Peyton Woods dribbles the ball as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosts Hiwassee College in a men’s basketball game Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. UTC won their home opener by a score of 94-55.Typically, when a Peyton Woods 3-point shot goes up, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team’s reserves also stand up, in unison – some yelling “3!”; others holding three fingers in the air.
They’re shocked when the ball does not go in.
The freshman has made 6 of his 11 3-point attempts for the Mocs, aiding in their 2-0 start. He was not expecting to be an integral player early in the season but played 16 minutes in the opening overtime win at Georgia, hitting two of his four 3-point tries. He was 4-for-7 in Monday’s rout of Hiwassee, finishing with 14 points.
“I thought I would be in the rotation maybe, but definitely not this much playing time,” he said this week. “Against Georgia, that was a game I wanted to get in – I hoped I would get in – but I didn’t expect 16 minutes. That’s the way the game went, and I just went in there and played my hardest.”
UTC has averaged 93 points in the two wins, with almost half – 45 points per game – coming from the reserves.