Sharp-shooting Mocs earn sweep of Terriers
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team completed a sweep of its regular-season series against 2019 Southern Conference champion Wofford with an 84-77 win Saturday night in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Matt Ryan scored 25 points and sophomore point guard Maurice Commander added a careerhigh 22 to lead the Mocs (15-10, 6-6), who shot 60% from the field at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, with their 27-of-45 showing including an 11-of-23 performance from 3-point range.
Rod Johnson added 18 points for UTC, scoring 13 in the first half as the Mocs overcame an eightpoint deficit to lead 37-35 at halftime.
“This is such a hard place to play against a team that’s obviously used to winning a lot,” UTC coach Lamont Paris said of the Terriers (16-9, 8-4), who had lost just once at home all season before Saturday. “Our team showed a lot of fight. I’m happy with the way we executed down the stretch.”
The Mocs’ lead didn’t last long as Wofford’s Nathan Hoover, who finished with a game-high 31 points, scored 10 in the first seven minutes of the second half to put the Terriers ahead 56-51. Commander hit a pair of 3-pointers, though, and Johnson completed a three-point play to give UTC a 65-64 lead with just more than five minutes left.
The visitors’ advantage was two when Ryan hit a step-back 3-pointer to make it 75-70 with 1:52 to play. Hoover was fouled on the next possession, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity at the line. The Terriers rebounded the miss, but then they misfired on two open looks from behind the arc.
Commander made five of six free throws over the next 20 seconds to seal the win, which puts the Mocs into a sixth-place tie with Mercer in the league standings. The Mocs earned a road win against the Bears earlier this season and will host them in two weeks.
UTC returns to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Virginia Military Institute at McKenzie Arena.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfree press. com or 423-757-6296.