It took a few minutes Sunday afternoon for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team to get over the extended Christmas break as NAIA Division I program Cumberland University visited McKenzie Arena.
Once the Mocs did, they rolled.
Twelve UTC players scored in the 72-42 win, led by Ramon Vila’s 12 points. David Jean-Baptiste and Matt Ryan added 11 and 10 points, respectively, and the UTC bench scored 32.
The Mocs (9-5) limited the Phoenix (9-5) to 35% shooting and held a 46-25 edge in rebounds, led by Vila’s eight and seven from reserve Stefan Kenic.
UTC, which is 0-1 in Southern Conference play after opening earlier this month at Western Carolina, returns to league competition at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercer, with the win against Cumberland the nonconference finale.
SUNDAY’S STAR
The minutes were spread out for UTC, with reserves playing a good bit of the second half. However, it was Vila who had the most impact when the game was still fairly close. The junior post led the Mocs in scoring and rebounding despite playing just 19 minutes, and he was clearly the focus of the offense early, something that will likely increase in SoCon play.
STANDOUT STAT
Not a shocker, but the Mocs’ depth was on display against the lower-level program from the Nashville area. UTC finished the game with a 21-point edge in bench scoring, led by Justin Brown’s eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in 11 minutes. Kenic, who joined the active roster last month, added seven points. In all, seven of the eight UTC reserves who played also scored.
TURNING POINT
It was 9-all before the Mocs were able to shake the rust from the long holiday break, with their previous game a 68-64 win at UNC Asheville on Dec. 21. Jean-Baptiste’s 3-pointer gave UTC the lead for good at the 14:33 mark of the first half and sparked a 21-7 run over the next seven minutes. Included in that surge were 3-pointers from Scott and Jean-Baptiste, plus traditional three-point plays from Rod Johnson and Kenic.
WHAT IT MEANS
The game achieved what it was meant to, giving the Mocs a chance to get back in rhythm before settling into the league schedule. Otherwise, there isn’t much that will translate on the court from this one, though UTC’s communication was good. If anyone might have earned more playing time, it was probably Trey Doomes, who in only 14 minutes managed five each in assists, points and rebounds.
QUOTABLE
UTC coach Lamont Paris on playing time: “I felt good that everybody got to play and some played a lot of minutes. It was a good team effort. A lot of people contributed. Overall, I thought our bench was excited about playing and came in and competed and played well.”
Vila on the Mocs’ mindset: “Our goal was to take care of business and be mature. These are games that can be close at half, and Coach talked to us about that. He said we had to start strong. We took care of business early and allowed some players who don’t play as much to get some minutes to demonstrate what they can do and that they’re here for a reason.”
Jean-Baptiste on improved communication: “Communication is a key of ours, especially on the defensive end – the talk about screens, to tell players where to go, to know their tendencies. Communication is key, and every day in practice we try to talk, tell guys to say more. It’s something we focus on, and it’s showing in the game.”
NOTABLE
The 42 points are the fewest allowed by the Mocs since 41 against Hiwassee on Dec. 21, 2011. The Mocs allowed just two offensive rebounds after giving up just three at UNC Asheville. They have a .924 defensive rebounding percentage over the past 80 minutes played. Vila led the Mocs in scoring for the first time this season and is riding a five-game double-digit scoring streak. The Mocs were plus-26 with Jean-Baptiste on the court (25 minutes), though that wasn’t the best plus/minus ratio on the team. Brown was plus-18 in just 12 minutes, with Jonathan Scott plus-17 in 11.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.