2024-25 Chattanooga Mocs Men's Basketball
Game 8 – Bryant – November 27, 2024
McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Postgame Notes & Quotes
 
GENERAL NOTES
Game Duration: 1:55
Attendance: 2,712
Officials: Chris McCurry, Chuck McCoy, Owen Farist
 
TEAM NOTES
- Chattanooga improved to 5-3 on the season following an 84-76 victory over Bryant on Wednesday afternoon inside McKenzie Arena… Bryant dropped to an even 4-4… UTC captured the Coke Classic "title" with the win.
 
- All-time program record 1,431-1,147… 881-577 in Division I era (since 1977-78).
 
- UTC led for a commanding 35:01 of the game… longest lead time this season… four ties and four lead changes… UTC used a 10-0 run (1^st 10:44) to help build a controllable lead.
 
- The Mocs saw yet another dominating effort from its reserves… bench combined to outscore Bryant's bench 43-20… 141 combined bench points from UTC over the last four games (35.3 per game).
 
- Chattanooga ended the game shooting 49.1% (28-of-57) from the field… limited Bryant to a 36.9% (24-of-65) total… Mocs went 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the FT line… 45-of-58 (77.6%) from the line over the last two games.
 
- UTC dished out 19 assists during the win… ties for second-most this season… committed just 11 turnovers… earned a 14-13 edge in points off turnovers after forcing 11 miscues from the Bulldogs.
 
- Chattanooga led at halftime for just the second time this season… led 39-37… controlled the lead for the entire half… Bryant ended on a 6-0 run while holding UTC scoreless for the final 1:35… Mocs shot an efficient 51.9% (14-of-27) from the floor in the half.
 
- Streak of 5+ 3PT FGs extends to 76-straight games… began at 2022-23 season opener… every game under Dan Earl… second-longest active streak (Oral Roberts, 131)… now the 15th longest streak all-time in DI history.
 
PLAYER NOTES
- Makai Richards led the Mocs in scoring with 17… went 4-of-5 from the floor… 8-of-9 at the line… career highs in both FTM and FTA… added five rebounds which puts him at 99 for his career.
 
- Trey Bonham added 15 points… 43 points over the last two games… finished 4-of-11 from the floor… added three assists.
 
- Collin Mulholland scored 10 points for the second-straight game… 5-of-8 from the floor… two rebounds and two assists.
 
- Sean Cusano greatly impacted the game with 13 points and nine rebounds… 31 points and 28 rebounds over his last three games… finished 5-of-7 FG (3-of-4 3PT)… three triples made is a career best.

SERIES HISTORY

All-Time	Record	Pct.
Overall (1st)	1-0	1.000
at Chattanooga	1-0	1.000
at Bryant	0-0	.000
Neutral	0-0	.000

 
COACHING RECORDS/NOTES

Dan Earl (PSU '97)	Record	Pct.
Overall (10th)	117-171	.397
at UTC (3rd)	44-32	.567
vs. Bryant	1-0	1.000

POSTGAME QUOTES
Dan Earl, Head Coach
Overall thoughts after 84-76 win over Bryant.
"Really proud of the guys. That was a really good team win. We had six guys in double figures and a variety of different guys really impacted the game. That was as dialed in as we have been defensively with paying attention to the scouting report, who we're guarding. Overall, I thought we played great team basketball. Better team basketball makes for a better Thanksgiving."

On rebounding effort.
"It seems like the whole crowd, their bench, our bench, could tell we weren't rebounding, especially on the free-throw line. That's something we have to clean up for sure. We made it much more difficult than it needed to be. We held them to a low field-goal percentage, but they had so many second chances. We need to clean that up."

On the fast start.
"We focus on it for sure. I just reminded them, when it's tipped, it's go-time. We're playing. There's no time to figure things out. We just have to come out of the gate with intensity. I wish I could say that every game and have it work, but our guys know we can't come out slow and win many games. I thought we did a great job of focusing and playing right out of the gate."

Makai Richards, R-Jr.-F
On a steady 17-point effort.
"Yeah, it's a slow steady grind. You never know how a game is going to go, it's really about the flow. I really stuck with it, tried to dive hard and make the shots in front of me. I was just trying to help my team win in any instance possible."

On the offensive effort today from the team.
"Just playing together and sticking to the offense. Moving the ball, trusting each other to make the right decisions. I feel like we did a great job of getting in the right spots to make tough spots. We really got into a flow of the offense."