CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team scored a big 85-76 win over in-state rival East Tennessee State in the McKenzie Arena tonight. The Mocs (2-0, 0-0 SoCon) locked down on the defensive end in the second half, holding the Bucs (1-1, 0-0 A-Sun) to just one basket from the field for nearly 15-minutes, to improve to 2-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Missing four starters who were out for various reasons, Chattanooga's defense started shaky in the opening minutes of the game. ETSU scored 16 points in the first four minutes, hitting six of its first seven shots from the field with four layups. Chattanooga was able to stay in the game, thanks to sophomore Keegan Bell's four first-half three pointers.
The Mocs capped a 12-3 run on a three-pointer by junior Ridge McKeither to go up 47-42 with 3:16 left in the high-octane period. That would be the last points of the half for UTC as the Bucs closed with 10 unanswered of their own. UTC led 47-46 with less than a minute to play, but Sheldon Cooley and Justin Tubbs drained back-to-back three pointers to give ETSU a 52-47 halftime lead.
As offensively entertaining as the opening half was to the 4,037 fans who came out for "Rock the Roundhouse," the second frame was a completely different defensive battle.
The Bucs continued to stretch their lead in the opening moments of the second. Coley's layup with 17:58 left gave ETSU their largest lead at 58-49. Bell hit back-to-back threes to close the gap to 58-55 and ignite the home crowd with 16:27 on the clock.
The Mocs got into foul trouble in a hurry on the next possession. McKeither, who had 13 points and five boards in the first half, picked up three fouls in one possession. He was forced to the bench with four fouls, but the rest of the team stepped up.
Isaiah Brown's dunk with 15:40 left gave ETSU a 60-55 lead, but the Mocs would allow just one basket from the floor for the next 14:52 in the game. Junior Jeff Smith, one of McKeither's replacements, hit a three and converted an and-one in a 13-2 run that allowed Chattanooga to take control of the game. Chattanooga forced ETSU into seven turnovers and 0-6 shooting during that run.
Freshman Josh Odem's three from the near corner put Chattanooga up 75-67 with 4:20 on the clock. Junior DeAntre Jefferson's thunderous follow-up slam with 2:50 left electrified the arena while keeping the Bucs at bay 77-65.
After allowing ETSU to shoot 51.4% from the field in the first half, the Mocs' defense held the Bucs to just 32.0% in the last 20 minutes. ETSU controlled the glass by out rebounding the Mocs 42-35. However, the Bucs were only able to squeeze eight second chance points out of 16 offensive rebounds.
ESTU outscored the Mocs 38-26 in the paint, but Chattanooga cashed in 26 points on 19 Bucs' turnovers. The Mocs bench also outscored their opponent 20-11 tonight.
Bell led UTC with 23 points on 7-12 shooting, 6-10 from 3-pt. range. He also tied for game-highs with seven assists. McKeither finished with 17 points and a team-high nine boards. Odem had a pair of 3-pointers on his way to 14 points and four steals.
The Bucs were led by Tommy Hubbard's game-high 26 points and 13 boards. He went 9-13 from the field and 4-5 from 3-pt. range. Brown added 13 points and eight boards while Jocolby Davis had 11 points and seven assists.
Chattanooga will now hit the road for a five game swing that begins at Richmond on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.). The Mocs' next home game is set for Saturday, Dec. 5, when they open the Southern Conference schedule against Elon at 7:30 p.m.
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