherokee Center. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m., on ESPN+.
Early and often. The Mocs opened the game on a 15-2 run capped by a Sam Alexis three just 3:53 into the contest. It reached towards the end of the half before settling for a 19-point cushion, 43-24.
The Keydets cut the margin to 13 early in the second half, but the Mocs weren’t having it. Stephens started a quick 11-2 run that pushed it to 22, 55-33, on Caldwell’s triple at 15:04. Courseault’s triple with 13:52 left got the lead to its apex of 23, 60-37.
The Mocs shot 61.7 percent for the game making 37 of 60. It was an especially deadly performance indie the arc for the nation’s premier three-point shooting squad. There was a 54-26 advantage in points in the paint making 27 of 35 (77.1%).