Wednesday's SoCon Results and Winter Weather Updates

Bucs Continue Strong Start with Impressive Road Win

Southern Conference basketball was once again in high gear Wednesday night, as everyone laced em up for the seventh time in league play. 

The matchup the highlighted the evening was the Volunteer State battle between East Tennessee State and Chattanooga at the Roundhouse.

The game would see the red-hot Chattanooga Mocs (winners of three-straight) against the team atop the standings thus far, in East Tennessee State (14-6, 6-1 SoCon). The Bucs and Mocs represent the two most successful programs on the SoCon hardwood, and it would be East Tennessee State that would end up taking the first of two meetings between the two this season, with a 67-66 triumph at the McKenzie Arena.

ETSU was able to get 21 points and 11 rebounds from Cam Morris III, while Brian Taylor II and Black Barkley chipped in with 15 and 10 points, respectively, as the Bucs garnered their second-straight one-point road SoCon win and will have a quick turnaround when ETSU will host The Citadel in a 7 p.m. EST contest slated for Friday night. The game was originally slated for Saturday evening, however, due to the threat of inclement weather, the Bucs and Bulldogs have been moved up 24 hours.

The road win by ETSU snapped Chattanooga's three-game winning streak, as the Mocs fell to 9-11 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference play. The Bucs improved to 14-6 overall and 6-1 in league action and hold a one-game lead over both Wofford (5-2 SoCon) and Mercer (5-2 SoCon) in the league standings.

Morris finished his night connecting on 9-of-14 shots from the field, while also posting two steals, one block and one assist in the win. 

The game would see-saw back-and-forth throughout the latter 20 minutes of basketball, and that trend would have its genesis back on the final shot of the opening stanza, as a Jordan Frison three at the buzzer allowed the Mocs to enter the halftime locker room holding what was a 30-29 lead. It was one of four threes made in the opening half. Chattanooga would connect on another six in the second, giving it a prime opportunity to pull the upset. 

An 8-0 run by the Bucs following the first media timeout of the second half was capped by a three-point play the old-fashioned way from Gabe Sisk, which gave ETSU a six-point lead, 48-42, with 12:14 remaining in the game.

UTC's Brennan Watkins would be on fire most of the night shooting the ball from three-point range, as he ended with 19 points, which included a 5-for-7 performance from three-point range, which was part of a 6-for-8 effort from the field for the game. Watkins led four Mocs in double figures and also added four rebounds and two steals to his overall stat-line.

Watkins hit a three to get the Mocs to within two (51-53) with 7:42 remaining, and then following an Allen Strothers missed three on the other end, the Mocs would get a triple from Tate Darner to assume what was a one-point, 54-53, lead with 6:40 remaining. The Bucs had an emphatic answer less than a minute later, pushing the ball up the floor and getting a powerful dunk from Morris III to o retake the lead, at 55-54, with 5:53 left. 

A Makai Richards layup and Collin Mulholland free throw restored a two-point Mocs lead with five minutes left, but a Blake Barkley jumper in the lane on ETSU's next possession tied the game, 57-57, with 4:34 remaining. 

The Bucs would eventually push their lead to six, at after a dunk and free throw from Morris with 1:17 remaining, as ETSU assumed what was a seemingly safe, 65-59. However, as we would come to find out, the theme of the night might have been best described as "no lead is safe."

UTC would reel off seven-straight points, using a Tate Darner layup and five-straight made charity shots from Darner, Brennan Watkins and Frison, who's final two free throws gave the Mocs a 66-65 lead following a foul by Strothers, which sent the former Pittsburg standout guard to the line. After Frison, UTC's leading scorer in 2025-26, knocked down both foul shots, the Mocs had to hold the Bucs back from scoring for just nine more seconds to pull off what would be their most meaningful win of the 2025-26 season.

However, it wasn't to be, however, as Barkley would be fouled going to the basket with four seconds remaining, and he calmly knocked in both free throws and ETSU was able to go on top 67-66. The Mocs couldn't get off an attempt on their final possession, and the Bucs held on for a second-straight one-point road win.

Watkins was joined in double figures for Chattanooga by Darner and Frison, who each added 14 points to the Mocs cause, while Collin Mulholland turned in one of his most productive outings of the season, posting 11 points and three rebounds off the bench.

