The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team used a furious comeback to force overtime in its Southern Conference opener Wednesday at Mercer, but ultimately fell 99-94 to the Bears at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia.
Mercer (8-6, 1-0) held an 81-72 lead with 1:11 to play before UTC senior Frank Champion took over, scoring six of his team-high 24 points in the final minute, including a buzzer-beating layup to force the extra frame.
He would follow up with all nine UTC points in the extra period, but the Bears took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Cam Bryant with 2:09 to play that made it 92-89. Alex Holt followed with a basket inside, but Champion had a layup and a 3-pointer, the latter cutting the deficit to 95-94 with 13 seconds to play. Mercer’s Tyler Johnson and Jah Quinones hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
The Mocs had 11 turnovers in the first half and 17 for the game, six by Champion who also led the team in scoring (24) and assists (five) and had seven rebounds, one fewer than Bash Wieland – who scored 19 points – and Sean Cusano. The Bears held the Mocs’ guard tandem of Trey Bonham and Honor Huff in check, with Bonham finishing with 11 points, all in the second half, and Huff had six on a pair of 3-pointers.