ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Interstat) — A dominant first-half defensive performance by the Chattanooga Mocs paved the way for a 78-66 victory over the winless South Carolina State Bulldogs in a non-conference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at a sparsely attended SHM Memorial Center.

The Mocs, who entered the game with a 1-3 record, seized control early and never trailed, holding the Bulldogs to just 23 points in the opening period. Chattanooga’s stifling defense forced South Carolina State into a series of missed shots and turnovers, building a commanding 32-23 lead by halftime.

While the Bulldogs found more offensive rhythm after the break, outscoring Chattanooga 43-46 in the second half, the early deficit proved too large to overcome. South Carolina State’s record fell to 0-5 with the loss.

Chattanooga’s offense was spearheaded by the backcourt duo of Jordan Frison and Teddy Washington. Frison, a guard from Memphis, Tennessee, led all scorers with 17 points and dished out a game-high six assists in 29 minutes of action. Washington, hailing from Blytheville, Arkansas, contributed 16 points and four assists while playing a team-high 34 minutes.

The Mocs also received significant contributions in the frontcourt. Collin Mulholland, a 6-foot-10 forward from Kitchener, Canada, added 12 points, and Billy Smith of Indianapolis chipped in 11 points and three assists. The team’s offensive execution was a marked improvement from their previous outings, which included three double-digit road losses.

South Carolina State was led by Jayden Johnson, a guard from Brooklyn, New York, who scored 13 points. Noah Treadwell of Atlanta also finished with 12 points for the Bulldogs. Despite the second-half surge, the team struggled to find consistent scoring against a disciplined Chattanooga defense.

The game’s tempo was established from the opening tip. Chattanooga’s Mulholland scored the first basket on a layup assisted by Smith just 49 seconds into the contest. The Mocs built an early lead as South Carolina State’s offense sputtered, with the Bulldogs not scoring their first field goal until a Cameron Clark tip-in nearly three minutes into the game.

Chattanooga’s lead ballooned to as many as 14 points in the first half, with key three-pointers from Smith and Frison stretching the defense. The Bulldogs managed to trim the lead to single digits by halftime, but a three-pointer from Chattanooga’s Billy Smith to open the second half quickly re-established a double-digit advantage.

South Carolina State mounted several challenges in the final period, closing the gap to within eight points on multiple occasions, but each time the Mocs responded with a critical basket. A late three-pointer from Jordan Frison with just over six minutes remaining pushed the lead back to 15, effectively sealing the victory and snapping Chattanooga’s three-game losing streak.

With the win, Chattanooga improves to 2-3 on the young season and will look to build momentum when they return home to face North Alabama on Saturday. South Carolina State, still in search of its first victory, continues a difficult early-season schedule with a road game at South Dakota on Sunday.