The Bucs held a 38-31 edge on the backboards, but it was 13 offensive rebounds which led to an 18-3 edge in the points in the paint category that proved to be a big factor in a game where there wasn't that much separation between the two teams throughout the entire night. 

'Dogging' the Narrative

The biggest surprise of the night came in the Low Country, as The Citadel overcame what was a 19-point deficit with just over 10 minutes remaining to hand Furman its second-straight loss, while capturing its second-straight SoCon win in the process, as the Bulldogs downed the Paladins, 77-75, in overtime to get the win.

The Paladins, who surrendered a 17-0 run to Wofford in a 74-70 home loss last time out on Saturday, held a 55-46 lead with 10:30 remaining, however, would see that lead drastically dwindle as time wound down. However, all the Bulldogs would be able to do in regulation was forge a tie, and it would be until overtime that the Bulldogs were able to re-take the lead, which they hadn't held since a 22-21 lead at the 9:15 mark of the opening half of the game.

The Bulldogs would out-pace the Paladins, 31-12, over the final 10:30 of the game, tying the game, 67-67, on a three-point play the old-fashioned way by Sola Adebisi with nine seconds remaining, tying the game. Furman's long-range attempt from Alex Wilkins at the buzzer was no good, and the game went to overtime for the third-straight meeting between the Paladins and Bulldogs in Charleston.

It also marked the third time in the past four league games that the Bulldogs had to go to overtime to settle a score. The Bulldogs would go on to outscore the Paladins 10-8 in the extra session, pulling out its first win over Furman in a Southern Conference game at home since the February 15, 2023, when the Bulldogs were able to capture a 69-65 win over the Paladins during that particular season. 

The 19-point second-half comeback for the Bulldogs marked the second-largest comeback in program history, with only a 21-point comeback on the road on Feb. 24, 2011 accounting for a bigger one, as the Catamounts won that game, 70-62, at the Ramsey Center.

While this seems like a major step-back in comparison to the home loss to Wofford, the Paladins had a few positives come out of the result in Charleston. The biggest thing would be the return of Collin O'Neal and Tom House to the fold, while freshman guard Abijah Franklin made it two in a row as far as double-figure scoring games, following up his 14-point contest against Wofford with 11 against the Bulldogs. 

The Bulldogs were led by Sola Adebisi's game-high 22 points, as he was nearly perfect from the field in the game, finishing the contest by connecting on 9-of-10 shots from the field, including going 4-for-5 from the charity stripe, while also adding eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal to round out his stellar all-around evening.

Braxton Williams, who came in scoring 20 or more points in four of his last five games, just missed that benchmark of recent success in the Bulldogs win, chipping in with 18 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while veteran Christian Moore added 14 points, five rebounds and a steal off the bench for the Bulldogs. 

Logan Applegate, who was only in the starting lineup with the Bulldogs playing without one of the key performers, in Carter Kingsbury, who missed the game with an injury, finished out the double-figure scorers with 10 points. 

Freshman point guard Marco Gonzales was especially key off the bench, as he just missed double figures with nine points and added five assists and two rebounds in 29 minutes of work. 

Like the Bulldogs, Furman matched with four players of its own in double figures for the game, as senior center Charles Johnston and freshman guard Alex Wilkins led the way with 15 points apiece for the Paladins. Both Johnston and Wilkins were in foul trouble down the stretch in regulation and in overtime, as the Paladins' leading scoring duo had to play for much of that duration saddled with four fouls apiece.  

The Paladins, which have done a good job of defending without fouling for a majority of the season, failed miserably in that category on the road on Wednesday night, surrendering 30 foul shots to the Bulldogs in the contest.

Johnston notched his eighth double-double of the season by posting 15 points, 12 rebounds and one assist, while also providing a lift on the defensive end of the floor by swatting away three Bulldog shots and added an additional steal. The native of Syndey, Australia finished his evening by knocking down 7-of-13 shots from the field, including going 1-for-5 from three-point range. 

Wilkins finished the game connecting on 4-of-17 shots from the field, including a 2-for-10 from three-point range and was 5-for-6 from the line to finish with his 15 points. He tied a career-high with nine assists. The past two games have seen the talented freshman point guard struggle overall, connecting on just 11-of-37 shots from the field, with a majority of those struggles coming from beyond the arc, as he is just 3-for-30 from beyond the arc over the past two games for the 'Dins.

