Amius scores 27 as Western Carolina tops Chattanooga 75-63

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Mike Amius tossed in a career-high 27 points, added eight rebounds and snatched a career-best four steals to lead Western Carolina to a 75-63 victory over Chattanooga on Thursday night.

Amius knocked down 12 of 16 shots (75 percent) from the floor, but the rest of the Catamounts (6-8, 2-0 Southern Conference) connected on just 16 of 46 attempts (35 percent). Deriece Parks added 10 points.

Amius scored nine straight points as Western Carolina jumped out to a 16-10 lead early in the first half. The lead was 42-28 at halftime after Desmond Johnson's 3-pointer with 1 second left. Maurice Smith's layup with 8:43 left in the game pushed the Catamounts' lead to 20 and they led comfortably from there.

Makinde London paced the Mocs (6-9, 0-2) with 22 points and eight rebounds. Rodney Chapman added 16 points and six assists, while Nat Dixon scored 11. Chattanooga has lost three straight.