In basketball, it’s said you can live by the 3-point shot or you can die by the 3-point shot. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team lived well enough by it Saturday afternoon to win 71-60 over visiting Tennessee Tech.
The Mocs (4-5) made 13 3-pointers on 29 attempts, doing most of the damage in the first half when they went 10-of-22 from 3-point range to build a big lead before holding off the Golden Eagles (1-7) down the stretch at McKenzie Arena.
On a day that began with the team announcing the indefinite suspension of freshman guard Donovann Toatley for violating team rules, the Mocs made sure to quickly ensure that bad news wouldn’t affect their game.
UTC’s long-range attack started with a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes on a pair of 3s by freshman Kevin Easley and another trey by fellow freshman Maurice Commander.
“Today kind of started off a little differently,” Commander said. “I got a 3-point shot as my first play. It kind of set me up pretty well and got me into the flow, and it set up my teammates pretty well, too.”
The Mocs had four players score in double figures, led by redshirt junior Jerry Johnson Jr. with 14 points and 13 by Commander. Easley and redshirt sophomore David Jean-Baptiste each scored 11.
“We’ve been preaching ball movement, cutting and getting everybody the ball as much as we can in the 30-second shot clock,” Johnson said “It just really clicked today whether it was a cutter or a guy stepping off for a 3 and making extra passes. It all just really worked out for us today.”
The Mocs made 45.2 percent of their shots from the field in the opening half while holding Tennessee Tech to 9-of-26 shooting from the floor.
“When you’re shooting the ball that well, then from an offensive standpoint that does wonders,” Mocs coach Lamont Paris said. “You feel like you’ve got your mojo that day on offense. The biggest part was the decisions that we made led to the quality of shots that we had. You’re not always going to shoot that high a percentage even when you get that high a quality of shots, but your chances go up, that’s for sure.”
UTC led by as much as 19 in the first half and capped the opening 20 minutes with Commander hitting a buzzer-beating shot from more than 30 feet out for a 40-23 lead at the break.
Paris said the 3-point attack was dictated primarily by Tech’s strong interior defense that led to opportunities on the perimeter.
“They crowd the paint when you get the ball inside,” Paris said of the Golden Eagles. “We like to establish ourselves on the inside, and I think there were a lot of those balls that came from the inside out. That’s why we had 19 assists on 24 baskets.”
Tech improved its shooting in the second half while limiting the Mocs to three 3s and forcing 12 turnovers. The Golden Eagles cut their deficit to eight points late in the game, but UTC made shots to secure the win.
The Golden Eagles were led by former McCallie School standout Jr. Clay, who scored 15 points in front of a large showing of family and friends decked out in purple-and-gold shirts with Clay’s No. 4 on the front.
“It was really exciting,” Clay said of his hometown cheering section. “Just knowing that I have that support means a lot to me. Of course, we wanted a different outcome, but we had a good outing. We haven’t clicked yet, but we’ve got a good team.”
While not as prolific scoring in the second half, several Mocs contributed to the wins in other ways. Easley led the team with six rebounds to help UTC win the battle of the glass 38-31. Johnson had five rebounds and four assists, center Thomas Smallwood had five rebounds and three assists and Commander contributed three assists and three steals.
“I have always taught that you can affect in a lot of different ways, especially on the defense end,” Paris said. “Those things are more reproducible on a day-to-day basis. You prepare every day to get quality shots, but you can’t always rely on that. Defense is more reliable.”
With Toatley out of the lineup because of suspension, the Mocs got an additional body in South Alabama transfer A.J. Caldwell, who was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA prior to Saturday’s game. While the sophomore was scoreless in more than 11 minutes of action, he contributed in his debut with two rebounds and three assists.
“A.J. is a very intelligent basketball player, and his feel for the game and IQ is high,” Paris said. “There are some areas that he knows he needs to improve upon, but he’s a good teammate and a good team player. He keeps the ball moving, and he generally throws the ball to guys in the same color jersey as him.”
The Mocs’ next game is their Southern Conference opener on Dec. 9 against visiting Virginia Military Institute.
“We’ve got a few games under our belt now, and me being a freshman, I have a few games under my belt,” Commander said of his first month of Division I basketball. “I’m starting to get more comfortable, and I think our team as collective is starting to get more comfortable.
“For me, (Dec. 9) will be my first conference game in college, so we’ll see what that atmosphere is going to be like. I think everyone is just excited to just get the conference rolling, and see where we’re going to stand in conference at the end of the year.”
Contact Jim Tanner at JFTanner@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/JFTanner.