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PHOTO GALLERY CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--- Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball fans gathered in McKenzie Arena to see the home team defeat Covenant 91-63 in an exhibition bout. There were 2,332 in attendance with a large student turnout on a rainy Friday evening.
"I thought the students were awesome," coach
Matt McCall said. "They came out and we need that every night. I think that it is great, and anytime you can get your students out in the arena and making noise, it definitely has an impact on the game."
The Mocs opened the game with a hot shooting streak from beyond the arc, making their first five to give them a 15-7 early lead over the Scots. An 11-2 run that began at the 7:32 mark, UTC was able to build a 40-26 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.
Follwoing a Covenant free throw with four seconds remaining in the first half,
Justin Tuoyo inbounded the ball to
Johnathan Burroughs-Cook who dribbled up to mid-court and dished the ball to
Tre' McLean at the wing for a buzzer-beating three pointer, giving UTC a 51-29 lead.
"For it to go in, it definitely felt good and sometimes plays at the end of the buzzer, plays like that can be tough at times because you have to calm back down when you go into the locker room," said McLean, who shot 60 percent (3-for-5) from 3-point range. "We knew that we had to calm back down and go in and focus for the second half.
"Personally, it felt good to see another one go in."
The second half began with
Greg Pryor drawing a hard charge inside the paint, giving UTC the early momentum.
"I thought that to start the game, we were a little too gassed up and missing some assignments defensively, but we sure played a lot harder in the second half," McCall said. "Our protection and our defense were a little bit sloppy, but it was the first game and it was good to see us get settled out there."
From there, the Mocs sparked a 20-13 run within the first five minutes to go up 71-40 after
Dee Oldham stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a fast break layup.
With 4:47 remaining, the play of the night came from
Chuck Ester, who caught
Duke Ethridge's pass from the three-point line for a two-handed alley-oop slam, increasing UTC's lead to 85-59. The Mocs were able to close the game out for the 27-point win.
Five reached double-digit scoring, led by Tuoyo with 15. McLean added 13,
Eric Robertson chipped in 12 (4-for-7 from 3-point range), and newcomer Burroughs-Cook and senior
Casey Jones both recorded 10. Jones also had a team-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
"We've been going against each other for six months now, so it felt good to go out there and use our offense and defense to see what we need to work on," Tuoyo said. "The game plan changed when we first started, but as the game went along, everybody settled down after the first half.
"We appreciated the crowd a lot and we're definitely looking forward to more of it for the rest of the season."
From veterans to newcomers, everyone one the roster saw playing time. Defensively, UTC was able to keep the Scots to just 36 percent shooting.
Moving on, the Mocs (0-0) travel to Athens, Ga., for a Nov. 13 season-opening matchup against Georgia. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., on the SEC Network. The team's home debut is the following Monday at 7 p.m. against Hiwassee.
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 28 titles with 10 regular season, 10 tournament and eight division.
- 15 NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009
- 10 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009
- 10 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 2 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year: Z. Mason (2014),
Justin Tuoyo (2015).
- 3 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93) and Will Wade (2014).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter "Moose" McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).
