BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In a basketball season when all hands have had to be on deck for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men - because there aren't many hands to begin with - walk-on player Jamaal Walker was just the latest to make an imprint on the Mocs' perfect start.
Walker, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound redshirt freshman and former East Hamilton standout, knocked down a jumper with 19.9 seconds to play, and UTC continued its improbable start with a 69-66 win against the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Saturday at Bartow Arena.
The Mocs earned the first win at UAB in program history in their 10th attempt, with their ninth try having been an 89-47 humbling on Nov. 13, 2017, UTC's second game under coach Lamont Paris. UTC also became the first team in the country to reach 8-0 this season, and the Mocs extended the best start of their Division I era and matched the program's best start ever; the 1973-74 Mocs also opened 8-0.
For the Blazers, Saturday's loss was their first in eight games to start this season.
UTC will try to finish nonconference play undefeated when it faces Tennessee State at 3 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday in Nashville. The Mocs' Southern Conference opener is Dec. 30 against visiting Furman.
All of this success has come with just eight players available, with Paris and the Mocs shorthanded due to injuries early in the season, a player in limbo (junior forward Mark Tikhonenko) and another (fifth-year senior guard David Jean-Baptiste) in the NCAA transfer portal. Tikhonenko, after playing the first two games, is back home in Russia dealing with passport and visa issues; Jean-Baptiste decided to move on after the first five games.
Walker had six points and five assists against the Blazers, but most importantly, he played his role perfectly by slowing UAB guard Jalen Benjamin, who had 11 points in the first half but was held to just three in the second while being primarily guarded by Walker.
"After the game, I told him that if he continues to grow, I think he can put a stamp on this league (the SoCon) and in college basketball," Paris said.
The game was won on the offensive end, and the difference was the extra points the Mocs stole that UAB didn't. The Mocs made four more 3-pointers (7-3) and seven more free throws (12-5), offsetting 10 more points in the paint by the Blazers.
Malachi Smith had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the Mocs, while Trey Doomes added 15, seven and four in those categories. A.J. Caldwell had 12 points and five rebounds, and Stefan Kenic finished with 11 points.
UAB, which trailed 35-31 at halftime, was led by Michael Ertel in points (18) and by Trey Jemison in rebounds (12).
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC's Trey Doomes drives to the basket as Northern Kentucky's David Bhm defends on Dec. 5 at McKenzie Arena.Mocs star
Doomes' burst of energy from the moment he steps on the court is just something that appears to be contagious. The Mocs fell behind 14-2 early, then quickly clawed their way back into the game the moment the 6-foot-3, 171-pound junior guard entered. His length - and strength - on defense affected a lot of what the Blazers were trying to do.
Key stat
The Mocs outscored the Blazers by a combined 19 in 3-pointers and free throws.
Turning point
Score. Stop. Score. Stop. Score. That was the key sequence, and it all came in the final 64 seconds, with the most pivotal part a hustle play by UTC's K.C. Hankton after a Smith pass was tipped. Hankton, a transfer playing just his second game for the Mocs, dove to the floor and secured the ball before finding Walker, who dribbled before knocking down the midrange jumper that gave the visitors the lead for good.
Quotable
"No one is going to feel sorry for us right now. It's a pandemic, obviously, and there are a lot of teams going through different stuff. I'm pretty sure we're not the only team with eight players, but if we lose they're not going to say, 'Ah, they only have eight players.' No one is going to feel sorry for us." - Smith on the Mocs being shorthanded
"We've just bought in to what Coach has to say. We don't care who scores the most, we just care about winning and just holding each other accountable and trying to do the best for the team at all times." - Walker on why the Mocs are succeeding
Final thought
A team that is basically held together with duct tape is sitting pretty right now. There's no rhyme or reason for the start, other than the Mocs having bought in to Paris and what he teaches and having created a level of toughness to stick together through pretty much everything. Only one nonconference game remains before SoCon play begins, but by every metric the first third of the season must be considered a success to date.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.