BOX SCORE ∙ NOTES/QUOTES ∙ PHOTOS
 
CHATTANOOGA (February 1, 2025) – The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team earned its third-straight victory after battling back in an eventual 93-84 win over Mercer during crucial Southern Conference action in front of a rowdy 3,551 McKenzie Arena fans on Saturday.
 
For the fourth time in league play this season, Chattanooga (15-8, 7-3 SoCon) erased an early first-half hole with a strong second-half performance to come away victorious against Mercer (11-12, 4-6 SoCon). The Mocs trailed by as many as 12 (46-34) with 2:30 left in the first half before outscoring the visitors 52-36 in the second half.
 
With the Bears leading 54-46 (17:55) early in the second half, Ahmad Robinson was tagged with a Flagrant 1 foul on UTC's Garrison Keeslar and ignited the Roundhouse fans in addition to the UTC offense. Chattanooga put together a 12-4 run over the next five-plus minutes to tie the game 58-58 with 12:20 remaining in the contest.
 
Once the Mocs eventually jumped ahead 72-71 at the 6:28 mark, the hosts kept its lead the rest of the way with strong efforts on both sides of the floor and an efficient free-throw performance down the stretch. Four different Mocs reached double figures as Bash Wieland (22) led the way with Trey Bonham (17), Honor Huff (16) and Frank Champion (14) following suit.
 
RECORD UPDATE – Chattanooga 15-8, 7-3 SoCon ∙ Mercer 11-12, 4-6 SoCon
 
SERIES HISTORY – 90th Meeting ∙ Chattanooga leads 48-42 all-time.
 
KEY GAME MOMENTS

• Mercer grabbed an early 9-5 lead (16:05) on a Brady Shoulders three-pointer in the corner.
• Chattanooga cut its early deficit to one, 13-12 (13:13), on a Frank Champion layup through contact.
• The Bears used a 7-1 run over the next two-plus minutes to build a 20-14 lead (10:47).
• Chattanooga once again cut it to one, 22-21 (9:25), on an Honor Huff three.
• Mercer extended its lead to nine, 41-30 (4:29), on the help of a 10-0 run that lasted over two minutes.
• UTC cut it to five, 46-41 (0:53), on a Bash Wieland corner three before the Bears claimed a seven-point edge.

HALFTIME: Mercer 48, Chattanooga 41

• An early 6-0 Mercer run opened the lead to double digits yet again, 54-43 (18:39), after a Tyler Johnson triple.
• After a flagrant foul from Mercer's Ahmed Robinson, Chattanooga went on a 15-4 run to tie the game 58-58 (12:17) on a Collin Mulholland three.
• The two teams remained tied over the next four-plus minutes, 68-68 (7:00), before Chattanooga finally jumped in front 72-71 (6:28).
• The Mocs lead grew to seven, 78-71 (5:04), less than two minutes later after Wieland converted a successful and-one opportunity.
• Mercer cut its deficit to four, 88-84 (0:49) in the final moments before the Mocs iced the game away from the line.

FINAL: Chattanooga 93 Mercer 84
 
GAME NOTES ∙ MORE

• UTC fell behind by as many as 12 (46-34) with 2:30 left in the first half… fourth double-digit comeback in SoCon play… all four were double-digit deficits in the first half.
• Bash Wieland finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-17 FG (2-9 3PT, 6-6 FT)… finished a team-best +14 in 25 minutes of action… sixth game this season of 20+… 10 of the last 11 games in double figures… surpassed 800 career points.
• The 93 points scored were the second-most this season for UTC (94 in OT loss at Mercer on 1/1)… the Mocs are now 12-1 under Dan Earl when scoring 90 or more points.

 
POSTGAME QUOTES ∙ MORE
HC Dan Earl on the home crowd today.
"I want to thank the crowd today, they were awesome. It was really loud in there, the students came out, the community came out, and we're so appreciative for that."
 
G Trey Bonham on the team showing maturity in tight situations.
"I think the experience on this team, we have guys who have played a lot of basketball. People who are willing to make the winning plays over and over again. We're all willing to make the winning play and put our body on the line out there. It's a lot to do with experience."
 
UP NEXT – Wednesday, Feb. 5 – Chattanooga at Wofford – 7 p.m. ET – Spartanburg, S.C. – ESPNU
 
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