KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs made it interesting Monday night before falling short in a 58-46 loss at No. 17 Tennessee. It was the fewest points allowed to their hosts this season.

The Mocs fell behind by as many as 16 in the second half but clawed their way back to relevance late. It was a 10-point affair, 56-46, after a Jonathan Scott jumper. The next possession, the ball made its way into the post. Ramon Vila's shot wouldn't fall, giving comfort to the Vols, who were held without a field goal over the final five-plus minutes of the contest.

The Mocs shot just 33.9 percent (19-for-58) from the floor and 31.9 percent (6-for-19) behind the 3-point line. David Jean-Baptiste and Matt Ryan combined for team-high honors with nine points, with Scott adding eight off the bench. He and A.J. Caldwell (seven) combined for 15 points, nearly one-third of Monday's output.

Lamonte Turner paced the Vols with 17 points and 12 assists. Jordan Bowden chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds as the hosts held a 13-board advantage (43-30) on the glass.

Down 28-18 at the break, Chattanooga scored on two of its first three possessions of the second half. Vila's layup on a nice look from Maurice Commander got it started. Ryan backed his defender down and then shot over him from 12 feet to cut it to six, 28-22, with 18:21 remaining.

The two teams traded jabs over the next eight minutes with a 3 from Rod Johnson cutting it to six again, 38-32, at 13:57. Jean-Baptiste's free throw with 9:50 to make it an eight-point game, 44-36. The Vols went on an 8-0 run in 4:17 of clock time to extend it to 16, 52-36, on John Fulkerson's alley-opp finish.

Scott answered with a 3 at 5:22. That started the Mocs working their way back. It just wasn't enough to get all the way back.

The Mocs head to the Florida panhandle for Thanksgiving weekend. They take on Alabama State on Friday before meeting either Chicago State or Jacksonville State on Saturday in Emerald Coast Classic (Nov. 29-30). The 5-game tour of the Southeast concludes with the Southern Conference opener at Western Carolina on Dec. 3.

After approximately 2,000 miles of travel over a two-week period, the Mocs come home on Dec. 8 to take on Tennessee Wesleyan.