Senior glue guy Ben Vander Wal had another solid evening for Furman, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal in 34 minutes of work.

The win is one to file for the memory banks for The Citadel hoops fans, but the Bulldogs won't have too long to celebrate, as The Citadel returns to the SoCon road on Friday evening at East Tennessee State, taking on the Bucs in a 7 p.m. EST contest at Freedom Hall. The Bucs won the initial matchup between the two, 74-49, back on Dec. 30 in Charleston. The Bucs have won seven-straight in the series.

Furman has only suffered two three-game losing streaks in league play over the past 11 seasons, with those coming in the 2021-22 and 2015-16 campaigns, respectively. 

The Paladins last lost three-straight SoCon games in February of 2022, when the Paladins dropped consecutive league tilts to UNCG (L, 56-58), at ETSU (L, 71-75) and vs. Chattanooga (L, 58-64). The other three-game skid came during the 2015-16 season under then head coach Niko Medved, as Furman lost three-straight in February of 2016 in setbacks at Wofford (L, 73-77), at ETSU (L, 75-80) and at Western Carolina (L, 62-73).

Furman will face off against a UNCG team that has swept Furman each of the past two seasons and have won six of the past eight meetings against the Paladins. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. EST at Bodford Arena. 

Young Terriers Continue to Jel; Hand Samford Third-Straight Defeat

Wofford continued its strong play through the first half of Southern Conference play, downing Samford, 88-78, in a Southern Conference tilt Wednesday evening before 969 fans on hand at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Wofford's win sees the Terriers improve to 13-7 overall and 5-2 in league action, while the Bulldogs fell to 9-11 overall and 2-5 in league play.

The Terriers got a game and career-high 36 points from sophomore guard Kahmare Holmes, which is one off the top performance of the season by a SoCon player, as teammate Nils Machowski's season-high of 37 points came a week-and-a-half ago in Wofford's nine-point road win over The Citadel.

Holmes finished 10-of-16 from the field, which included 2-for-4 from three-point range. He finished out his evening with a 14-for-18 performance from the line. Holmes also added four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the win. 

Three other Terriers joined Holmes in double figures in the win, as Machowski finished off the contest with 14 points, while Cayden Vasko added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Bulldogs finished with three in double figures, with Jadin Booth leading the way with 27 points on 11-of-27 shooting from the field, including connecting on 4-of-11 shots from three-point range. He also added three assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds to Samford's cause. 

Forward Dylan Faulkner added 18 points and four boards, while Keaton Norris rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Bulldogs, finishing with 12 points and five assists. Wofford blistered the nets for 64% (32-of-50) in the contest, which included a 50% (6-of-12) effort from the three-point range. The Terriers were also solid from the charity stripe in the contest, connecting on 75.0% (18-of-24) from the charity stripe.

Samford finished the contest connecting on 49.2% (29-of-59) from the field, including 33.3% (9-of-27) from three-point range. The Bulldogs were also a solid 78.6% (11-of-14) from the charity stripe. 

The game was close throughout, featuring 14 lead changes and 11 ties. Both teams shot 50% or better in the opening half of play, but despite shooting 57.7% (15-of-26) in the opening half, the Terriers found themselves trailing Samford, 41-38, on the strength of 50% (15-of-30) shooting from the field, which included a 42.8% (6-of-14) shooting effort from three-point range in the opening half of play.

After hitting only one three in the opening half, it was Holmes that got Wofford going in the second half with a corner three, making him the first Terrier player to reach double figures in the second half, as his corner triple tied the game, 41-41. Holmes would go on to score 26 more points in the second half, including 29 of Wofford's 50 for the entirety of the latter half of basketball. 

The Bulldogs answered with a 5-0 run, which was capped by a pair of Cade Norris foul shots less than two minutes into the second half, extending the Bulldogs lead to 46-41. Just before the first media timeout of the second half, a Jadin Booth triple extended the Samford lead to six, at 53-47, with 15:41 remaining.

