Box Score |
Notes/Quotes
CHATTANOOGA (February 28, 2026) – The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team closed out regular season play on the right note, claiming an 86-79 home win over VMI in the Southern Conference finale on Saturday afternoon inside McKenzie Arena as part of 'Senior Day' festivities.
With the win, Chattanooga finishes the regular season 13-18 overall and 7-11 inside SoCon play and has now posted wins in three of its last four games. VMI ends the regular season campaign 6-25 overall and 1-17 in SoCon action, and will look to snap a 16-game skid in Asheville next weekend.
Chattanooga claims the No. 8 seed in the SoCon Tournament and will play No. 9 The Citadel in the opening round on Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. (ET) in Asheville, N.C., inside the Harrah's Cherokee Center. Full bracket, championship information, and more will be available in the coming days leading up the event.
Quick Records
Chattanooga: 13-18, 7-11 SoCon
VMI: 6-25, 1-17 SoCon
Series History
Meeting: 72nd | UTC leads 55-17 (H: 27-5; A: 23-10; N: 5-2)
*UTC leads 49-15 in SoCon regular season meetings
Game Breakdown
- Chattanooga raced out of the gates with a strong three-point shooting start as back-to-back triples from Billy Smith and Jordan Frison gave UTC a 20-11 lead seven minutes into the game.
- Smith connected on another deep ball to push the hosts lead into double digits, 28-18 (7:43), before a back-and-forth scoring affair broke out between the two teams.
- VMI's Linus Holmstrom answered with a triple a few minutes later to pull the Keydets within eight, 40-32 (1:43), before Collin Mulholland ended the half on a late-second hook shot, giving UTC a 42-33 halftime edge.
- It was VMI who created the early second-half momentum as a fast three-point attack cut the UTC lead to just one, 53-52, with 14:35 left in the game.
- Brennan Watkins finished a tough and-one opportunity at the rim to extend the Mocs lead back to nine, 68-59 (7:54), before Holmstrom found net from three yet again, capping off a 10-4 Keydets run and pulling his squad back within three, 72-69, with 5:01 on the board.
- The three-point separation was the closest VMI could pull within down the stretch as Chattanooga built a lead as large as 12 following a Frison transition layup, 84-76, before the hosts closed out the eventual 86-79 victory.
Notes to Know / Inside the Box Score
- Chattanooga finishes eighth in the SoCon standings… will occupy the No. 8 seed in the SoCon Tournament… plays No. 9 The Citadel in the opening round on Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. (ET) in Asheville.
- Chattanooga has made 10+ 3FG in seven of the nine total matchups against VMI under Dan Earl after today's 12 3FGM… 126 total 3FGM over the nine-game span (14.0 3FGM per game)… UTC is 62-of-124 (46.2%) from 3FG in its past four home games against the Keydets.
- Jordan Frison scored a game-high 33 points on an incredibly efficient 14-18 FG (3-4 3FG) shooting performance… added three rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes… surpassed 1,400 points in his collegiate career… surpassed 500 points this season (now at 509)… 25th different Moc to score 500+ in a season.
Postgame Quotes
Dan Earl's thought on closing the regular season ahead of Asheville.
"We're not necessarily tricking anybody. We are who we are. But when we're playing on all cylinders, we can, we feel that we can beat anybody in the league. I think everyone in this league has that same mindset. I also think that shows with some of the wins we've had, and some of the close losses we've had. We're asking the guys to believe that, you know? The reality of it is, we probably have to make shots at a very decent rate to have a chance. We have to do a good job at that and also, I know I've said it a million times, but rebounding the ball and trying to keep other teams off the free throw line."
Up Next | Schedule
Chattanooga gets set for the 2026 Southern Conference Tournament inside the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina next week. The Mocs claimed the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 The Citadel in the opening round on Friday (March 6) at 5 p.m. (ET) on ESPN+.
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