Western Carolina 69, Mocs 68

If I told you that Chris Early would be suspended and not play at all, Keegan Bell would play ten minutes, Omar Wattad would play twelve minutes, DeAntre Jefferson would fould out, and the Mocs would turn the ball over 21 times, what would you have predicted would happen?

I would have predicted roughly the 75-54 blowout that I actually did predict.

The Mocs won the rebounding battle against the team that is the second best rebounding team in the league. The Mocs collected 40-31. DeAntre Jefferson collected eight, and Troy Cage had eleven rebounds.

Jefferson scored 13 points. Ricky Taylor put up 14 points, while Jahmal Burroughs scored ten, including knocking down an incredible five of six from the free throw line. Wattad had nine points in twelve minutes. Dontay Hampton also scored nine. Cage put home eight.

The Mocs of course lost the game in heart breaking fashion. They were tied when Trey Sumler was fouled with one second left. He knocked down a free throw to give them the win. It was heartbreaking for the Mocs.

The biggest problem was the last five minutes of the first half, when the Catamounts went on a 15-1 run to go from down six to up eight. This happened because the Mocs could not stop turning the ball over. They couldn't figure out how to not turn the ball over on possession after possession. Suddenly, they were playing from behind.

Honestly, I can't think of a time that I was prouder of the Mocs in a loss. They had so much going against them- basically three starters were either out or were shells of themselves. They combined for 22 minutes. And yet, the Mocs were in it until the end against the second best team in the North.

All along, the Mocs have needed to come up with a split on this road trip. Will Bell and Wattad be well enough to play normal minutes tomorrow? Maybe. Will Early be able to play well enough for the Mocs to win? Will Hampton and Cage and Burroughs be able to play such important minutes and play well again?

So proud of the Mocs tonight. Too bad it couldn't end in a win. We'll find out tomorrow if they can get that elusive road win and move a step closer to clinching the division, and can clinch a bye.

GO MOCS!