Coming out of the first media timeout of the second half, the Terriers put together an 11-0 run, which started with a Holmes triple and ended with a Machowski jumper, giving Wofford a 58-53 lead with 12:20 remaining.

The game turned into a thrilling shootout, which saw 27 points scored between the two teams over the next five minutes, with Samford holding the slight 15-12 over that stretch. Holmes found his way to the charity stripe on three-straight possessions, and he would go 4-for-5 during that stretch and was the only Terrier in the score column for over three minutes. He totaled eight points during that rare drought in which the rest of the team was a bit out of rhythm, but Holmes was enough to steady Wofford during a stretch were Samford was throwing haymakers.

Following a Holmes three-point play the old-fashioned way that gave Wofford a 76-73 lead, it would be Jadin Booth that would match for Samford on the other end, as his three-point play the old-fashioned way tied the game, 76-76, with 3:58 left.

On Wofford's next trip down, Brian Sumpter sent home an emphatic slam, putting the Terriers back on top, 78-76, with 3:28 left. Dylan Faulkner matched on the other end with a layup in the paint to tie the game with just under three minutes left. It would be all Wofford from that point forward, as the Terriers would end the game on a 10-0, highlighted by the final five of the night coming from Vasko on a three and a pair of free throws to help Wofford close out a thrilling 88-78 home win.

That sets up a huge game on Saturday, as Wofford hosts Mercer (13-7, 5-2 SoCon) in an 11 am game at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The game will see the winner in sole possession of second place in the league standings. Mercer won the previous meeting 109-97 in Macon a couple of weeks ago.

Neely Big Day on the Backboards Powers UNCG Past VMI

Last week, it was Armani Mighty pulling down a Cameron Hall record 25 rebounds that had us all talking, while this time around, it was Justin Neely that powered the Spartans with 22 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in what was an 85-78 win over VMI.

With the win, UNCG improved to 8-14 overall and 4-3 in SoCon play, while VMI fell ton 6-14 overall and 1-6 in league play. 

Guard Donald Whithead Jr. finished second on the team in scoring, as he added 18 points, while freshman guard KJ Younger rounded out the double-figure scorers in the contest, posting 15 points.

Neely finished his evening by connecting on 7-of-14 shots from the field, which included an 8-of-11 performance from the charity stripe. It was his seventh 20+point scoring performance of the season. 

VMI ended the night led by TJ Johnson and Tan Yildizoglu, who added 18 points apiece to the Keydets cause, while Linus Holmstrom and Mario Tatum Jr. rounded out the VMI players in double figures, with 13 and 11 points, respectively. 

Johnson finished connecting on 5-of-12 shots from the field, including a 5-of-11 performance from three-point range. He also went 3-of-4 from the line and added 10 boards to complete his impressive double-double performance. He added two assists and a steal.

For the game, the Spartans connected on 47.4% (27-of-57) from the field, which included a 42.1% (8-of-19) effort from three-point range. The Spartans also finished a solid 69.7% from the charity stripe, connecting on 23-of-33 foul shots in the contest.

VMI finished the evening connecting on 42.6% (26-of-61) from the field, including a 35.7% (13-of-37) effort from three-point land. The normally proficient Keydets struggled from the free throw line, however, connecting at just a 59.1% (13-of-22) clip.

Like most of the action in the SoCon Wednesday night, the game between the Spartans and Keydets was close throughout and it was one that featured 10 lead changes and three ties. UNCG took a five-point, 38-33 lead into halftime locker room. 

Early in the second half, UNCG took its first double-digit lead of the contest when Whitehead Jr. converted a layup at the 16:09 mark to make it a 49-38 lead for UNCG. Then, with just over 10 minutes remaining, the Spartans pushed their lead to 20, at 70-50, following a KJ Younger layup in transition.

While that 20-point advantage might have seemed safe on the surface, in this league no lead has been safe this season...Just ask Furman. The Keydets mounted a rally to get back into the game, using a 24-9 spurt over the next nine minutes, getting to within five, at 79-74, after AJ Clark knocked down a pair of free throws with 44 seconds left.

However, UNCG was able to finish out the game strong at the charity stripe and did enough to hold on for the seven-point road win. 

