After banking in a 3-pointer that essentially secured his team’s third consecutive win, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore Collin Mulholland let out a yell in celebration.
It’s been a frustrating season to date for Mulholland and the Mocs, but both seem to be moving in the right direction with January halfway gone and Southern Conference competition really heating up.
UTC rallied Saturday afternoon for a 90-82 win against Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, North Carolina, with the Mocs improving to 9-10 overall and 3-3 in league play. It was also the 150th career win for Dan Earl, who is in his fourth season at UTC after a seven-year run as head coach at fellow Southern Conference program Virginia Military Institute.
The Mocs will try to get to .500 overall for the first time in more than a month — and over the hump in the SoCon for the first time this season — when they host rival East Tennessee State University on Wednesday, with tipoff at McKenzie Arena set for 7 p.m.
The Buccaneers (13-6, 5-1) were 76-75 winners Saturday at Samford — which is where the Mocs are headed on Jan. 24 for their next game after facing ETSU. The Mocs swept their home-and-home series with the Bucs last year on their way to the SoCon regular-season title.