Chattanooga's Bash Wieland led the Mocs in scoring with 21 points
photo by Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com
The Chattanooga Mocs men’s basketball team saw its five-game winning streak snapped in a tough 80-62 defeat to in-state foe Lipscomb inside McKenzie Arena on Tuesday night during non-conference action.
Chattanooga (5-4) struggled on the defensive end of the floor after allowing Lipscomb (5-4) to shoot a highly efficient 57.9% (33-of-57) from the field, the highest FG% allowed to a non-conference opponent at home since 2017 (60.4%, Georgia State). The Mocs also saw a 33-21 overall disadvantage on the glass which included just three offensive rebounds and zero second chance points.
The Mocs rallied from an early 9-2 deficit to surge to an 18-17 lead on Garrison Keeslar's 3-pointer with 10:46 to go in the first half, but Lipscomb regained the lead 15 seconds later they would never relinquish.
The Bisons held a 36-33 lead at intermission, then opened the second half with a 17-4 spurt over the first five minutes to increase their advantage to 16. Chattanooga was unable to reduce its deficit below 11 points as Lipscomb shot 60.7% over the final 20 minutes.
Bash Wieland led all scorers with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 FG including a 3-of-5 mark from 3PT, tying a career best for threes made in a single game. All 10 Mocs who saw action on Tuesday recorded points with Wieland being the lone to reach double figures.
Collin Mulholland and Trey Bonham finished with eight points apiece, Makai Richards had six points and Honor Huff and Jack Kostel scored four each.
Chattanooga drops its first home game of the season after a 4-0 start inside McKenzie Arena.
"Obviously a very difficult night," head coach Dan Earl Said. "I thought Lipscomb played very well. They basically were just faster to the ball on the defensive, and then they moved faster and with pace and toughness on the offensive end. I apologize because I got out-coached by Coach Acuff, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for. They played outstanding and we played like a feel good team, meaning a team where if we're making some shots things are pretty good, but if we're not then we can't do anything about it. I think three offensive rebounds tells a story as well. My apologies, we will continue to get better and grow from this."
Frank Champion, a two-time Division II All-American transfer from North Georgia, saw his first action for the Mocs finishing with three points on 1-of-5 shooting in 18 minutes of play. Chattanooga also competed without the services of forward Sean Cusano and guard Noah Melson.
UP NEXT – Chattanooga at Evansville – Thursday, Dec. 12 – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN+ – Evansville, Ind.