The Citadel, UNCG advance to SoCon quarterfinals

No. 9 The Citadel 88, No. 8 Chattanooga 85

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Senior forward Sola Adebisi capped a memorable game with a fantastic shot, hitting a 26-foot 3-pointer that broke a tie with under 10 seconds left and gave No. 9 seed The Citadel an 88-85 win over No. 8 Chattanooga in the opening game of the Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Friday night at Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville.

The win was the first in the SoCon Tournament for The Citadel since 2022. The Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals where they will play No. 1 seed ETSU on Saturday at noon.

During a game that had 21 lead changes, Adebisi finished a 26-point night with the final 3-pointer coming just left of the top of the key.

Following two timeouts, Chattanooga's Collin Mullholland missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key that would have tied the game.

Adebisi, who came into the game averaging 9.0 points per game, made 9-of-15 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and five free throws. He also led The Citadel with seven rebounds.

The two teams both put on an impressive offensive show as each shot better than 50 percent overall. The Bulldogs were 32-of-59 (54.2 percent) and 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) on 3-point tries. Chattanooga made 33-of-59 attempts (55.9 percent) and was 11-of-25 (44 percent) on 3-pointers.

The Citadel had four players in double figures, including reserve guard Keynan Davis, who made 6-of-8 3-point attempts and finished with 20 points.

Chattanooga had five players in double figures led by Tate Darner and Jordan Frison with 16 points each.

The score was tied 49-49 at halftime. The Citadel began the second half hot, building a 66-56 lead before the Mocs rallied. The Mocs led 81-77 with 3:35 left, but the Bulldogs battled back. There were four lead changes and one tie before Adebisi's winning shot in the final seconds.

Things to know

- The teams were even in most facets of the game. Chattanooga had a 34-32 advantage in points in the paint; The Citadel's bench outscored the Mocs' reserves 22-21; Chattanooga won the rebounding battle 30-29.

- The Citadel lost both games to No. 1 ETSU in the regular season

- The Bulldogs' Davis scored 17 of his 20 points in nine minutes of play during the first half.

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No. 7 UNCG 84, No. 10 VMI 70

ASHEVILLE, N.C.-- Since winning the conference tournament title in 2021, UNCG had gone four years without winning a game in the Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship. That changed Friday night as the seventh-seeded Spartans eventually pulled away from No. 10 VMI for an 84-70 win in the second first round game at Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville.

The win moved UNCG into a quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 Wofford on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

UNCG freshman guard KJ Younger scored 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor. He made three 3-point baskets and all six of his free throws in the game. Forward Justin Neely, who earlier this week was named to the All-SoCon first team by the coaches, scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds for his 19th double-double of the season.

VMI was led by sophomore guard Linus Holmstrom, who made six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points.

The Spartans never trailed against VMI, taking a 39-27 halftime lead and leading by as many as 18 points in the second half.

Things to know

- Spartans guard Donald Whitehead Jr., who started earlier in the season, came off the bench for the ninth straight time. He contributed 13 points and five assists in 29 minutes of playing time.

- The Spartans outscored VMI in the paint 46-26 and outrebounded the Keydets 40-29.

- Both teams shot over 50 percent in the second of the game.

2026 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Friday, March 6 (ESPN+/Nexstar)
Game 1 - (9) The Citadel 88, (8) Chattanooga 85
Game 2 - (7) UNCG 84, (10) VMI 70
 
Saturday, March 7 (ESPN+/SCETV)
Game 3 - (1) ETSU vs. (9) The Citadel, Noon
Game 4 - (2) Wofford vs. (7) UNCG, 2:30 p.m.

Game 5 - (3) Samford vs. (6) Furman, 6 p.m.

Game 6 - (4) Mercer vs. (5) Western Carolina, 8:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 8 (ESPNU)
Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 9 (ESPN or ESPN2)
Championship game, 7 p.m.