Fans in section 115 of McKenzie Arena cheered until the end.
The problem for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is that section 115 contained nothing but purple-clad Furman fans.
The Paladins overcame a distinct home-court advantage for the Mocs and dispatched them into the offseason with a 62-51 win in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference basketball tournament Saturday night.
“There’s a lot of pressure playing at home, and we didn’t handle that pressure,” said UTC coach John Shulman, who had been 6-0 in SoCon tournament games in the Roundhouse. “We played poorly. We played out of character.”
The Mocs (16-16) built that pressure through the season, and certainly through the week leading up to the tournament after winning a share of the SoCon North Division title. They had good practices in their facility and at Notre Dame High School, sessions filled with hustle, enthusiasm and excitement.