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CHATTANOOGA---Greg Pryor led a quartet of double-digit scorers as the Chattanooga Mocs claimed a key early Southern Conference win, 74-62 over visiting Mercer. Pryor's 17 points and career-high 10 assists helped push UTC to 13-2 overall, 2-0 in the league, while Mercer falls to 11-4, 1-1 in the SoCon.
 
The Mocs saw an early 22-point first half lead dwindle to two, 58-56, on Jordan Strawberry's three-pointer at 3:51. It was still a two-point game, 60-58, a minute-plus later when Pryor sparked a game-deciding spurt.
 
He took a contested three-pointer from the top right to make it 63-58 with 2:36 to go. On the Bears next possession, Justin Tuoyo blocked a Desmond Ringer layup and then scored on the other end with 1:56 to go for a 65-58 advantage.
 
"Greg Pryor did what Greg Pryor's done a lot this year," coach Matt McCall explained. "It's one of those where, 'please don't shoot it'. Boom it goes in. As a coach, there's got to be a balance between me and him. I don't want to take away that fearlessness from him. If that shot doesn't come in, they come down and score. It's a tie game. Everyone is saying why did Greg shoot that ball, but that's part of who he is as a player.
 
"You're talking about a kid who wasn't even recruited out of high school really and has fought, scratched and clawed to get to where he's at. And he's just wired the right way, and he's a winner. Again like all these guys, I'm happy and proud to be able to coach those guys every single day."
 
Those two plays kick-started a 10-0 run over a 106-second timeframe for a 70-58 advantage with 50 seconds left on two Johnathan Burroughs-Cook free throws. The lead did not leave double digits down the stretch ending in the 74-62 win.
 
"We knew emotions were going to be running high on a game like this," McCall added. "I tried to talk to our guys last night about not getting so caught up in that. I felt like in The Citadel game, we got caught up in what everyone else thinks we should do in this game and not what we have to do to win the game. There was a lot of hype around this game. I don't know how you're going to get two Southern Conference opponents playing at this point in the year with a 12-2 and 11-3 record. I can't imagine that happens very often at this point.
 
"We came out the right way to go up 20 in the first half." He continued, "I felt like we got stagnant. They went zone. The ball wasn't getting to the middle of the floor. We were driving it too much, and in a game against those guys, it should be a one-dribble pass and get off the ball and get the floor moving. We kind of went back to that late in the game. I felt like our guys handled the moment the right way."
 
Tuoyo ended with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks. The three rejections broke a tie with Stanley Lawrence (1980-83) for the school's career record. Tre' McLean added 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals, while Burroughs-Cook chipped in 15 points off the bench.
 
Strawberry's 24 points is a new career high. Jestin Lewis had 15 points and four steals for the Bears.
 
The Mocs broke open a close game early. Chuck Ester's jumper at 14:12 started an 18-0 run capped at 9:04 by two Pryor free throws. Strawberry stemmed the tide with a jumper and then three-pointer.
 
Mercer trailed by 18 at the five-minute mark when Strawberry shifted momentum. He scored four in an 8-0 spurt that got the Bears within 10, 35-25, on Lewis' layup at 1:53. McLean's answered with a triple on the next possession before Lewis ended the first half scoring with a three of his own with 27 seconds remaining until the break.
 
Free throw shooting was a pivotal for the Mocs who nearly shot a season-best with an 83.3 percent performance making 20 of 24. The squad was 15 of 16 in the second half (93.3%) including eight of nine in the final minutes.
 
Chattanooga assisted on 18 of 22 baskets (81.8%) on the night despite shooting 39.3 percent from the floor. They also kept it close on the glass.
 
Mercer entered the night ranked No. 9 in the country in rebound margin (+11.5). It narrowly won the board battle 36-34 with McLean's nine serving as game high.
 
It's the eighth straight win for UTC. The 13-2 mark is the best for the traditional SoCon power since 1983-84 when it opened 14-2.
 
The Mocs return to the road this weekend at Furman (Sat.) and Wofford (Mon.). The game at Furman is a doubleheader with the Mocs women's program. The men tipoff at 12:30 p.m., on Fox Sports Southeast.
 
Check the men's basketball schedule page on GoMocs.com for links to tickets, video, audio and live stats. Follow @GoMocsMBB for live tweets from the contest.
 
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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).