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| Bucs Survive in the Low Country/Photo Courtesy of ETSU athletics |
East Tennessee Extends Winning Streak to 13 Games in Thrilling Fashion at The Citadel
For the second time in three trips to the Palmetto State in Southern Conference play this season, East Tennessee found itself in danger of dropping its first league game of the season, and seeing the nation's third-longest winning streak come to an end, however, just as it did in a one-point, 62-61, win at Furman a little less than two weeks ago, the Bucs dug deep and found something extra to come up with a 73-71 road win over The Citadel Monday night at McAlister Field House.
With the win, the Bucs improve to 19-4 overall and 10-0 in Southern Conference play, while the Bulldogs fell to 7-14 overall and 2-7 in league play.
With ETSU clinging to a 69-68 lead with 44 seconds left, The Citadel's Frankie Johnson had a golden opportunity to help the Bulldogs regain the lead and potentially post the biggest upset in Southern Conference play so far this season, however, in what appeared to be an easy two points for the junior guard turned into a nightmare, as his shot caromed off the backboard and then back out off the back iron only to be rebounded by Jalan McCloud who was fouled immediately. That put the Bucs in the double-bonus. McCloud made one of two foul shots with 17 seconds remaining to give the Bucs a 70-68 lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Bulldogs turned the ball right back over to the Bucs following a Quayson Williams defensive rebound of the McCloud miss on the second foul shot, but then promptly turned the ball back over the Bucs with 12.5 seconds remaining. That forced the Bulldogs to foul freshman guard Bo Hodges, with Hodges cooly knocking down both shots to increase the Bucs' lead to 72-68.
The Bulldogs were in need of a triple on the ensuing possession, and who better to look to than junior guard Matt Frierson--a player that hit nine threes in a game earlier this season against Chattanooga--and Frierson didn't disappoint with a fade-a-way three-pointer from beyond NBA range, cutting ETSU's lead to one, at 72-71, with 7.6 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs were forced to immediately foul once again, and it was McCloud whom Duggar Baucom's charges decided to foul McCloud once again with 6.1 seconds remaining. McCloud again connected on 1-of-2 foul shots to make it a 73-71 ETSU lead.
The Bulldogs would get an excellent look at a three from the left wing as time expired, however, Alex Reed's shot as time expired bounced twice on the rim and caromed off to the right, and the cardiac Bucs remained unbeaten in the league and sustained the nation's third-longest winning streak. The Bucs have now won 17 out of 18 games, and a win next time out against Samford at Freedom Hall, the Bucs will have recorded their third-straight 20-win season and would mark the tradition-rich program's 19th in its 100 years of basketball.
The Bucs took a 38-34 lead to the break, scoring the final four points of the break, which included a monster tomahawk slam from Desonta Bradford to give the Bucs some momentum heading into the locker room. Bradford went on to lead a pair of Bucs in double figures with 23 points, and combined with Jalan McCloud's 19 points to account for 42 of the Bucs' 73 points in the contest. Bradford added 10 boards to complete his double-double performace, while McCloud just missed a double-double with 19 points and nine boards.
The win for the Bucs came despite connecting on just 2-for-23 shots from three-point range in the contest, while The Citadel went 11-of-28 from downtown.
Mladen Armus put in another strong effort off the bench, as the freshman from Belgrade, Serbia tied Bradford for the team lead on the glass with 10 boards before fouling out late. The Bucs held a substantial 49-36 edge on the glass. The Bucs' struggles from three-point range were off-set by huge advantages in points in the paint (36-14) and points off the bench (34-14). For the game, the Bucs connected on 36.1% (22-of-61) from the field, while The Citadel knocked down 31.0% (18-of-58) from the field.
The Bulldogs had four players finish in double figures, with Zane Najdawi posting 18 points, six boards and three blocks, while Frierson, Leandro Allende and Kaelon Harris each contributed 11 points to the Bulldogs' cause.
ETSU will be back in action at Freedom Hall Thursday night, hosting Samford at Freedom Hall in a 7 p.m. contest. Meanwhile, The Citadel will welcome Upstate rival Wofford to McAlister Field House at 7 p.m. Thursday night.
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| Chattanooga sophomore guard Rodney Chatman scored 22 points against UNCG Monday night/Photo courtesy of UTC Athletics |
Chattanooga Upsets UNC Greensboro in Double Overtime at the Roundhouse
Chattanooga picked up its second victory of the Southern Conference season Monday night, but it took 10 extra minutes of hard-fought basketball to do it, as the Mocs claimed an 87-85 win over UNC Greensboro at the McKenzie Arena.
The double-overtime win by the Mocs saw Chattanooga improve to 8-15 overall and 2-8 in Southern Conference play, while UNCG fell to 16-6 overall and 7-2 in league action.
The Mocs got another standout performance by guard Nat Dixon, who finished with a game and career-high 30 points, marking his fifth game of 20 or more points this season. Dixon was joined in double figures by backcourt mate and sophomore Rodney Chatman, who finished with 22 points and just missed a double-double, recording nine rebounds.
