The Mocs bench erupts as UTC closes on a Marshall lead in the first half of play Tuesday at McKenzie Arena.The first half of Tuesday night's game was dominated by Marshall. The second half was all about the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The entire game featured UTC's Tre' McLean.
The 6-foot-5 senior guard finished with a career-high 35 points, including 20 in the second half, as the Mocs won 96-85 over the Thundering Herd at McKenzie Arena in the first game of a once-bitter rivalry in six seasons.
UTC (7-2) hosts NAIA member Tennessee Wesleyan on Dec. 14.
The Mocs shot 68 percent from the field and 88 percent (22-of-25) on free throws, while committing only two turnovers in the final 20 minutes of a game they trailed 41-33 at the break. They pounded the paint for 46 points, with 28 coming in the second half.
"This was the first real competitive game for us since Tennessee," McLean said. "In the first half, we didn't do a good job of handling adversity, but at halftime we talked about embracing it and having fun.
"I told the guys that this was our one chance to play in front of these fans tonight."
And McLean had lots of fun, going 11-for-17 from the field and 10-for-13 from the foul line, scoring on drives to the hoop, 3-pointers and floaters in the lane. He was 6-for-9 from the field in the second half and totaled five steals and five rebounds in 38 minutes, and he was one of five UTC players in double figures.
"It could be anyone's night. Tonight was just my night," McLean said.
Justin Tuoyo scored all 16 of his points in the second half, while adding six rebounds and five blocks. Greg Pryor scored all 15 of his points in 13 second-half minutes and added four assists. Makinde London had 13 points and a pair of steals, and Casey Jones had 12 points in 16 minutes, battling foul trouble throughout.
The Mocs forced 11 second-half turnovers, and their pressure eventually started to wear on the Thundering Herd. Jon Elmore, the visitors' leading scorer with 27 points, missed three key second-half free throws, and Marshall was 13-for-19 from the line.
The Thundering Herd are coached by Dan D'Antoni, brother of Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni.
"I thought our energy level defensively, especially in the second half, was key," UTC coach Matt McCall said. "They're a terrific team, one of the best offensive teams in the country for a reason, and it would be easy for us to get distracted, but we kept playing and that was a huge key for us tonight.
"I'm really proud of our team."
Starting guard Johnathan Burroughs-Cook tweaked an injury on a second-half drive and was limited to seven minutes. His injury, plus Jones and Pryor battling early foul trouble, caused McCall to adjust his lineup throughout the game. At one point, McLean was in the game with sophomores London and Nat Dixon and true freshmen Rodney Chatman and Makale Foreman.
UTC's Tre' McLean passes inside guarded by Marshall's Stevie Browning (2) and Austin Loop (35).The Mocs opened the second half with an 11-2 run, but Marshall (5-3) answered by building a seven-point lead after a 3-pointer by Austin Loop. McLean responded with a 3-pointer two possessions later and scored 12 points in an 18-5 run that swung momentum in the Mocs' favor. Although there was one more tie, the Thundering Herd never took the lead again, while the Mocs stretched their advantage to 11 at the final buzzer.
"We just stayed connected," Tuoyo said. "That's something we put in our system every day, and before the half we got together and said we were going to stay connected, keep the game plan going.
"It all came together. Through the ups and downs, we stayed together the whole time."
Elmore added 12 assists to his point total but had seven turnovers while being covered by different Mocs throughout. Ryan Taylor had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Stevie Browning had 11 points and Loop added 10.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.