HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - Marshall alumnus and fan Bart Andrews said early Saturday that the rivalry between the Thundering Herd and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has cooled since they last played in 1997.
"We don't hate them," Andrew said on the way to his seat. "We've mellowed. We've gotten older. And we haven't played in how long?"
The intense dislike might exist again after Saturday night.
The visiting Mocs claimed a controversial 69-68 win in the Cam Henderson Center.
"I'm not sure whether people back in Chattanooga would rather beat Marshall or Tennessee," UTC coach John Shulman said. "We didn't get Tennessee. But we beat Marshall."
And two former Huntington residents played key roles for the Mocs in their second straight victory.
Chris Early, a three-time state champion at Huntington High, led UTC with 13 points, and they all came in a four-minute stretch of the first half.
But Keegan Bell, whose father was an assistant coach at Marshall in the 1980s and lived here in first and second grade, made the critical and controversial play. He stepped in the lane and drew a charge from DeAndre Kane as the game clock expired and the ball swished through the net.
One official immediately waved off the shot, sending the Mocs bunch into a delirious celebration and most of the 4,934 in attendance into a tantrum. After a few seconds, all three officials discussed the play and agreed with the original call.
"We were ready for the drive and Coach said we'd give up a 3, but we weren't going to let them drive," said Bell, who scored 12 points. "I just dropped down and fortunately took the charge."
Shulman and Marshall coach Tom Herrion had a short chat at midcourt while waiting for the officials.
After the game Herrion said, "He drove it and got a shot up, but it didn't count and time expired. I thought it was the right [play] call at the time."
Time expiration, or referee Tom Eads putting his hand on the back of his head to indicate a charge, either way, the points didn't count in the end.
"It's a huge positive vibe," Bell said. "It's a feeling I haven't had since I've been here."
Early's early flurry came when the Mocs were down 10 points midway through the first half. He hit four 3-pointers and a free throw in less than four minutes to pull UTC into a tie at 26. He finished with those 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
"To come back here and to play in front of friends and family was huge for me," Early said. "I wanted to put on a show and make my family proud, and let them know I'm doing well and getting better."
Kane, who had the last bucket wiped away, led all players with 20 points. Teammate Dago Pena had 12 points for the Herd (2-1).
UTC led 36-35 at halftime. But Marshall built an eight-point lead less than five minutes into the second half.
Then UTC clawed to within a point when Omar Wattad converted a 3-pointer plus a free throw. He gave UTC its first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer with 4:03 to go.
The Mocs led by three on two occasions in the final minutes and Marshall pulled within one, but UTC never relinquished its lead.
"We didn't play great," Shulman said. "We gutted it out. What a great win."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP