ELON, N.C. – Marcus Watts knocked down 15 points and Nicchaeus Doaks scored 13 points – including the decisive three-pointer with 31 seconds left – as Chattanooga slipped past Elon for a 57-56 Southern Conference men’s basketball victory Saturday night at Alumni Gym to claim a share of the league’s North Division championship.
The Phoenix (11-18 overall, 9-11 SoCon) used a 13-2 spurt to transform a 7-2 deficit into a 15-9 edge on a free throw by Adam Constantine with 11:01 to play in the opening period. The Mocs (18-12, 13-7) charged back, reeling off 12 straight points to seize a 21-15 advantage on a dunk by Watts with 7:47 to go in the frame.
Elon notched the game’s next five markers to inch to within 21-20 on a jumper by Montell Watson with 3:36 left in the first half. Chattanooga responded with a 12-3 surge to build a 33-23 lead on a basket by Stephen McDowell with 16:15 remaining in the contest.
The Phoenix answered the call, going on an 18-6 tear to claim a 41-39 edge on an old-fashioned three-point play by Watson with 9:18 on the clock. The Mocs then proceeded to embark on an 11-5 run to go ahead 50-46 on a charity shot by Matt Gwynne with 5:08 remaining.
Elon went on an 8-2 spurt to fashion a 54-52 advantage on a pair of freebies by Brett James with 2:40 to play. Watts’ put-back tied the score at 54-54 at the 2:17 mark, but James drained a jumper to put the Phoenix on top at 56-54 with 58 ticks left and set the stage for Doaks’ heroics.
“Our kids did a very good job of hanging in there and keeping their perseverance,” Elon coach Ernie Nestor said. “They fought and scrapped and kept themselves in the game without making shots, which is a hard way to play basketball. You have to make some shots.”
The regular-season finale for both teams, the game featured three ties and seven lead changes. Each team hauled in 38 rebounds while Elon committed 14 turnovers to 19 by Chattanooga.
The Mocs held the Phoenix to 36.1-percent marksmanship (22 of 61) from the field – 27.6 percent (8 of 29) in the first half – while connecting on 43.8 percent (21 of 48) of their shots from the floor. Elon outscored Chattanooga 30-24 in the paint, 18-11 off turnovers, 15-10 off second chances and 19-15 off the bench.
Watts canned seven of his 10 attempts from the field while Doaks sank five of his eight shots and grabbed eight rebounds. McDowell tallied 11 points for the Mocs while Watson (15 points), James (11 points), Constantine (10 points, 10 rebounds), Brian Waters (seven boards) and Chris Long (four assists) led the Phoenix. – ELON –
