Men’s Basketball Downs Rival ETSU 81-74, Captures Fourth-Straight Win in Johnson City
GoMocs-The Chattanooga Mocs men’s basketball team added another chapter to its historic rivalry with in-state Southern Conference foe ETSU after capturing a hard-earned 81-74 road victory in front of a national TV audience on Sunday inside Freedom Hall. Chattanooga, who improved to 12-7 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon, has now won four-straight meetings in Johnson City for the first time in program history. ETSU drops to 9-10 overall and 1-5 inside league play after the defeat.“ETSU kept coming at us and I thought we battled as well. There are some things we have to clean up, intellectually, with the game on the line … but with that said, I thought we competed throughout and responded when things were starting to go the wrong way,” said head coach Dan Earl after the game. “The guys played the right way and shared the ball. I was proud of the way they played. When you move the ball to the open man, and play under control, when things get tight, it allows you to execute down the stretch.”HOW IT HAPPENEDChattanooga grabbed an early 8-5 lead at the game’s first media timeout after triples from Honor Huff and Trey Bonham, in addition to a Tyler Millin slam. The Mocs continued to attack from behind the arc as three-straight triples, two from Jan Zidek and another from Huff, built a 19-8 lead (12:21) and forced ETSU into a timeout. The Bucs responded with a long 20-4 run over the next five-plus minutes to gain a 28-23 edge at the 6:41 mark of the opening half before UTC answered with 10 of the next 13 points to jump back in front 33-30 (3:21). Bonham beat the halftime buzzer with a three at the top of the key to send the guests into the break with a 36-32 lead. A fast start to the second half saw Chattanooga extend its lead to seven, 44-37 (16:43), before ETSU cut it to two, 47-45, with just over 13 minutes left in regulation. Zidek stopped the run with his fourth three of the night as UTC claimed a slight 52-47 lead at the under 12 media (11:53). The Mocs continued to lead over the next four-plus minutes, holding a 61-52 advantage with 7:38 on the board. ETSU gained momentum and climbed right back within striking distance with an 8-2 run, forcing a UTC timeout with 6:28 as the Mocs led 64-60. Millin extended the guests lead to seven, 69-62 on a corner three just seconds before the Bucs answered with a triple of their own, making it 69-65 with 4:36 remaining in the game. After a Sam Alexis layup put the tally to 73-67 (3:29), the Mocs converted on its final three field goal attempts down the stretch and fought off any potential ETSU rally, capping off the 81-74 victory.
