No. 1 Chattanooga 79, No. 4 Wofford 56
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. seed 1 Chattanooga’s offense was firing on all cylinders as it defeated No. 4 Wofford, 79-56, on Sunday in the semifinals of the 2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. The Mocs advance to the Southern Conference tournament championship game for the first time since winning the title in 2016.
Chattanooga led from start to finish but did have to fend off some strong showings from the Terriers in the first half. In the first 13:18 of play, Wofford kept Chattanooga within seven points, keeping the Mocs from really gaining momentum. Then, a layup from David Jean-Baptiste sparked an 8-0 spurt for Chattanooga that increased its lead to 29-17 with 4:16 left in the half. After a Wofford free throw, the Mocs outscored the Terriers 9-1 to close out the half and hold a 38-20 advantage at halftime.
After trading baskets for the first few minutes of the second half, Chattanooga used an 8-3 run lasting 2:02 to extend its lead to 53-30 with 13:24 remaining in the game. While trading baskets once again, the Terriers connected on three consecutive treys and added a pair of baskets to move the score to 62-43. Another run, this time seeing the Mocs outscore the Terriers 10-3, increased Chattanooga’s advantage to 72-46 with 5:09 left on the clock. The Terriers outscored the Mocs 10-7 in the final minutes to bring the score to 79-56.
Malachi Smith notched 25 points and 11 rebounds, recording his third double-double of the season, to lead the Mocs. Darius Banks tallied 17 points, Jean-Baptiste added 14 and Silvio De Sousa contributed 12 points to round out the double-digit efforts for Chattanooga.
B.J. Mack led Wofford with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his six double-double of the season, while also grabbing a career-high-tying two steals. Morgan Safford added 14 points and Max Klesmit tallied 11 points, recording double-digit outings for the Terriers.
The Mocs will face either No. 2 Furman or No. 3 Samford in the championship game on Monday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
RECORDS: No. 1 Chattanooga 26-7 | No. 4 Wofford 19-13
3 STATS TO KNOW
- Chattanooga shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field, a season-high for the Mocs.
- The Terriers connected on 45.8 percent of their shots from the field, bolstered by a 54.0 percent performance in the second half.
- The Mocs outrebounded the Terriers 32-20, including a 17-9 margin in the first half.
No. 2 Furman 71, No. 3 Samford 68
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – After trailing for most of the game, No. seed 2 Furman mounted a successful come-from-behind victory over No. 3 Samford, 71-68, on Sunday in the semifinals of the 2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. The Paladins advance to the Southern Conference tournament championship game for the first time since 2015 and will face No. 1 Chattanooga at 7 p.m. on Monday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Paladins opened the game with a trey, but the Bulldogs quickly countered with a 9-0 run to take a 9-3 lead. After trading baskets for several minutes, Samford embarked on a 10-0 run to extend its lead to 28-13 with 6:01 remaining in the half. Furman responded with a 10-0 run of its own to pull back within five, 28-23. The Bulldogs closed out the period outscoring the Paladins 7-4 and entered the locker room with a 35-27 advantage.
The second half was evenly matched for the first 8:30 as the Bulldogs held on to their lead, 50-43. With 11:30 on the clock, Furman began an 8-0 run that gave the Paladins their first lead of the second half, 51-50. After five lead changes over the next three minutes, Samford retook the lead with 6:15 left in the half and held onto it for three and a half minutes.
With 2:45 remaining, Furman went up 62-60 as the teams started another battle for control of the scoreboard. With 1:24 left in the game, the Paladins grabbed a 66-64 lead and this time never let go. As time wound down, Furman never led by more than three, but it was able to keep Samford from a last-second comeback and eventually moved the score to 71-68.
Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson each tallied 17 points to lead the Paladins, while Conley Garrison added 10 points to round out the double-digit efforts. Slawson also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and Garrison notched a season-high five steals. Ques Glover led Samford with 23 points and Jaden Campbell added 14, while Jermaine Marshall notched 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double.
RECORDS: No. 2 Furman 22-11 | No. 3 Samford 21-11
3 STATS TO KNOW
- Furman recorded 15 steals and was able to score 20 points off Samford turnovers.
- The Bulldogs shot 55.0 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent from behind the arc, while the Paladins connected on 42.9 percent of their shots from the field, including 28.1 percent from behind the 3-point line.
- 2022 marks the first time Furman and Chattanooga will meet in the Southern Conference tournament championship game.
2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
Friday, March 4 (ESPN+)
Game 1 - (9) The Citadel 84, (8) ETSU 76
Game 2 - (7) Mercer 81, (10) Western Carolina 53
Saturday, March 5 (ESPN+/Nexstar)
Game 3 - (1) Chattanooga 71, (9) The Citadel 66
Game 4 - (4) Wofford 68, (5) VMI 66
Game 5 - (2) Furman 80, vs. (7) Mercer 66
Game 6 - (3) Samford 66, vs. (6) UNCG 64
Sunday, March 6 (ESPNU)
Game 7 – (1) Chattanooga 79, (4) Wofford 56
Game 8 – (2) Furman 71, (3) Samford 68
Monday, March 7 (ESPN)
Game 9 – (1) Chattanooga vs. (2) Furman, 7 p.m.
-www.SoConSports.com-