Box Score

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – It was another intense battle in the Southern Conference on Saturday night as the Elon Phoenix couldn’t overcome a poor first-half shooting performance, falling to the North Division leading Chattanooga Mocs, 85-76, in men’s basketball action from McKenzie Arena.

Elon (10-12, 4-7) shot 29 percent in the first half, and despite shooting over 50 percent in the second period, could not overcome a 15-point first-half deficit. Chattanooga improved to 13-10 on the year and maintained a comfortable lead atop the conference standings at 9-2.

“I thought our performance in the second half was good enough to win the game,” commented Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “I was happy with the way we came out after the half, but we dug ourselves too big of a hole. We did miss some wide-open shots, but it is a bigger issue than that. We have to be tougher on the road to begin the game in order to get these wins.”

Junior Drew Spradlin led the Phoenix with 21 points, 17 coming in the second half. The guard drained 5-of-11 from beyond the arc and finished with a team-leading eight rebounds. The native of Wheelersburg, Ohio has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive contests. Senior Chris Long piled in 17 points while dishing off eight assists and forcing four UTC miscues.

Four Mocs scored in double digits with Chris Early’s 21 points on a 7-of-12 shooting performance leading the way. UTC had 23 assists on 29 baskets and connected on 47.5 percent of its shots in the contest.

Down 40-25 after 20 minutes, Elon came out of gates quickly, scoring 10 of the first 12 second-half points. Two triples by Spradlin and a reverse lay-in by Terrance Birdette made it a 42-35 game and forced a Chattanooga timeout with less than two minutes gone by.

Elon extended its run to 15-5, closing the score to 45-40 after a Lucas Troutman layup at 17:05. Both teams scored in bunches in the fast-paced contest and in a span of only three minutes, Chattanooga managed to build its lead back to 12, 55-43, at 14:09.

The teams were letting it fly from long range — the squads combined for 23 made three-pointers — and a stretch of three straight treys by Elon put the Phoenix within four, 58-54. Spradlin hit five three-pointers in the first eight minutes of the final period.

Thirteen unanswered Phoenix points capped by a Ryley Beaumont layup tied the game at 58 apiece at the 9:46 mark. Despite two straight stops, Elon was unable to tip the score in its favor and Chattanooga eventually went on an 8-0 run of its own that shifted the score, 68-60, and momentum back to the home team with seven minutes to play.

Elon didn’t go down easily and netted six quick points to make it 68-66 with 4:45 on the clock. Unfortunately that was as close as the Phoenix would get, going scoreless from the field over the next three minutes as Chattanooga pulled ahead. The Mocs converted free throws down the stretch to keep the Phoenix comeback at bay.

Both squads shot above 50 percent in the final period. The whistles were quiet for the majority of the game until Elon was forced to foul to extend the game. UTC ended up going to the line 26 times compared to only eight trips by the Phoenix.

Elon and Chattanooga were even on the glass in the final half, but the Mocs were the aggressor in the opening 20 minutes of action. Chattanooga dominated the glass, 30-18, and scored 11 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds.

The Phoenix opened up an 11-7 lead to begin the game, hitting three of its first four buckets from downtown. With his eighth point of the contest, Long gave Elon a 13-10 advantage with 12:40 to play. UTC’s Chris Early answered on the other end, nailing one of six first-half Chattanooga triples to jumpstart a 14-2 run by the home team. The Phoenix went scoreless for more than four minutes during the stretch and the Mocs pulled out to a 24-15 lead at the 7:50 mark.

Spradlin finally put a dent in the Chattanooga lead and Long followed with a free throw that made it a six-point game, 24-18, with 6:28 on the clock. Early hit again from long range on the next possession and teammate Omar Wattad matched him after Elon came up empty.

Out of an Elon timeout, Phoenix sophomore Roger Dugas connected from long range to put the visitors within nine, 30-21, at 5:23. Unfortunately that would be the last points Elon would score during the half until a Sebastian Koch layup in the final seconds of the period. UTC held the 40-25 advantage as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Elon returns home for three of its final four home games, beginning with a date against the Western Carolina Catamounts on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. in Alumni Gym.