STATS | NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTO GALLERY
 
CHATTANOOGA---Tre' McLean's career-high 19 points led a quartet of double digit scorers in an 80-69 Chattanooga Mocs (8-2) win over Tennessee Tech (7-4). The Mocs led by as many as 23 in the second half before a late flurry from the Golden Eagles.
 
The win was a strong response coming off the dramatic victory Saturday at Dayton.
 
"I think it was very important," coach Matt McCall shared. "As a coach, it was concerning. You go into the game and you try to warn your team about that. We went to Dayton, we played harder. They had an emotional victory on the road at Vanderbilt and had a home game.
 
"Let's try to learn from that. when you have a veteran team, a group that lost to Tennessee Tech last year (after leading by double digits). I think sometimes when you have an opponent, maybe it's a new opponent that you haven't played and that's the case, but there was a little extra motivation for those guys tonight because I think they really wanted to get this one."
 
Chattanooga took control early in the second half. TTU cut the lead to five, 42-37, on a Ryan Martin dunk at 18:17. UTC went on a 22-4 run over the next 7:32 to go up 23, 64-41, on back-to-back Dee Oldham layups, the latter coming at 10:45.
 
While the Mocs offense was rolling, the defense was stifling, limiting the visitors to one field goal for nearly nine minutes. Hakeem Rogers broke the drought with a 3-pointer with 9:19 to go.
 
Tech made brief runs, but the Scenic City lads had an answer each time. Rogers cut it to 70-56 with a layup at 5:22. Free throws from Justin Tuoyo and Greg Pryor pushed it back to 17 before Torrance Rowe scored his lone field goal at 3:52. Eric Robertson nailed is fifth three 24 seconds later to get it back to 18, 76-58.
 
The lead dwindled to 11 in the final minute before the Mocs dribbled out the clock on the 80-69 triumph.
 
McLean tied his career high (Dayton) for rebounds with eight. Pryor added 17 points and five assists, while Robertson scored all 15 of his points from long range with a five-for-seven 3pt performance. Johnathan Burroughs-Cook had 14 off the bench.
 
Rogers led all scorers with 21, also in a reserve role for the Golden Eagles. Martin posted 16, while Anthony Morse had 10 to go with a game-high nine boards. Aleksa Jugovic, who prepped at Hamilton Heights Academy in Chattanooga, added 14.
 
It was a record-setting night for the Mocs. The 60 percent (12-20) shooting from beyond the arc broke the home record of 58.8 percent (10-17) in the Feb. 1, 2003 win over East Tennessee State. That led to 50 percent (30-60) overall.
 
Another key came on the boards. The home team dominated the glass with a +13 margin (38-25).
 
"I think the difference in the game, and I told our team this before the game, the biggest key in the game is rebounding," McCall added. "We needed to out rebound them. The games that they've won, (7 on the year), they've had a plus-six rebound margin on average. Then the two games that they lost coming into our game, I think they had a minus seven.
 
"So that was the biggest key."
 
Chattanooga remains home for the second in a three-game stand Friday night with Kennesaw State in town at 7 p.m. (Dec. 18). It ends on Tuesday with an afternoon tilt against Radford at 3 p.m.
 
Check the men's basketball schedule page on GoMocs.com for links to tickets, video, audio and live stats. General Admission seats are $2 for the KSU matchup, while there is a $10 ticket/meal deal ticket for the Radford game. Follow @GoMocsMBB for live tweets from the contest.
 
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).