MOCS HOOPS

MOCS REPORT

Alabama-Birmingham was more physical than UTC on Monday and pushed around the Mocs, who were outrebounded by 29 in a 42-point loss. The young team came up empty on its first 13 possessions and trailed by 13 by the time it scored its first points, more than seven minutes into the game. David Jean-Baptiste had 12 points in the loss, including a 2-for-4 performance from 3-point range, while all of Foreman’s 11 points came in the first half. Lewis added nine.

TIGERS REPORT

The Tigers, a National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program, played well Wednesday in a loss to Southern Conference member Western Carolina, even holding a three-point second half lead before falling. They’ve got off to a solid start to the season in part due to the strength of their interior trio of Culpepper, Henry and Johnson. Newman had five assists in the loss to the Catamounts. Snider, who played at Ooltewah High School, and Jay Johnson, who played at McMinn County, provide depth on the wing.

KEY MATCHUP

This appears to be a game the NCAA Division I Mocs should win fairly easily. But after a loss to Division II’s Francis Marion in an exhibition, this youthful UTC team has learned that nothing will come easy this season. The Tigers are scrappy, but playing back-to-back nights on the road could lead to fatigue. The Mocs’ best bet is to try to put them away early with hopes of getting better performances out of Chatman and London, who combined for nine points, six rebounds and two assists Monday. UTC can’t be successful this season with those numbers from those two.