NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTOS

CHATTANOOGA (Nov. 14, 2023) – Trailing 64-59 with just 3:53 left in the game, the Chattanooga Mocs rallied with a 13-0 scoring run while forcing seven-straight stops on the defensive end to capture a thrilling 72-64 victory over Bellarmine in non-conference action inside McKenzie Arena on Tuesday night.
 
Chattanooga begins the season 3-0 following its second-straight victory over a Louisville-based program. It's the third time in the past four seasons that UTC has started 3-0. Bellarmine drops to 0-3 after its third-straight road defeat (Washington & Kansas State) to kick-off the new campaign.
 
A game that featured six ties and 11 lead changes was definitely "fun" for the rowdy 2,846 fans on hand inside the Roundhouse. But for head coach Dan Earl? Maybe not so much…
 
"I don't know who that one was fun for, because it was definitely not fun for myself and the coaching staff," Earl laughed during his opening remarks during the postgame press conference.
 
"We were fortunate to win the game, there's a lot of things to work on, but on a positive note, we found a way to win. We didn't do a lot of things on the stat sheet that we'd like to do, but we found a way to win."
 
Earl concluded, "If I could just take a second and give Bellarmine a ton of credit. They play a great brand of basketball with very tough kids … I can't tell you how impressed I am with Coach Davenport's team and what he's done over the years."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Bellarmine raced out to a kick 12-2 lead and forced the Mocs into a timeout just four-plus minutes into the contest after connecting on four of its first six attempts from the floor. The Mocs immediately responded with a 16-2 run, fueled by six-straight points from Honor Huff, to grab an 18-14 lead with 10:11 left in the first half.
 
The two teams continued a fast-style pace over the next few minutes which created a 20-20 deadlock at the 7:33 mark. The two teams remained deadlocked at the under four media, 28-28 (3:59), before Chattanooga earned a three-point edge, 35-32, at the halftime buzzer.
 
The Mocs shot an efficient 51.9% (14-of-27) from the field in the first half but suffered from an 8-1 disadvantage in the turnover category that saw the Knights earn a 9-2 edge in points stemming from turnovers. UTC's production primarily came inside the paint in the first point as 20 of the 35 points were in the middle.
 
Chattanooga held its slight lead, 41-37, early in the second half before the Knights rallied for eight-straight points in just over 90 seconds to grab a 45-41 lead with an even 16:00 remaining in the game. UTC used a 7-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to regain the lead, 48-45, at the 13:12 mark.
 
The Mocs fell into a cold-shooting spell for majority of the early parts of the second half, converting just one of its first 11 three-point attempts in the first 12 minutes, resulting in a 55-52 Bellarmine lead with 8:16 left in the game. The Knights took advantage of the low-percentage shooting and built a 64-59 lead with 3:53 on the board.
 
That would be the last time Bellarmine changed its number on the scoreboard. After a Sam Alexis putback gave UTC a 65-64 lead with 1:55, it was Myles Che who knocked down a step-back dagger from deep to extend the lead to 68-64 with just over a minute left.
 
Chattanooga ultimately ended the game with seven-straight defense stops and finished with 13-unanswered points to complete the 72-64 victory. The Mocs converted on all four of its final free throw attempts to seal the deal.

RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 3-0 · Bellarmine 0-3 · Series: Chattanooga leads the all-time series 3-0.

THREE KEY NOTES | MORE
1. UTC allowed just eight made threes (8-of-26) at a 30.8% rate… Mocs have allowed just 19 threes through the first three games this season… lowest total in a three-game stretch under Earl since allowing 16 against Georgia, The Citadel & Mercer in late December 2022.
 
2. Randy Brady was crucial on the defensive end with nine rebounds (including the game's final)… all were defensive boards… finished the game a +23 in just over 17 minutes of action… +11 better than the next player on the floor (Huff).
 
3. UTC went 14-of-15 (93.3%) from the free-throw line during the victory… highest percentage on at least 15 attempts since going 17-of-18 at The Citadel on January 9, 2021.
 
QUOTABLE | MORE
G Myles Che on what it says about his teammates' trust in him to shoot in the clutch.
"It shows a lot of trust from my teammates. You try to come in and lead, and I feel like now they trust me with the ball at the end of games to make a shot like that. It was just me today, but it could've been anybody else taking that shot. Props to them but my teammates played a great game, and our coaches did a great job."
 
F Sam Alexis on what's allowed him to make such a big jump from last season to this season.
"Just the coaches believing in me this summer and telling me I was going to have a big role next year. They made sure I was attacking the summer every day and if I was slacking in practice, they were telling me come on, we need you this year. Just the coaches encouraging me every day helped me get here."

NEXT UP – vs. Tennessee Tech – Sunday, Nov. 19 – 2:00 p.m. ET – Chattanooga, Tenn. (McKenzie Arena) – ESPN+ – BUY TICKETS
 
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