The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team needed two overtimes but overcame foul trouble and poor free-throw shooting for an 86-82 Southern Conference win Thursday night against Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.
The Mocs (21-9, 14-3), who won their fifth consecutive game, improved to 3-1 in overtime games this season.
They had a chance to win in regulation, holding a 67-64 lead after a layup by Casey Jones with 1:27 to go. The teams traded missed shots on the ensuing possessions, and VMI called time out with 12 seconds to go. The Keydets ran a play for Julian Eleby, and he was fouled by Jones shooting a 3-pointer with 0.9 second to go. The freshman calmly hit all three free foul shots to force the extra period.
The Mocs took a 72-69 lead in the first overtime period on a Ronrico White 3-pointer with 1:41 to play. VMI responded with a layup by Trey Chapman, and then Phillip Anglade was fouled by Justin Tuoyo -- his fifth -- and hit both free throws to give the Keydets a one-point edge with 40 seconds to go. Jones hit a jumper in the lane to give the lead back to the Mocs, but Anglade was fouled by Chuck Ester with 11 seconds to go and hit the second of two free throws to tie the score again.
Jones drove but missed a shot at the end of the first overtime.
The second overtime was about 3-pointers for the Mocs by unlikely people. Tre McLean, who hadn't made a 3 since Dec. 29 against Lipscomb, hit one to start the period. Pryor and Jones then hit shots to maintain the three-point lead, and Duke Ethridge, who was 7-for-29 from 3-point range prior, hit his eighth of the season to make it 84-79 with 1:27 to play.
He would foul out with 38 seconds to play. Anglade hit two free throws, but the Mocs -- who were 12-for-24 from the free-throw line for the game -- made two of their final five to provide enough of a difference for the win.
"We made enough plays," UTC coach Will Wade said on the postgame radio broadcast. "It wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but good teams find a way to win and we did that tonight."
Eric Robertson led four Mocs in double figures with 19 points. Jones had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, while White had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Pryor added 13 points and five assists, while Tuoyo had eight points, six rebounds and three blocks before fouling out in 30 minutes.
Anglade had a game-high 26 points for VMI, with 14 free throws in 20 tries. Eleby, who scored 43 in a double-overtime win against Western Carolina last Saturday, had 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Brian Brown and Chapman had 10 points each.
The Mocs held a 46-39 edge on the boards and held VMI, which had made 59 3-point baskets in its last three games, to 6-for-24 from long range.
The Mocs end the regular season Saturday at UNC Greensboro.