Something is going to have to change - and quickly.
Otherwise a season that began with so much promise for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team could close in a flurry of bad circumstances and bad losses.
There have been injuries - the preseason loss of senior forward Chuck Ester was huge, because he could have filled a lot of gaps in critical spots - but there might not have been anything Ester could have done to change the effort of some of his teammates Saturday.
The Mocs lost 64-54 to Mercer in front of 5,632 at McKenzie Arena on the same day they honored five seniors for their contributions. The loss was their third consecutive and fourth in six games, and this one may have been the toughest to stomach.
As it has on a number of occasions this season, UTC's offense stalled, shooting 38 percent from the field. The Mocs (19-10, 10-7) had only 10 turnovers but very rarely posed a consistent threat against the stingy Bears (14-16, 8-9).
Despite battling foul trouble, Justin Tuoyo had 14 points and six rebounds to lead the Mocs, who finish the regular season Monday at The Citadel. As for his fellow seniors in action Saturday, Casey Jones scored 11 points, Greg Pryor added 10 and a team-leading six assists (a season high), Jonathan Burroughs-Cook scored six and Tre' McLean was scoreless in 14 first-half minutes and didn't play in the second half.
The remaining points came from redshirt sophomore Makinde London (seven) and freshman Rodney Chatman (six).
UTC coach Matt McCall sat at the podium after the game and talked about how "disappointed" he was with his players' response once adversity struck.
"I feel really bad for certain guys in that locker room," McCall said. "I feel bad for Justin Tuoyo, he's laying it on the line. He's had the right approach, and I really hope it pays off for him in the end, because he deserves it.
"I'm not saying guys don't care, but when things go wrong, you have to be able to respond the right way."
The Mocs led 23-17 at halftime, in large part due to a defense - a constant bright spot for the team this season - that held the Bears to 26 percent shooting. Yet that same defense gave up 47 points on 57 percent shooting in the second half, when McCall tried any combination possible while hoping for a spark.
McCall addressed McLean's second-half absence.
"There's just a certain standard here," he said. "You don't meet the standard, there's consequences to be paid. It's about your response and responding the right way, and he didn't do that tonight.
"For me as a coach, it's disheartening, it's disappointing, because he's a player that's put his heart and soul into this university and this program for three years. He was arguably the Southern Conference player of the year last year, and maybe the expectation piece he struggled with, but he has to understand that you've got to respond the right way, and he didn't do that tonight."
McCall added the staff would meet and determine McLean's status for Monday's game.
With McLean out, freshman Rodney Chatman logged 26 minutes and had two assists to go with his points. When Tuoyo briefly went out of the game in the second half, he was replaced by Trayvond Massenburg because London was also in foul trouble. Guards Makale Foreman and Peyton Woods also logged time in the second half.
The Mocs still led, 45-43, with 7:41 to play after a Chatman free throw, but Massenburg fouled Ria'n Holland on a 3-point attempt on the next possession and the guard hit all three shots from the foul line, which started a spurt that helped the Bears take control.
A Tuoyo 3-pointer cut the gap to 50-48 with 5:39 to play, but by the time he scored again with 1:52 remaining, the Mocs trailed by five. Mercer finished on a 7-2 run, hitting seven free throws over the final 1:23 to seal the win.
"In the first half, we couldn't get a basket," Mercer coach Bob Hoffman said. "In the second half, we got some separation and made some tremendous hustle plays that gave us energy and separation to be able to get the win.
"It was just a fantastic win tonight."
Jordan Strawberry led the Bears with 17 points. Holland added 15, and Desmond Ringer scored 11 to go with seven rebounds. Stephon Jelks added a team high eight boards, while seldom-used JJ N'Ganga had four points and seven rebounds.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.