UNCG will have a quick turnaround, hosting Furman (13-7, 4-3 SoCon) at Bodford Arena in a 3 p.m. EST contest on Friday afternoon. The Keydets will return to the hardwood on Saturday when they travel to Western Carolina for a 1:30 p.m. EST contest against the Catamounts at the Ramsey Center.

The final game of the night saw the widest margin on the scoreboard, as Mercer pushed its winning streak to five-straight by knocking off Western Carolina, 88-76, at Hawkins Arena, as the Bears improved to 9-0 on the home hardwood and remained tied for second in the standings with the win.

The win saw Mercer improve to 13-7 overall and 5-2 in league play, while Western Carolina fell to 6-12 overall and 2-5 in league aciton.

While both Armani Mighty and Barraka Okojie have already had their moments in the spotlight leading this Mercer team this season, it was the turn of Zaire Wlliams--a graduate transfer guard from Wagner--to lead the Bears, as he posted a season-high 23 points to lead the Bears to their fifth-straight win. 

Williams finished the day 9-of-14 from the field, including going 3-for-6 from three-point range. He was also 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. Williams also added five rebounds and contributed five assists. 

Armani Mighty contributed another huge performance, with 20 points and 15 boards, while Baraka Okojie added 19 points and three assists. 

WCU finished the contest with five in double figures, with Justin Johnson leading the way off the bench for the Catamounts with 14 points, five rebounds, one block and a steal. He connected on 5-of-12 shots from the field, including 1-of-4 from long range, while going 3-for-5 from the charity stripe. 

Julien Soumaoro, Cord Stansberry, and Tahlan Pettway all posted 11 points, while Samuel Dada added 10 points and six rebounds to the Catamount cause. 

Mercer finished shooting a solid 45.6% (31-of-68) from the field, but struggled shooting the three-ball, finishing just 23.1% (6-of-26) from downtown. The Bears were a solid 20-for-28 (71.4%) from the charity stripe. 

Western Carolina, meanwhile, finished the day connecting on 41.5% (27-of-65) from the field and posted a 32.4% (11-of-34) shooting effort from beyond the arc. The Catamounts were also good from the line, finishing the evening with a 73.3% (11-of-15) shooting clip.

Mercer had a dream start to the game, taking a 13-0 lead and maintained a sizable lead for most of the afternoon as a result. Connor Serven's layup gave the Bears a 19-10 lead at the 11:51 mark of the opening half. Later in the half, a pair of Mighty layups and a Williams triple pushed Mercer's lead to 18, at 31-13, and the Bears' final six point of the half would come from the charity stripe, as Okojie went 4-for-4 and Williams went 2-for-2, as the Bears went into the locker room, leading by 17, at 41-24. 

In the second half, the Mercer lead would eventually balloon to 23, at 52-29, when Brady Shoulders connected on a layup to bring the crowd to its feet. A steal by Okojie led to a Mercer run-out and a Mighty dunk in transition, pushing the lead to 24, at 58-34, with 16 minutes remaining.  Another layup by Quinton Perkins II kept the margin at 24, at 68-44, with 12:21 remaining.

A 24-10 run by Western, which was capped by a Samuel Dada layup at the 4:31 remaining got the Catamounts to within 10, at 78-68. 

However, Mighty asserted his presence underneath to push Mercer forward to victory, scoring six-straight points, with his layup in transition by Armani Mighty with 3:20 left putting the Bears up 14, at 84-70 with 3:20 remaining. Mercer eventually went up 16 again when Williams tipped in a Mighty miss, extending the lead to 88-72 before eventually settling for an 88-74 win.

Mercer faces Wofford (13-7, 5-2 SoCon) at 11 am on Saturday, while Western Carolina hosts VMI (6-14, 1-6 SoCon) in a 1:30 p.m. EST contest on Saturday.

Winter Weather:

Due to the threat of weather conditions, two games that were originally scheduled to Saturday have been moved to Friday afternoon due to the threat of snow and icy conditions forecasted for Saturday all the way into Monday morning.

With that said, there was one winter event that hampered league play last season, which occurred right at the start of league play. The SoCon has been fortunate enough to have enough time to make alterations to the league slate in order to accommodate travel and get teams into and out of the city they are playing in and back to campus in time to prepare for the storm.

Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

Furman at UNCG, 3 p.m. EST

The Citadel at East Tennessee State, 7 p.m. EST