ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Duke Ethridge said he had to help “break the curse.”
It was an ending that he and other University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball reserves played a big role in ending.
Ethridge played quite possibly the best game of his UTC career, posting his first career double-double as the Mocs rallied to defeat Samford 59-54 in the Southern Conference tournament quarterfinals. The 6-foot-5 senior had 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Mocs ended a streak of five consecutive first-game losses in the conference tournament.
“I just wanted to go all out, give the team my best shot and play hard for 40 minutes because I’d want my teammates to do the same for me,” Ethridge said. “I wanted to make sure we didn’t lose this time, and we didn’t. When I was seeing my teammates going out with foul trouble, it motivated me to go into the game and play harder, do my best and put the team on my back.”
The UTC bench had 30 points, outscoring its starters for the fourth time this season, and second against a NCAA Division I opponent (The Citadel, Feb. 1). Ethridge and Dee Oldham combined to score 25 points Saturday.