Chattanooga 78, Davidson 73

AP:

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Ricky Taylor scored 22 points and Ty Patterson added 20 to help Chattanooga defeat Davidson 78-73 on Monday night, snapping a five-game losing streak.

The Mocs (14-15, 6-10 Southern Conference) trailed 35-32 at halftime, and shot 52 percent from the field in the second half (26 of 56), including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Chattanooga outscored the Wildcats 8-3 after halftime, taking its first lead since 6:56 left in the first half, 40-38, on Keegan Bell’s 3 with 17:24 to play.

Davidson (14-14, 9-7) would lead again, 52-50 with 10:03 remaining, but the Mocs scored 11 straight. Jeremy Saffore’s layup put Chattanooga up 61-52 with 6:38 left, and the Wildcats wouldn’t get any closer than six points the rest of the way.

Jake Cohen scored 16 points and Brendon McKillop added 15 for the Wildcats.

Uch at the Roundhouse: The win snaps a season-long five game losing streak. It also snaps an eight-game losing streak to Davidson which had NBA rookie of the year candidate Stephen Curry for the last three seasons. DavidsonWildcats.com: Davidson went on to take a 35-32 cushion into halftime as seven of the ‘Cats 14 field goals in the frame were from long distance. The Wildcats return to action Wednesday, Feb. 24, for the home finale against UNC Greensboro. Davidson will honor its four seniors, Archambault, Bryant Barr, Dan Nelms and Rossiter, before the game. Ty Patterson: “It’s great to get a win after we’ve been so down. And to beat Davidson -- when was the last time we beat Davidson?”

More of this

Uch in Chattanooga: Southern Conference basketball begins a new era this year. Call it 1 A.C. -- After Curry.

Around the SoCon

Uch in Chattanooga:

Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino flipped his satellite radio from music to ESPN in time to hear Stephen Curry announce his decision.

The last song Iamarino heard was “The end of the world as we know it,” by R.E.M.

“I really don’t know if that’s some sort of omen,” he said on his way to the SoCon tennis championships.

The conference will continue without its icon.

Curry, a junior All-America guard for Davidson, announced Thursday that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NBA draft. Early projections have him being selected in the first round, possibly as a lottery pick.

“My goal since I can remember has always been to play in the NBA, and that is now a viable opportunity for me,” Curry said. “After weighing my options, I came to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to take hold of that opportunity now.”

Curry has been the most visible, valuable and important player in the conference the last two years and possibly since Jerry West last played in 1960. He became one of the most popular players in the nation while leading the Wildcats to the 2008 Elite Eight and within one bucket of upsetting eventual national champion Kansas.

A Stephen story

Uch in Chattanooga:

The ramifications of Curry’s success have reverberated through the Southern Conference. UTC coach John Shulman landed Vanderbilt transfer Keegan Bell with a simple pitch, a fastball down the heart of the plate.

“We can make you the next Curry,” is how Shulman summarized his recruitment of Bell.

Vote for Stephen

Uch does.

The family business

Uch on the McKillop men.

Vitale at Belk

Cremins: “I’ve got a feeling he’s going there because of Davidson and Stephen Curry, not for the College of Charleston. What Davidson has done for our conference is incredible. On the other side of that coin, they’ve beat the living daylights out of all of us.”

In Chattanooga ...

Still talkin’.

Coverage

Uch for Chattanooga:

Stephen Curry proved to be worth the price of admission.

The Davidson All-American and the nation’s leading scorer helped draw 9,234 to McKenzie Arena and lived up to expectations with a dizzying array of shots, passes, ball-handling and a play destined for SportsCenter in a 92-70 Davidson victory over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Uch for Charlotte:

It might be worth a minute to check YouTube for a new Stephen Curry highlight.

The Davidson guard swished a 3/4-court shot -- not a heave -- at the halftime buzzer and led Davidson to a 92-70 victory over Chattanooga on Wednesday.

Two from Chattanooga

Here:

More than 7,000 spectators are expected to witness the SoCon matchup between UTC (9-11, 5-4) and Davidson (16-3, 9-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in McKenzie Arena with a subplot of the game being Stephen vs. Stephen.

And here:

“You get a chance to say later, ‘I saw him when ... I was there when ... He did such-and-such and I saw it all.’”

The Stephen show

Uch:

Just like when any rock/pop/rap star -- from Paul McCartney to Lil’ Wayne -- rises in prominence, Curry will start receiving extra security attention starting this week.

The Davidson bus was set and ready to leave an hour after its game at Georgia Southern, but Curry was still in the gym signing autographs for children.

Iamarino, the SoCon commissioner, said Friday that security for Curry and the Cats has become an issue that nobody in the league has dealt with before.

“Curry is very gracious about signing autographs, but the Davidson AD (Jim Murphy) said, ‘We can’t have him out there for an hour and half, and we’ll need help to make it more orderly,’” Iamarino said, recalling a conversation during recent SoCon meetings in Asheville, N.C.

“They’re nice problems to have,” he added. But it has forced people to think about extra security and protocol to deal with somebody who has become the face of college basketball.”

The Stephen Award

Again: It is the fifth time this season he has won the award, tying the record he set during the 2007-08 season. Above the Rim. Uchiyama.

Tomorrow night

David Uchiyama: A victory Saturday at Davidson would match the historical significance of the ETSU win 16 years ago ...

Being Stephen

Chattanooga’s Keegan Bell: “I’ll come off ball screens and I have free rein to jack, dish and go a little bit crazy. The rules are that there are no rules for me. If I see an open spot, jack it, and I have the green light to shoot -- coach’s orders.”