SoCon Fans

Chattanooga 91, College of Charleston 88

Two years ago, a couple of teams with lots of great shooters but relatively weak defenses dueled for the Southern Conference Tournament championship and a ticket to the NCAAs. Monday night in the heart of Tennessee, that matchup was reprised, and based on the entertainment value that was found inside the gymnasium, SoCon fans could be in for a treat when the 2011 league tournament concludes.

In a collision that might very well re-emerge during Championship Week in early March, the Chattanooga Moccasins defeated the Charleston Cougars in a battle of Southern Conference heavyweights Monday night at UTC Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Roughly 22.5 months after the two clubs fought for an invitation to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, these backyard rivals staged a delicious donnybrook that could very well preview this year’s conference title tilt.

This contest was one of pronounced quality: Both clubs showed why they were atop their respective divisions coming into tonight’s game; the C of C led the South with a 5-0 mark while Chattanooga controlled the North with a 6-0 record. In a year when Davidson – the former conference powerhouse – is down and Wofford (last year’s conference tournament champion) appears to be somewhat diminished, these teams appear to be the class of the SoCon. If they meet again in early March, they’re likely to put on another show for a Big Dance calling card.

In the end on this meaningful Monday night, head coach John Shulman’s Moccasins, on the strength of leading scorer Omar Wattad’s 27 points, got the best of head coach Bobby Cremins’s Charleston crew.

In what was a back-and-forth contest all night long, the Cougars led by double digits in the first half and grabbed a one-point lead with six minutes left in the second, but could not hold on for the road victory because their defense was just not robust enough to withstand the Mocs’ attack.  Charleston delivered a balanced scoring profile.  Andrew Goudelock paced Charleston with 26 points. Willis Hill had 15 points while Donovan Monroe and Jeremy Simmons added 14 apiece. However, Chattanooga’s hot shooting was simply too much for Charleston to handle.

The Moccasins shot 53 percent on the night, including a blistering 60 percent in the first half to secure the victory.  Beyond Wattad’s great performance, Ricky Taylor had 16 points, DeAntre Jefferson added 15, and Keegan Bell had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Yes, this game was played in Chattanooga, but defense is defense. The folks from Charleston will have to ramp up their defensive intensity if they want to take that extra step past the Mocs and on to the Southern Conference championship.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer