The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead and held on to defeat Samford 78-71 for their first Southern Conference win in 11 months.
The victory halts a 12-game losing streak against SoCon competition, dating back to last season, and they improve to 7-13 on the season, 1-7 in the league. They host Virginia Military Institute Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader.
The Mocs led 37-22 at the half led by a dominating defense that slowed Samford guard Justin Coleman and the Bulldog attack. The visitors started to work their way back in the second half, led by Demetrius Denzel-Dyson, who scored 22 of his 27 in the second half.
The Bulldogs closed to within 71-69 on a 7-0 run late in the game and had a chance to tie, but a Josh Sharkey floater rimmed out. The Mocs’ Rodney Chatman then scored on a runner with the shot clock winding down, then followed with a free throw and another tough layup. Makinde London added two free throws for the final tally.
London and Nat Dixon finished with 21 points each. London added a career-high 19 rebounds, which also set a UTC record against league competition. Makale Foreman finished with 13 and Chatman 12. He also added seven rebounds and five assists.
Eric Adams had 11 and seven rebounds, while Alex Thompson scored 10 for the Bulldogs (7-14, 3-5).
For a full story, read Thursday’s Times Free Press.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.