Hamilton Reporter

Despite leading for nearly 35 minutes, the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team suffered its second-straight defeat after falling 72-65 on the road to SEC-foe Georgia inside the Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon in Athens, Ga.
 
Following the loss, Chattanooga concludes its non-conference stretch with an 8-5 record. Georgia improves to 9-3 overall and 7-0 at home this season after the victory.
 
Chattanooga took a 33-30 lead into halftime after opening the game with an early 14-6 lead behind a lethal three-point attack. The Mocs held the lead all the way until 9:23 left in the contest before Georgia finished the game on a 17-5 run.
 
"Credit to Georgia. When the going got tough, they went and got tough. They were just tougher than us. They're doing a good job over there," said head coach Dan Earl following the game.
 
"But that might be the most disappointed I've been all season during this non-conference stretch. I thought that game was there for the taking at different points. We just didn't play with that toughness. We just didn't make enough plays.
 
It wasn't a lack of want-to, but we have to find a way to be tougher if we want to win these types of games."
 
Jamal Johnson finished the game with a career-high 23 points behind a 6-of-10 performance from behind the arc. Jake Stephens was limited to a season-low 10 points while adding in eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Chattanooga connected on its first three three-point attempts and forced Georgia into an early timeout leading 9-3 at the 18:18 mark of the opening half. The attack from deep would continue over the next few minutes as Johnson's second three put the Mocs ahead 14-6 at the first media timeout (15:20).
 
UTC endured a six-plus minute scoring drought that saw five turnovers during the span before Johnson connected on his third three, with a foul, to help hold the lead at 18-12 with 9:28 left in the half. After the Bulldogs cut it to one, 21-20, the Mocs responded with an 8-2 run to build a 29-22 lead at the 3:25 mark.
 
Chattanooga claimed a 33-30 lead at the break after forcing a Georgia turnover in the half's final possession. UTC knocked down nine threes in the opening 20 minutes, marking the sixth time in the last seven games with seven or more in the first half.
 
UGA scored the second half's first bucket to pull within one, 33-32, before UTC answered with seven of the next nine points to build the lead back to six, 40-34 (15:31). The hosts once again pulled within a point, 46-45 (11:45), after hitting five-straight shots during a 7-0 run.
 
The Bulldogs saw their first tie of the game since the opening tip, 50-50 (9:23), before five quick points from the visitors allowed for a 55-50 (8:33) advantage. With Chattanooga leading 60-55 (6:19), Georgia capped of the game's final six-plus minutes on a 17-5 run to earn the 72-65 victory. UTC led for nearly 35 minutes in the loss.

RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 8-5 · Georgia 9-3 · Series: Georgia now leads the series 30-5.

NOTES TO KNOW
- Chattanooga led for the entirety of the game until Georgia saw its first tie at 50-50 with 9:23 left in the second half… Bulldogs took their first lead of the game 61-60 with 2:58 left in the game… UTC led for 34:48 in total.
 
- The Mocs finished 14-of-39 (38.9%) from three in the loss… it marks the eighth-straight game with 10 or more threes… first time accomplishing the feat in program history… longest streak in NCAA Division I… Liberty follows with seven-straight.
 
- Jamal Johnson scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting including a 6-of-10 mark from three… ties career-high in threes made (6, vs. Bryant 12/09/17)… fifth-straight game with three or more threes… added five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

QUOTES
Dan Earl on the fast start.
"I think that was important. The first four minutes, you want to come out and throw the first punch. We talk about that and we did that. We got stuck on 14 (points) for a while. That was attributed to Georgia, they made it tougher on us the rest of the first half and the rest of the game."

Jamal Johnson on moving forward.
"We knew coming in it was going to be a dog fight on the road against an SEC team. We just came up short. We just have to be able to fight through the physicality and fight through things. We're taking the right steps ahead of conference play." 

Original source can be found here