Mocs forward/center Joshua Phillips did, in fact, post his first-career double-double, as he came off the bench to post 10 points and 12 boards, while the Spartans placed three in double figures with Francis Alonso finishing with a team-high 20 points and athletic freshman guard came off the bench to chip in 17 points for the UNCG. Kyrin Galloway also added 14 points off the pine for the Spartans.
The Mocs had to claw their way back from an 11-point deficit in the second half to make things interesting. Chattanooga trailed 49-38 with 14:51 remaining in the contest, however, used a 24-7 run over the next 13 minutes and change to take a six-point, 62-56, lead with 1:39 left following a pair of Chatman free throws.
The Spartans, however, scored seven on the next eight points in regulation, as the game entered its first of two extra sessions tied, 63-63. It looked as though the Spartans might win their eighth out of nine conference games, as the Spartans took a, 75-68, lead with after a pair of Demetrius Troy foul shots made it a 75-68 game with just 34 seconds left.
However, Dixon quickly converted a layup with 26 ticks remaining on the clock to cut the Mocs' deficit to five (75-70). The Mocs quickly fouled Marvin Smith immediately thereafter, and he went to the line missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and after Chatman got the board, he was fouled with 18 seconds remaining. He made both foul shots to cut the Mocs deficit to three (75-72).
The ball was then inbounded to UNCG's Alonso, who was quickly double-teamed, and Chatman stole the basketball and he launched a long-range effort that banked in off the window, and was fouled to tie the game, 75-75.It remained that way after he missed the opportunity for the four-point play and one-point lead for the Mocs by missing the foul shot, sending the game into a second overtime.
Following the buzzer-beating effort that sent the game to the extra session by Chatman, neither team could gain much separation from the other, and the game tied, 85-85, would be tied by Miller's jumper with 50 seconds remaining, setting the stage for the dramatic finish in second conference win for the Mocs. Chattanooga turned the ball over on its next possession, but UNCG's Garrett Collins missed a three, and the Mocs forward Makinde London got the board and passed the ball to Chatman.
Chatman then drove to the hole and was fouled by Alonso, who was called for a blocking foul after attempting to take a charge. Alonso became the fourth of five starters for the Spartans to foul out of the contest, but more importantly for Chattanooga, Chatman stepped to the line with 4.3 seconds remaining and stroked home both foul shots to give the Mocs the 87-85 lead. The Spartans got a chance to tie, but Miller's shot in the lane was off the mark, bouncing out as time expired, and the Mocs held on for the dramatic two-point win in what was a classic Southern Conference contest.
One of the keys to the win for the Mocs was their performance from the line, sinking 25-of-30 charity shots (83.3%), while the Spartans shot a season-worst 23.7% (9-for-38) from three-point range after sinking 16-of-21 from long-range in a road win over Samford just 48 hours earlier.
Both Chattanooga and UNC Greensboro return to Southern Conference will return to action Thursday night, with the Mocs on the road to face Western Carolina in a tip time set for 7 p.m. at the Ramsey Center, while the Spartans return to the Greensboro Coliseum to face VMI in a matchup also slated to tip-off at 7 p.m.
In the other two games, Wofford was able to hold off Western Carolina, 77-68, in Spartanburg, as the Terriers were able to claim their ninth-straight win over Wofford in Spartanburg.
Led by four Terriers in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from Fletcher Mageee, the Terriers improved to 16-6 overall and 7-2 in Southern Conference play, while sending the Catamounts home to Cullowhee with their second straight loss in their trip to the Upstate of South Carolina, as Western Carolina dropped to 9-13 overall and 4-5 in league play.
Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Samford put an end to what had become a five-game losing skid, downing VMI, 93-79, at the Pete Hanna Center on the strength of a career-high 34 points from sharp-shooting guard Triston Chambers. Chambers finished the game with eight triples, and hit 10-of-18 shots from the field.
The win saw the Bulldogs improve to 8-15 overall and 4-6 in SoCon play, putting Samford right back in the mix for a top six seed for the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, as we head towards March. VMI dropped to 7-14 overall and 2-8 in conference play.
Stay tuned for Southern Conference previews for Thursday night's games coming up later this week.
Updated Power Rankings Following Jan. 29 Results:
1. East Tennessee State (19-4, 10-0 SoCon)
2. Furman (15-7, 6-3 SoCon)
T-2. Wofford (16-6, 7-2 SoCon)
T-2 UNC Greensboro (16-6, 7-2 SoCon)
5. Western Carolina (9-13, 4-5 SoCon)
6. Samford (8-12, 4-6 SoCon)
7. Mercer (10-12, 3-6 SoCon)
8. The Citadel (7-14, 2-7 SoCon)
9. Chattanooga (8-15, 2-8 SoCon)
10. VMI (7-14, 2-8 SoCon)
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