SoCon Men’s Basketball Recaps for December 4, 2007
TENNESSEE 76, CHATTANOOGA 70
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - Senior guard Chris Lofton scored a game-high 16 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 10 Tennessee (10-1) slipped past Chattanooga (4-4, 1-0), 76-70, Tuesday evening in a non-conference men’s basketball game at The McKenzie Arena. The visit was the first for Tennessee in more than 25 years when the Volunteers opened the Arena with a 55-49 victory on December 1, 1982.
Leading 52-48 after a back-and-forth affair through the first half and early part of the second, Tennessee mounted a decisive 9-1 run over a span of 2:47 to extend their lead to 61-49 with 7:36 remaining in the game. Over the next 3:19, UT would extend its lead to 66-53 at the 4:17 mark and 70-57 with just under a minute to play before closing out the 76-70 victory.
In the first half, both teams were evenly matched as the teams played out to an 8-8 tie before a 8-0 Tennessee run, capped off by back-to-back three-pointers by Lofton and junior forward Ryan Childress, made the score 16-8 at the 14:20 mark. A 6-1 run by the Mocs put UTC back in the game and made the score 17-14 before the Vols pushed their lead back to six at 22-16.
Chattanooga would stay close with back-to-back baskets by junior forward Kevin Goffney (Ethel, La.) and junior forward Nicchaeus Doaks (Trenton, Tenn.) to close to within 22-20 with 10:12 to play. From there the teams would trade baskets over the next several possessions before UT extended to a 30-25 advantage at the 4:06 mark.
Back-to-back three-pointers by junior guard Stephen McDowell (Indianapolis, Ind.), sandwiched around a layup by Tennessee sophomore forward Wayne Chism, pulled the Mocs to within 32-31 with 1:46 to play in the half. After a UT layin less than a minute later to make the score 34-31, Chattanooga sophomore forward Matt Gywnne (Angier, N.C.) took connected underneath the basket to take UTC to the half trailing only 34-33.
After staying within several points of the tenth-ranked team in the country for most of the first half, Chattanooga came out strong at the start of the second half as they scored the first four points and posted a 6-2 run to take a 39-36 lead with 18:46 to play. Trailing 41-38, Tennessee scored the next seven points to take back the lead, 45-41. Gwynne would fuel the Chattanooga offensive attack over the next several minutes as he connected on a trey from the corner and a layup to pull UTC to within 47-46 with 14:51 remaining in the second half.
Both teams went scoreless over the next 3:05 before two free throws from sophomore guard Ramar Smith keyed a 6-0 run to push the Tennessee lead to 52-46. Following a layup by Doaks to make the score 52-48, the Volunteers then went on their 9-1 run to take control of the game.
Joining Lofton in double-figures for Tennessee were senior guard JaJuan Smith with 13 points, senior guard Jordan Howell with 12 points and sophomore forward Tyler Smith and Ramar Smith with 10 points each. Tyler Smith led the Vols with five rebounds and a game-high six steals while Howell posted a team-high four assists. As a team, Tennessee finished with 17 steals and grabbed 16 of their 31 rebounds off the offensive glass.
Leading the way for Chattanooga was McDowell with a team-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists while senior forward Marcus Watts (Clinton, S.C.) posted his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Doaks added 11 points, seven rebounds and a game-high three blocks while Gwynne and Goffney each finished with 10 points. Goffney also added a team high four steals.
As a team, Chattanooga outrebounded Tennessee 46-31 and pulled down 17 offensive rebounds and shot 12-15 from the foul line. The Mocs also posted a season-high 34 turnovers.
The Mocs will continue their eight-game December homestand when they face the College of Charleston on Saturday, December 15. That game is slated to tip-off at 7 p.m. and will be the second game of a day-night double-header with the Lady Mocs.
VIRGINIA TECH 67, UNC GREENSBORO 39
BLACKSBURG, VA. ? Virginia Tech opened the game with an 11-0 run and never relinquished that double-digit lead on its way to a 67-39 win over UNC Greensboro at Cassell Coliseum on Tuesday night.
UNCG’s Kyle Hines tied a school record in the loss, recording his 88th career game of 10 or more points. That equals Jay Joseph’s mark. He also extended his double figure scoring streak to 56 straight games, finishing the night with 15 points. It was the sixth time in seven career games against ACC schools that Hines finished in double figures.
The 39 points was the fourth-lowest total in school history for UNCG and the second-lowest in the program’s Division I era.
Virginia Tech got 16 points and 12 rebounds from Jeff Allen in just 22 minutes of action. A.D. Vassallo chipped in 10 points, but shot just 4-for-16 from the floor.
“I thought their defense was very good tonight,” said UNCG coach Mike Dement. “They came out with great intensity. I think if we could have got a couple of shots to go down early, it would have changed things. We could have gotten some confidence. The game was very similar to last year where Kyle was scoring, but our guards weren’t.”
The Hokies (4-3) came out of the gates quickly, scoring the game’s first seven points before forcing UNCG coach Mike Dement to call his first timeout less than two minutes into the contest. UNCG (3-3) missed its first six shots from the floor as the lead reached 11-0 before a Hines put back got the Spartans on the scoreboard at the 16:07 mark.
The Hokies went right after Hines with the double teams that the Spartans have become so accustomed to seeing on their 6-6 All-American candidate. But much like last year’s meeting with the Hokies in Greensboro, UNCG couldn’t seem to get the perimeter game going. The Spartans missed 12 of their first 14 from the floor, finished the half just 5-for-20 and wound up with nearly as many turnovers as points at the intermission. Yet, the Spartans weren’t entirely out of it, entering the locker room trailing, 27-14.
But the Hokies slowly extended that lead in the second half to as many as 22 midway through the second half on their way to their second straight win.
In the meeting last January with the Hokies, UNCG’s guards shot just 7-of-33 from the floor. On Tuesday night, the Spartans’ backcourt players combined to shoot 7-for-31 from the floor, including 1-for-18 from behind the three-point arc.
UNCG will open Southern Conference play on Saturday night when it visits Wofford for a 7 pm tip.