SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A 10-0 run through the final minutes helped Chattanooga stop the Wofford men's basketball team's seven-game winning streak, as the Terriers fell at home for the first time all season, 56-46, in Southern Conference action on Thursday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
Senior Karl Cochran pulled the Terriers within a basket on a circus layup with 3:41 to go. Fellow senior Lee Skinner then came up with a steal on Chattanooga's next possession and the Terriers got the ball back with a chance to tie the game for the first time all half.
 
The next time the Terriers scored, 26 seconds remained and Chattanooga's lead was in double figures. From the time Wofford had a chance at tying the game until its next basket, the Terriers went 0-for-6 from the field and also came up empty on a pair of free throws. The Mocs (17-9, 10-3 SoCon) took full advantage and built a 13-point lead, walking away with the win and cutting Wofford's (20-6, 11-2 SoCon) lead in the Southern Conference standings to one game.
 
Wofford struggled to find the basket all night, shooting 30.4 percent (17-56) from the field and a season-low 20 percent (4-20) from three. Meanwhile, Chattanooga's offense was efficient, ending the night at 48 percent.
 
"Chattanooga came in here ready and played like a team desperate for a win – they were more desperate than we were tonight," Wofford head coach Mike Young said. "We didn't play well and I told our team in the locker room that we picked a bad game to have a tough night.
 
"Teams have opportunities to grow during different stages of the season. We won seven straight and were playing really well, but we got clipped tonight. We have another opportunity to develop and grow in less than 48 hours and we need that heading into the home stretch of the regular season. We're going to be just fine. We'll figure it out."
 
The Terriers will make a quick turnaround to play at Western Carolina on Saturday. The Catamounts (13-13, 8-6 SoCon) got a big win Thursday night at Mercer (14-12, 9-4 SoCon), keeping the Bears two games off the pace.
 
Jones made the difference for the Mocs. The team-leader in scoring and rebounding heading into the night went for a game-high 23 points and eight boards. He shot an impressive 10-of-14 (71.4 pct.) and was the only Moc to reach double figures. Junior Duke Ethridge snagged a game-high 12 rebounds, helping UTC to a 35-29 advantage on the glass.
 
Cochran ended the night with team-highs of 13 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals. His first steal of the night pushed him to 214 for his career, surpassing former Terrier and current Director of Basketball Operations Drew Gibson (2004-08) for the program's Division I record.
 
Justin Gordon was the only other Terrier to reach double figures, adding 12 points and tying his season-high in field goals made by going 6-of-7. Senior Lee Skinner had nine points and six rebounds and junior C.J. Neumann matched Cochran's rebound total with seven.
 
Wofford scored the first four points of the night and jumped out to a 7-2 lead when Cochran nailed a three. Neither team scored for the next four minutes in a very defensive first half that saw just 16 made field goals combined.
 
The Mocs took their first lead of the night on a Jones layup with 5:38 before the break. The Terriers retook the lead and built to four with 1:47 left, but Chatt went on to score the final five points of the half. A 3-pointer by Greg Pryor and a lay-in from Duke Ethridge gave the visitors a 19-18 halftime lead.
 
The first seven points out of the locker rooms went to the Mocs, combining for a 12-0 run between the two halves. Chatt closed the run by taking an eight-point lead, and continued to stay ahead by two-to-three possessions for the majority of the half.
 
Still, the Terriers hung around and came up with a push late to make things interesting. A Cochran 3-pointer got Wofford within five at the 6:11 mark. A few minutes later, the senior ran the baseline and hit a spectacular layup facing the other end of the court to make it a one-possession game for the first time since the opening minute of the half.
 
Chatt shut down the comeback, hitting free throws down the stretch and earning a split of the season series.
 
Wofford Notes:
- The Terriers lost their first home game of the season after starting 11-0.
- Karl Cochran became Wofford's Division I leader in career steals, getting his 214th at the 17:07 mark of the first half.
- Junior Spencer Collins saw a streak of nine consecutive games in double figures end. He finished with seven points.
- Wofford's 4-of-20 mark from three matched its season-low. The Terriers also went 4-of-20 on December 17 in a win over Charleston Southern.
- Wofford's season-best, seven-game winning streak was ended.
- Cochran tied his career-high with four blocks.
- Chattanooga had 18 turnovers, marking the most Wofford has forced this season against a Division I opponent.