By now, anyone who follows the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team knows how unusually unknown the Mocs were starting the season.
UTC, in fact, had the fewest returning lettermen in the country - exactly one. So when coach Lamont Paris talks about teaching moments, he's not just speaking in coachism. When those moments happen during a victory, as they did late in Saturday's 80-75 win over visiting Southern Conference foe Samford, the teacher is at least pleased.
The Mocs (8-10, 3-2) built a 14-point lead in the second half before seeing it cut to one late as the Bulldogs took advantage of several mistakes. UTC held on thanks to a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes by David Jean-Baptiste and Kevin Easley and a handful of quality defensive stops.
"Basketball happened," Paris said when asked what allowed the Bulldogs to get back in the game. "We did some things to ourselves during that stretch like turning the ball over everywhere, uncharacteristically, and we have to manage that better.
"We also missed two front ends of one-and-ones and a couple of other free throws. Those are unbelievable learning experiences for these guys. For us, you can't script it any better, in that regard."
The Mocs continued their hot shooting streak Saturday, going 31-of-59 from the field (58.6 percent) and a sizzling 12-for-24 from 3-point range. Easley led the way with 20 points, including a 4-of-6 mark on 3s. He has now made 29 of his past 52 3-point shots, and his trey with 56 seconds to play pushed a precarious lead to five.
"I was just trying to get shots within the offense," the freshman said. "Coach had a lot of plays set up for me because he knew Ramon (Vila) and the guys inside were going to have a tough matchup."
The 6-foot-8, 242-pound Vila may have been outsized against fellow Spaniard Ruben Guerrero (listed at 7-foot, 240 pounds), but he more than held his own, finishing with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, his first double-double as a Moc. UTC had a 38-36 rebounding edge.
"That was really important," said Paris, who also praised his guards for helping inside. "They have a really strong team, especially with Guerrero - he's a load - and we had to step up today inside. With our guards having to block out, it put us in even a more compromising situation. They did a good job for the most part of being physical."
UTC had a 10-point lead with four minutes to go in the first half after back-to-back 3-pointers from Easley and Thomas Smallwood, but Samford closed the half with a 10-2 run, the last four points coming from Robert Allen, to make it a 41-39 game.
The Mocs quickly regrouped to start the second half with a 10-0 run that included treys from Smallwood (3-for-3 from 3-point range for the game) and Jerry Johnson Jr. When super sub Donovann Toatley hit a midrange jumper with 12:18 to play, the lead had swelled to 14.
It was then the Mocs' youth showed. The Bulldogs turned it over on their next possession, but UTC gave it right back and Brandon Austin made the Mocs pay with a 3-pointer.
"We had one potential turning point, up 14 and got a steal, and we tried to force it and turned it over," Paris said. "They got a 3, but if we score after their turnover, it's 16 or 17, that changes the complexion of the game. Unbelievable teaching point right there."
The Bulldogs seized momentum, going on a 15-3 run, cutting the UTC lead to one on an Allen putback with 2:10 remaining. After turnovers by each team Jean-Baptiste hit a corner trey off a feed from Easley, who moments later put a nail in the Samford coffin with his own bomb and a five-point lead.
"This past week we got a lot of work in, and it showed today," said Easley, who said the team is hoping to take advantage of this three-game run of league home games. "We've got three big opportunities here, and we're looking forward to it."
Toatley added 10 points for the Mocs, while Josh Sharkey topped Samford with 22, with most of that coming in the first half.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.