The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga won its Southern Conference opener tonight in McKenzie Arena.
The Mocs beat Appalachian State 81-69 in the first SoCon contest for both teams.
Omar Wattad led UTC with 21 points, Chris Early and Ricky Taylor each had 13 points and DeAntre Jefferson added 11 points.
UTC point guard Keegan Bell set a career high with 13 assists.
ASU guard Donald Sims, the third-leading scorer in the country, led ASU with 28 points.
A 22-7 run in the second half spurred UTC to victory.
The Mocs (3-5, 1-0) will face Western Carolina on Saturday at 1 p.m.
See Friday’s Times Free Press for more coverage.