Whether it’s with defensive schemes, physical play or simply words, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga guard Trey Bonham has been around long enough to know opponents are going to attack him and his teammates.
It’s even harder to keep your composure on the basketball court when those attacks come while your team is down.
And yet during Saturday’s Southern Conference matchup at McKenzie Arena, despite seeing Mercer hit everything it shot as the Mocs endured another of their now-typical slow starts, Bonham and the home team never flinched, assuming control in the second half and pulling away for a 93-84 win in front of a loud crowd of 3,551.
The Mocs, who won for the third straight game and the sixth time in their past seven, improved to 15-8 overall this season and 7-3 in the Southern Conference, earning a regular-season split with the Bears, who fell to 11-12 and 4-6. Saturday’s game tipped off UTC’s second run through the SoCon this regular season, and the win avenged a 99-94 overtime loss to Mercer on New Year’s Day in Macon, Georgia.
Bonham had a solid outing, with the fifth-year senior totaling 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists while getting the best of Mercer guard Ahmad Robinson in the second meeting. Robinson had 19 points and six assists, but he sat for most of the second half after picking up his fourth foul — a flagrant for pushing Garrison Keeslar down — with 17:39 to play and Mercer ahead 54-46.