The Chattanooga Mocs led Illinois for all but about 45 seconds and they failed to come away with a win in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament as they fell to the Fighting Illini 54-53.
Malachi Smith and David Jean-Baptiste had really tough nights from an offensive standpoint shooting a combined 6-31 from the field and 0-7 from three. Another aspect of this game UTC struggled with was free throws as they hit just 7-14 leaving valuable points at the line.
Smith did lead the team with 12 points and eight rebounds and Darius Banks had a strong game with eight points and 13 rebounds as it was a group effort to keep Kofi Cockburn off the boards in this one.
However, Cockburn did put up 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way for Illinois. The team struggled from three until the second half and then Alfonso Plummer nailed three very timely three-pointers to keep the Fighting Illini in the game when Chattanooga was desperately trying to pull away he just wouldn’t let them.
Both teams struggled offensively in this one but a foul call on Silvio De Sousa put Plummer on the line with about :12 remaining and UTC clinging to a 53-52 lead. Plummer knocked down both and the Mocs elected not to call timeout as they had the ball in the hands of their best player with the game on the line. Smith’s initial dribble drive was blocked, he collected his own rebound, dribbled across the lane, and put up a shot that rimmed out.
Chattanooga’s miracle season came up short but this team has a lot to be proud of simply getting to this stage. The team finished the season an impressive 27-8 and reached the tournament for the first time since 2016.
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