Lamont Paris has made it clear that if his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team is going to be a factor in what is shaping up to be a very strong Southern Conference, several areas need to improve.
After Friday’s 79-45 win over Bryan College, Paris acknowledged at least two of those areas seem headed in the right direction.
The Mocs (6-8) held the NAIA Division II Lions (6-8) to 30 percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers while also – behind 6-foot-10 Arizona State transfer Ramon Vila – showing an improved inside game.
“I thought we did a good job defensively,” Paris said. “I think they had 10 straight possessions at the end of the first half when they didn’t score. Our defense has been feast or famine as far as points put on the board. We’ve had good halves and some we would like to forget with 40s and even 50s put up, which is unbelievable to me.
“Offensively, we specifically threw the ball in more, and those guys were more productive in this game. We’re going to have to be productive down there. It allows you to get to the free-throw line, and the percentages on those baskets is always high.”
Kevin Easley led five Mocs scoring in double figures with 17 points, with Vila and Jerry Johnson adding 12 each, Donovann Toatley 11 and Thomas Smallwood 10. UTC shot 57.7 percent from the field, including 11-of-23 from 3-point range, and showed a willingness to share the ball that often produced wide-open shots.
“Once you’re on the court and the ball is moving and everyone starts getting easy baskets, it’s a really good feeling and you want to do it more,” said Smallwood, who scored eight points in the game’s first five minutes. “We’ve done a much better job sharing the ball the last few games.
“That’s very important moving forward. We need to trust with each other and let the basketball find whoever is hot that night and not force things.”
UTC also showed its newfound depth. Vila, playing his fourth game; A.J. Caldwell, who is in his second week of play; and Toatley, in his second game back from suspension, sparked an 18-8 run in the first half after the Lions had tied the game at 11.
Caldwell and Toatley hit 3-pointers and Vila scored seven points during the run.
Many of the Mocs’ successful possessions included at least one pass into the paint, where the 7-foot Smallwood and later Vila made things happen, often with kickouts and open jumpers.
“Today, the clear advantage for our team was to go inside,” said Vila, who was 5-of-8 shooting. “We took advantage of it, and it also helps us raise our confidence. Personally, I’m feeling better every game. The first game was sloppy, but after a year and two months away from the court, that was normal. I feel more confident every day.”
UTC’s lead was 39-23 at halftime, and that was with leading scorer Easley producing only two points. He made up for it in the second half with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a pair of treys midway through the half that pushed the lead to more than 20 for good.
“I thought in the second half we were better with our urgency,” Paris said. “Going into break sometimes you see that, but I thought it was much better in the second half.
“We warned them about not coming out hard. They see it’s a non-Division I opponent and they automatically think it’s going to go a certain way. I’m glad we were ready to play.”
E.J. Bush led Bryan with 14 points and matched UTC’s Easley for game-high rebounding honors with nine.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.