Tre' McLean loves any time his team plays near his hometown.
Tuesday night just presented the latest example.
McLean had 26 points, nine rebounds and three steals as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team improved to 5-2 for the season with a 68-52 win over Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. That is less than two hours down the coast from his hometown of West Ashley, S.C.
The Mocs, who have played four straight on the road, will begin a three-game homestand Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.
Makinde London was 3-for-6 from 3-point range and finished with 11 points Tuesday for UTC. He and McLean had 28 of the team's 41 first-half points as the Mocs shot 53 percent from the field in building an 18-point advantage.
The second half wasn't as prolific on offense, but the one constant was the team's defensive effort as the Chanticleers were held to 33 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
UTC coach Matt McCall called it "one of the better defensive performances I've been a part of."
"(The Chanticleers) have so many pick-and-rolls, but we got our coverage in the game," McCall said. "Our focus defensively was through the roof. Offensively we were clicking, which got us the lead, but we focused on the right things.
"Even when we got a little sloppy, we still got stops."
McLean finished 10-for-17 from the field for his best scoring performance of the season. Rodney Chatman had nine pointswith three assists and three steals.
"It's just a recurring theme with this team," McLean said. "Just play your game and it might be your night. We all have confidence in each other.
"I had the hot hand tonight and we just rode it."
Jaylen Shaw scored 12 points to lead Coastal Carolina. Elijah Wilson, the team's leading scorer entering the game, was held to 11 on 4-11 shooting.