UTC blows early lead as Jackson State scores first win

JSU Head Coach Tevester Anderson

Jeff Smith didn’t bother putting on his goggles for the final minute. They just hung around his neck as Jackson State guard Rod Melvin dribbled out the clock in JSU’s 87-75 win over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The Tigers earned their first win of the season by turning a two-point game with 10 minutes to play into a comfortable victory for the SWAC preseason favorites. Jenniro Bush led all players with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line. Rod Melvin added 13, Grant Maxey contributed 12 points for JSU.

Jefferson Ties Career High as Mocs Lose to Jackson State

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team heads into Thanksgiving on a sour note losing 87-75 to Jackson State Wednesday night. Chattanooga is now 2-4 on the season, while the Tigers improve to 1-5.

DeAntre Jefferson (Bloomington, Ill.) and Ricky Taylor (Brownsville, Tenn.) tied for team-high scoring honors with 18 apiece. Jefferson's came on a perfect shooting night hitting 8-8 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line. JSU's Jenirro Bush led all scorers with 31 points, while grabbing six rebounds. Three other Tigers joined him in double-digits including Rod Melvin who tallied 13 points and eight assists.

The Mocs led by 10 points twice in the first half. A three-point play by Jefferson on a tip-in made it 21-11 at 11:29. Leading 26-17 at 6:21, Chattanooga's offense went cold as the Tigers closed the half on a 19-5 run to take a 36-31 advantage into intermission. Jackson State built its lead to nine, 51-42 on a Grant Maxey three-point play at 14:58. But the Mocs stormed back.

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Next Game: Dec. 1 at Nebraska

Bulldogs Rally to Claim 58-57 Victory over Bethune-Cookman

Courtesy: CitadelSports.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel Bulldogs rallied from as many as 15 down to claim a 58-57 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Saturday night. Demetrius Nelson and Cameron Wells recorded double-figures for the Bulldogs with 18 and 10 points, respectively. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Wildcats, 29-22 with 18 of their rebounds coming in the second half. Not only diCourtesy: CitadelSports.comd the Bulldogs win the battle on the boards, but their bench outscored the Wildcats, 17-7. Bethune-Cookman was in control for most of the game.

“We were able to get stops, therefore, we didn’t have to go against their press as much,” said Head Coach Ed Conroy. “We were able to get into more of a rhythm and it was easier to look for things that we really wanted to, which was Demetrius Nelson inside. It all started on our defensive end. Our guys did a good job there with the intensity and communication, which led to us executing and getting the ball to Demetrius.”

On offense, the Bulldogs shot 47.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line. The Citadel continued to dominate from the foul line, shooting 63.6 percent. Bethune-Cookman shot 50 percent from the field and from behind the arc, and shot 60 percent from the foul line.

Bethune-Cookman scored the first four points of the game to take an early 4-0 lead on the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs scored their first basket of the game at 18:30 after a layup by Nelson. The first half was a back-and-forth battle for both teams with four tie scores and four lead changes. The Wildcats managed to stay in control going into halftime after they scored seven of the last nine baskets in the half. Bethune-Cookman claimed a 12-point lead at the end of the half after Alexander Starling nailed a 3-pointer to close the half.

Austin Dahn led the Bulldogs in scoring in the first half with six points, followed by Nelson with five points. Bethune-Cookman had two players in double-figures in the first half with C.J. Reed leading with 14 points. Starling recorded 10 points.

The second half opened with the Wildcats taking a 15-point lead after Jerry Jones converted a three-point play. Bethune-Cookman wouldn’t stay in control for very long as the Bulldogs continued to chip at the lead. With 15:19 on the clock, the Bulldogs cut the lead to five after Wells nailed two free throws. With 13:51, Wells hit a basket to cut the Wildcat lead to three, getting the Bulldogs within reach of a lead. The Bulldogs were able to get within one after Streeter hit a layup, making the game 45-44. Nelson followed with a layup to give the Bulldogs a one-point advantage. The Wildcats refused to go away with three tie scores and five lead changes.

A layup by Nelson with 3:48 would seal the deal and give the Bulldogs a permanent lead, putting them up, 54-52. The Citadel managed to get up by as many as five after Wells hit a jumper to put the Bulldogs up, 58-53. The Wildcats continued to battle, cutting the lead to three after back-to-back free throws by John Holmes. Reed was able to get the Wildcats within one with six seconds on the clock after he scored a layup. A quick foul would put Wells on the line for a 1-in-1. A missed foul shot gave the Wildcats one last chance to take the game. Reed shot a 14-footer that rolled off the rim to give the Bulldogs a 58-57 victory.

The Bulldogs had only four turnovers in the second half and forced five turnovers against the Wildcats. They shot 56 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the line, which was much improved from the first half. The Bulldog defense held Reed to nine second half points and only allowed Starling to score four points in the second half. Reed finished with 23 points, while Starling collected 14. The Wildcats drop to 6-7 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 6-7, tying their winning record from last season with six wins.

“This is an excellent basketball team,” added Conroy. “They are very well coached and they made us pay.”

Box Score

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