SoCon Fans

Quarterfinals

Chattanooga, TN

TOP STORY:

(3S) Furman 61, (N2) Chattanooga 52

This was by far the most significant and anticipated of the day’s four quarterfinals at McKenzie Arena, and it left the hometown audience in a state of shock.

The Chattanooga Mocs, who won this event when they hosted it in 2009, figured to ride home-court advantage into a highly-anticipated semifinal showdown against the league’s regular-season champion, the College of Charleston. However, there was legitimate reason to worry in the Mocs’ camp. Chattanooga had dropped five of its previous seven games and was not the same team it had been in the month of January, when it surged to a healthy three-game lead in the Southern Conference’s North Division. It was certainly possible that Chattanooga wouldn’t be able to revive itself against the Furman Paladins, a team that finished with the same record as the Mocs in league play (12-6). This was a quarterfinal game that owned the feel and stature of a semifinal. Nevertheless, Chattanooga was playing a tournament game during “Championship Week” on its own floor. That’s supposed to count for a lot, but on Saturday evening, it didn’t matter at all.

Furman delighted its coach, Jeff Jackson, by sprinting to a 15-3 lead out of the box and never looking back. Chattanooga, guided by coach John Shulman, narrowed the gap to 43-40 with 8:47 left in regulation, but that’s when the Mocs withered on the vine. Chattanooga didn’t score in the next four minutes and 50 seconds, and as a result, Furman boosted its lead back to 13 points at 53-40 with four minutes to go. Chattanooga’s shooting numbers – in its own building, keep in mind – were horrible across all categories. The Mocs hit just 16 of 51 field goals, 5 of 20 3-pointers, and 15 of 29 foul shots. Furman’s defense obviously had a lot to do with this game, but 14 missed free throws aren’t ordinarily overcome in postseason basketball games against evenly-matched opposition. Chattanooga never made a credible charge in the final minutes, and now, there will be no home-court advantage in the semifinal round. The College of Charleston should welcome Furman’s presence; the Cougars won’t have to play a de facto road game in Sunday’s semifinals. That’s why this was the biggest of the four quarterfinals; it just shifted the balance of power in the 2011 Southern Conference Tournament.

Other Quarterfinal Games

(1S) College of Charleston 78, (4N) Elon 60

Though forced to play the final game of the day in Chattanooga, the top seed not only in the South Division, but the league as a whole, took care of business and earned the right to play Furman in Sunday’s second semifinal. The Cougars jumped on top of the Phoenix and rolled to a 43-22 halftime lead. Charleston hit 51 percent of its field goal attempts and waxed Elon on the boards, 38-23. This needed to be a low-energy game for Charleston because of the late tip-off and the accordingly short turnaround time for Sunday’s semifinals. The C of C and coach Bobby Cremins attained that goal by preserving a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

(1N) Western Carolina 77, (5N) UNC-Greensboro 66

The Western Carolina Catamounts overtook Chattanooga for the top seed in the North Division, and the fruits of that prize were tasted on Saturday. Instead of playing the third seed from the tougher South Division on Saturday, the Catamounts got the fifth seed from the North Division, the UNC-Greensboro Spartans. The disparity in quality was evident. Yes, UNCG outrebounded WCU by a 44-29 margin, but Western Carolina hit shots – 47 percent of all field goals and 9 of 17 three’s – to coast to the finish line. Four Catamounts finished with double-figure point totals, led by Harouna Mutombo, who scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

(S2) Wofford 69, (N3) Appalachian State 56

The Wofford Terriers, the team that tied Charleston for the best record in the Southern Conference this season (14-4, but behind the C of C due to a loss in the head-to-head tiebreaker), re-asserted itself on Saturday with a relatively stress-free win over the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Wofford broke open a tight game with a defensive clinic as the second half wore on. From the 12:58 mark of the second half until the 3:58 mark – a span of nine minutes – Wofford allowed only three points to the frustrated Mountaineers. By that time, the Terriers owned a 61-47 lead, and that was all she wrote. Noah Dahlman scored 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting to lead the way for coach Mike Young’s men.

Sunday Schedule – Day Three

Semifinals

Chattanooga, TN

Semifinal No. 1, 6:05 p.m. ET: (2S) Wofford vs. (1N) Western Carolina

Semifinal No. 2, approx. 30 minutes after the end of Game 1:

(3S) Furman vs. (1S) College of Charleston

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer