Box Score (PDF)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. –The Citadel men's basketball team fell at Chattanooga on Wednesday evening 83-73 inside McKenzie Arena.
 
Chattanooga (13-4, 4-1 SoCon) jumped out to a 6-4 lead to start the game but after a three-pointer by Matt Frierson, the Bulldogs (9-10, 2-4 SoCon) took their first lead of the contest at the 16:32 mark.
 
The Citadel extended its lead to 11-8 after a jumper by Zane Najdawi and then a layup by Ezekiel Balogun. Head coach Duggar Baucom and company pushed the gap to 19-12 one minute later thanks to three baskets on three consecutive possessions, including a big dunk by Balogun. The Citadel's defense forced five turnovers in the first six minutes of the game.
 
Tom Koopman made his first three-pointer of the season with 11:33 remaining in the first half, draining the shot from the top of the key to give the 'Dogs a six-point lead. The Mocs responded with a layup on their next possession to pull within four.
 
Chattanooga used a 7-0 run from 10:12-6:45 to tie the game and eventually take its first lead since the 16:06 mark. UTC pushed its lead to as many as eight as they took a 46-38 lead into the halftime break, shooting a blistering 57.1 percent from the floor in the first frame. The Citadel, led by Najdawi's eight points, led for 7:17 in the first half but did not make a field goal in the last 2:32 of the half.
 
Leandro Allende opened the scoring in the second half with a three-pointer less than 30 seconds in and then Balogun followed with his second dunk of the day but the Mocs responded with two jumpers of their own to keep an eight-point lead.

Play turned sloppy after that as both teams fell cold and combined to turn the ball over six times in a two-minute span. After a layup by Chattanooga at the 16:03 mark, the Mocs did not make a field goal until a putback with 9:02 left in the game. The Bulldogs' drought started at 14:03 after a jumper by Najdawi and spanned until the 9:31 mark when Najdawi hit another jumper in the paint.
 
With 6:53 remaining, Chattanooga pushed its lead to 11 but Najdawi knocked down his third trey of the game to pull the Bulldogs back within eight. The Mocs responded with a 9-1 run to take a 16-point lead. Warren Sledge stopped the Chattanooga run with a three-pointer with 3:47 remaining to make it 75-62 but it was not enough as the Mocs earned the 83-73 win.
 
Najdawi led the Bulldogs with 15 points while Johnson chipped in 13. Allende and Sledge rounded out the double-digit scorers for The Citadel, chipping in 12 and 10 respectively. Balogun turned in a solid performance as well, tallying nine points and six rebounds. The Citadel shot 45.6 percent from the floor.
 
The Bulldogs return home to host Samford on Saturday at 1 p.m. inside McAlister Field House. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with live stats available at CitadelSports.com. For tickets, visit CitadelSports.com/tickets.

For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops or visit CitadelSports.com.