CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The offensive numbers were dazzling in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team’s 73-62 win Thursday night at Western Carolina University.
It was the Mocs’ defense, though, that drew raves from their coach.
“It might have been our best defensive effort,” said Lamont Paris, whose team forced the Catamounts into a 39.2 percent shooting night and created 15 turnovers. “It could have been even better, honestly, which is a nice thing to say after a win. Overall, I was really, really happy with our defense. We did a good job of sticking to our rules for the most part.”
The Mocs improved to 7-9 for the season and, more importantly, 2-1 in Southern Conference play. They will complete a three-game road stretch Saturday at East Tennessee State University.
Freshman Kevin Easley scored 21 points, including 5-for-5 success from 3-point range, and led UTC with seven rebounds. David Jean-Baptiste scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and was key on both ends of the floor during a 17-6 UTC run that turned the game.
Easley led an 11-for-22 night on 3s from the Mocs, who shot 51 percent overall.
After an A.J. Caldwell 3-pointer that put the Mocs up 56-53, Jean-Baptiste blocked a shot and completed a strong drive for a six-point lead. He then made a steal and sandwiched an Easley basket with a pair of 3s as the lead stretched to 11 with less than four minutes to play.
“Being down in the second half as a team, we had to come together on the defensive end because defense wins championships,” Jean-Baptiste said. “So we kept digging in and digging in to get stops. I say it was our best defensive game, especially how it was going starting the second half.”
The Mocs led throughout the first half, led by Easley’s hot start, but held only a 32-30 lead at halftime. The Catamounts (3-13, 0-3) controlled play early in the second half and took their first lead at 39-38 on a layup by Carlos Dotson. It was part of a nearly four-minute scoreless streak for UTC.
Struggling to score, the Mocs turned the momentum on the defensive end.
“Our stops on defense was the key,” Easley said. “We felt our offense would take care of itself, so Coach told us to lock in on defense. They had 11 points in the first four minutes of the second half, so turning up the defense is what sparked us.
“Tonight was about fighting and just wanting to win. Sometimes it’s just about the five guys on the court and wanting to win, and tonight we fought together and pulled it out.”
Easley, who had been fighting a shooting slump, was praised by his coach for where he got his shots and how he scored in the flow of the game.
“When guys get into a flow like that – the shot quality on his 3s were really good tonight – so you have to feed him,” Paris said. “It’s nice to have a guy that versatile in that position. He’s a flow-and-rhythm guy when it comes to shooting, and when he gets it going he can be a handful at times.
“I told the guys just now that this was a phenomenal team win and I felt good about the contributions when they were out there.”
Ramon Vila added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Donovann Toatley added nine points and a team-high four assists. Dotson led WCU with 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.