SoCon Semifinals
UTC 73, Western Carolina 69Western Carolina (16-17)Brummitt 9-12 4-5 23, Gosselin 1-4 0-0 2, Browning 6-9 2-2 14, Brown 8-16 2-2 19, Peterson 0-5 0-0 0, Harrelson 2-9 0-0 5, Mutombo 2-3 0-0 4, Deloach 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-60 8-9 69.UTC (28-5)Ester 5-8 1-2 13, Tuoyo 1-6 2-2 4, McLean 5-10 0-0 12, Pryor 6-10 2-4 16, Robertson 4-6 3-4 12, Oldham 1-10 3-4 6, Burroughs-Cook 1-3 2-2 4, Ethridge 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 25-56 15-20 73.Halftime—36-all. 3-point goals—Western Carolina 3-17 (Brummitt 1-1, Brown 1-3, Harrelson 1-6, Mutombo 0-1, Gosselin 0-2, Browning 0-2, Peterson 0-2); UTC 8-16 (Ester 2-2, McLean 2-4, Pryor 2-6, Robertson 1-2, Oldham 1-2). Rebounds—Western Carolina 39 (Browning 11); UTC 27 (McLean 6). Assists—Western Carolina 8 (Brown 3); UTC 9 (Pryor 5). Turnovers—Western Carolina 20 (Brummitt 8); UTC 16 (Ester 4). Blocks—Western Carolina 3 (Gosselin, Browning, Brown); UTC 6 (Tuoyo 3). Steals—Western Carolina 9 (Brown 3); UTC 13 (Oldham 6). Total fouls—Western Carolina 20, UTC 14. Fouled out—none.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – March basketball is about surviving and advancing.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga did just that Sunday evening.
The Mocs were outshot and outrebounded by Western Carolina in their Southern Conference tournament semifinal, but they won the battle of free throws and turnovers to earn a 73-69 victory over the Catamounts and advance to the tournament title game for the first time since 2009.
UTC will face ETSU in tonight’s final at 9 at the U.S. Cellular Center, with the game televised on ESPN2.
Greg Pryor finished with 16 points to lead the Mocs (28-5) while adding five assists. Chuck Ester scored 13 points, while Tre’ McLean and Eric Robertson had 12 each. McLean grabbed a team-high six rebounds, and Justin Tuoyo contributed five rebounds and three blocks despite battling foul trouble for the second consecutive game.
“Western Carolina is a very good team, but we outtoughed them and did our job,” Ester said. “We worked hard for this, since the summer. It’s here now, and it has paid off.”
The Mocs forced 20 turnovers and went 15-of-20 from the free-throw line, including 10-for-13 in the second half.
UTC jumped out to double-digit leads in both halves, but the Catamounts (16-17) – who beat UTC 67-61 last month in Cullowhee, N.C., and had won five straight games entering Sunday – roared back on each occasion. A 3-pointer by McLean gave the Mocs a 17-7 lead in the first half, but Western Carolina fought back, taking a three-point lead late in the half in the final minute.
The Mocs ran one final play, and after missing his first 3-point attempt, Pryor sprinted to get the rebound and nailed a 3 at the buzzer to send the teams into the locker room tied at 36.
“I thought we had him trapped at halfcourt,” Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said. “We didn’t execute the trap well, but we’ve got to get that rebound.
“He made a big shot.”
The Mocs surged to start the second half, outscoring the Catamounts 19-6 over the first seven minutes to take a 55-42 lead after a Duke Ethridge dunk with 13 minutes to play. Again, Western Carolina came back, trimming the lead to three in the final minute on a layup by Torrion Brummitt, then to 71-69 in the final seconds on a layup by Justin Browning.
But Robertson was fouled, went to the line and calmly made a pair of free throws for the final margin.
“It was a hard-fought game,” UTC first-year coach Matt McCall said. “Their physicality is something they hang their hat on, and they’re really, really good at it, but I’m really proud of our team for not getting rattled. We did not flinch and continued to play. Our toughness prevailed – late especially.
“These guys continue to amaze me with their toughness and their will to win. These guys have had it, and hopefully we can have it for one more night.”
Brummitt led the Catamounts with 23 points and nine rebounds. Mike Brown had 19 to go along with seven rebounds, while Browning added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“I thought the key to the game was the start of both halves,” Hunter said. “They jumped on us and made us play catch-up, but I couldn’t be more proud of the guys. We didn’t have our normal energy, but we competed and showed heart out there.
“We just weren’t able to get it done.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.