The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team has been here before.
During a preseason scrimmage against Auburn, Chuck Ester injured a knee on the first play of the game, and the Mocs didn’t respond well.
When Casey Jones – another senior – went down with a knee injury early against Jacksonville State on Wednesday, UTC was more prepared.
The Mocs led 11-2 prior to Jones’ injury. After that the Gamecocks cut the gap to three points right away and trimmed it to four points twice early in the half, but the Mocs assumed control and earned a 73-57 win at McKenzie Arena.
UTC (9-3) starts Southern Conference play with a two-game road trip next weekend, beginning with a game against Western Carolina on Dec. 31.