Mocs Put Five Guys in Double Figures in Beating Western Carolina

CHATTANOOGA—The Chattanooga Mocs led wire-to-wire in a 77-58 Southern Conference victory over Western Carolina Thursday night in McKenzie Arena. The Mocs, now 15-3 overall and 4-1 in the league, had five double figures.

Justin Tuoyo had a game-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and two blocks. Chuck Ester added 11 points, while Greg Pryor, Tre’ McLean and Johnathan Burroughs-Cook each tallied 10.

Justin Browning led the Cats with 17 points. Torrion Brummitt chipped in 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Rhett Harralson turned in 11 points.

"It’s the way we need to play,” coach Matt McCall said. “We need to play unselfishly, we need to move on the floor and no one’s consumed with scoring. They are playing the right way and playing for each other. When we play the right way we’re difficult to guard, because the ball and the floor moves.

"Obviously Justin (Tuoyo) goes for 20, Chuck (Ester) gets 11 and Pryor, Burroughs-Cook and Tre’ McLean get 10. When a group doesn’t focus on their points or rebounds, and really focuses on a team, that’s what you want to see as a coach."

The Mocs led by 16 at the break and increased the margin to 21, 52-31, on a Burroughs-Cook free throw with 12:44 to play. Western battled back to cut it to 12 twice. The latter at 6:00, 58-46, on Harrelson’s second triple of the contest.

UTC put the game away with a 10-0 run over the next 121 seconds. Two Ester free throws were followed by three-pointers from McLean and Eric Robertson. Tuoyo put an exclamation point on the spurt with a slam off and a steal and dish by McLean.

Dee Oldham’s nine rebounds off the bench tied his career high and led his squad to a 10-board advantage, 39-29. Four Mocs had five or more for the evening. The squad shot 38.9 percent (7-18) from 3pt range, while limiting the Catamounts to 29.4 percent (5-17).

“When we get the ball moving, we can be tough to guard,” McCall continued. “I really felt like that was the case tonight. I thought the biggest key going into the game was to guard the three. (Rhett) Harrelson was 2-for-6, but his last two games he was 12-for-22 from three, so that was a key for us.

“Guarding the three and out-rebounding them on the glass were our two biggest keys."

McCall got several key contributions. Senior Alex Bran scored six points on two 3pt in seven minutes of action. He had just seven minutes total in the nine games leading into tonight.

“I’m really proud of Alex Bran,” McCall added. “He has had the right focus in practice and done whatever we’ve asked him to do every day. Whether it’s be on the scout team, run opposition plays, he’s done. I just felt that at shoot-around today, he was moving really well and was into it.

"That guy has put his heart and soul in this program for four years, and to see him have success in a league game, I couldn’t be prouder of him."

Chattanooga returns to the Roundhouse for a meeting with rival East Tennessee State in the second half of a doubleheader. The ladies open at 2 p.m., against UNCG, while the men take on the Bucs at 5 p.m.