SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Elon coach Matt Matheny received a standing ovation when he emerged from the lockerroom after his Phoenix beat the Mocs 83-80 on Saturday.
He deserved it.
The Phoenix hadn’t won a game since they beat the Mocs more than a month ago.
For the second time in 48 hours, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach John Shulman and his team lost two games to squads that entered the contest with 3-15 records.
“We put up 80 positives, and I saw improvements from the Greensboro game,” Shulman said. “There were a lot of losing plays we made in there. If the final 40 seconds go different, we’d be in a different mood today.”
The Mocs lost two games that they should have won — based on talent comparisons — during a six-day road trip which has been dreary and gray most of the way.
But Shulman pointed out before and during this mile-eating adventure that both teams have more experience in their starting lineups than the Mocs have through the bench.
Thursday’s game at UNC Greensboro wasn’t close because the Mocs didn’t score a point for nearly nine minutes during one second-half stretch.
Saturday’s game in Alumni Gym was close, but UTC lost because Elon went on a 29-6 run to close the first half and made critical plays in the closing two minutes including a steal and layup to give them a lead with 40 seconds to go.
Elon guard Drew Spradlin scorched UTC for 30 points including eight 3-pointers even though UTC did not play its usual double-team defense which allows for easy 3s.
“I think we played much better on Saturday,” Shulman said. “I thought we held our composure, played with some poise, so I think we grew from the Greensboro game to the Elon game.”
Now the Mocs head into a game they aren’t expected to win.
The Mocs (11-9, 3-4 SoCon) will play at Wofford (13-8, 5-3) on Monday at 7 p.m. in Benjamin Johnson Arena.
The Terriers have lost by three at Pitt and beat South Carolina and Georgia this season.
The early betting line — just as a point of reference — has Wofford as 14-point favorites over the Mocs. UTC hasn’t been such a big underdog since it faced then-No. 15 Georgia Tech.
“They are 2-0 in the SEC right now,” Shulman said. “They have everybody returning from last year. That’s the key. That’s why we’re struggling, Davidson is struggling.
“The teams are good are the teams that return a lot of key, important players.”
The Mocs practiced at tiny Spartanburg Methodist College — where the athletic offices on the second floor overlook the wooden bleachers — on Sunday because their scheduled time on Wofford’s campus was in the evening due to the double-header featuring the Lady Mocs.
“I still believe and have a lot of hope in our team even though we lost by three,” said guard Ricky Taylor who had 13 points against the Phoenix. “We had some winning plays but had a lot of losing plays.”
Freshman Josh Odem did not participate in the one-hour session because of a stomach illness. Trainer MacKenzie McDonald said Odem should be fine by tipoff because his virus isn’t as serious as others have had this season.
Shulman shortened the session to an hour because he said the players were exhausted after two games and more than 600 miles on a bus in the last three days including a late-night trip from Elon to Spartanburg right after the game.
“Being on that bus, time goes by so slow,” center DeAntre Jefferson said. “That was one of the quietist rides we’ve ever had because it was such a close loss and each of us were thinking about the tiny plays we could have made.”