The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team used a barrage of first-half 3-pt. field goals to post an 82-60 win against Mississippi Valley State in the McKenzie Arena today. The Mocs improve to 5-4 on the season with the non-conference win. The Delta Devils fall to 1-8 on the year.
The Mocs hit nine 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes and opened the game on a 14-2 run to cruise to a 44-29 halftime lead. UTC held MVSU to 1-8 shooting while forcing nine turnovers in the first eight minutes. The Mocs were 9-19 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Chattanooga opened the second half hitting three of its first four shots from 3-pt. range. Senior Ty Patterson gave the Mocs their largest lead at 59-33 with a 3-pointer at the 16:10 mark. Chattanooga would go on to miss their next eight attempts from behind the arc, allowing Mississippi Valley State to climb back into the game.
The Delta Devils cut the lead to 12 at 69-57 on a 3-pointer from D'Angelo Jackson with 5:30 left. However, a three-point-play inside by junior DeAntre Jefferson and five straight points from sophomore Ricky Taylor put the game out of reach.
The Mocs finished 14-34 from 3-pt. range, posting a season high on 3-pt. FGs made and just two shy of the McKenzie Arena record. Taylor scored a career-high 22 points off the bench, shooting 8-14 from the field and 4-9 from behind the arc.
Patterson saw his first action of the season and scored 16 points on 6-12 shooting. He equaled his career-high with four 3-pointers on nine attempts. Freshman Josh Odem scored 12 points in the game, all from behind the arc. His four 3-pointers on eight attempts were also a career-high.
The Mocs did a good job of sharing the ball in the game. They set a season-high with 24 assists, led by a game-high 10 from sophomore Keegan Bell. It is the second time this season Bell has reached double-figures in assists. He came into the game leading the SoCon and No. 17 nationally with a 5.9 assist-per-game average.
The Delta Devils were led by Shannon Behling's 20 points. The reigning Southwestern Conference Player of the Week shot 7-15 from the floor, 1-5 from 3-pt. range and 5-5 from the FT line. Jackson added 10 points and Ricky Lamb came off the bench for 15 points.
The Mocs are back in action on Monday, Dec. 14, when they host No. 21 Georgia Tech at 7:00 p.m. (E.S.T). Tickets are still available for the game against the Yellow Jackets by calling the UTC Tickets Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627) or online at GoMocs.com.
Catch all of the Mocs' games on ESPN Radio 105.1 FM in Chattanooga and online on GoMocs.com. Jim Reynolds, the Voice of the Mocs, is in his 30th year providing play-by-play for Chattanooga Basketball.
