This was a mismatch long before the opening tip.
The Chattanooga Mocs, looking to rebound from a tough loss on the road at Ole Miss on Wednesday, got back on the winning track as they totally demolished the Covenant Scots Saturday afternoon at McKenzie Arena.
Racing to a commanding 61-14 lead at halftime, the Mocs evened their record at 2-2 with the 108-55 victory over a team from nearby Lookout Mountain.
Nobody expected this game to be close and it wasn’t, but it gave first-year UTC coach Dan Earl a chance to get all of his players lots of playing time as they all scored as well.
“We went after them early, but we played the right way and I’m certainly pleased with the result,” Earl said shortly after the final horn sounded.
“Overall, it was a pretty good game as it gave some of our less-experienced guys a chance to play under the lights in a real game situation. It was a great chance for us to sharpen our skills on both ends of the floor and it was nice to see the ball go in the basket. Making 22 3s helps everything,” Earl added.
Jake Stephens nailed a jumper from the wing in the first minute of the game to give Chattanooga a 2-0 lead before a 3 from Covenant’s Logan Pearlman at the 19:13 mark gave the Scots their only lead of the game at 3-2.
An 11-0 run put the Mocs ahead at 13-3 following a 3 by Demetrius Davis with 15:57 to play and the runaway game was on.
Sam Alexis scored on a putback just ahead of the buzzer to give the Mocs their biggest lead of the half at 61-14.
The Mocs had the hot hand shooting the ball as they sank 21 of 33 field attempts for 63.6 percent, including 12 of 20 from long range for 60.0 percent.
Covenant, on the other hand, struggled from the field as they sank just four of 27 field goals for 14.8 percent in the opening 20 minutes, including just one of 14 from long range.
The second half was much more normal for both teams as Chattanooga’s shooting cooled off a bit while Covenant started to find the range more.
The Mocs still had a 47-41 scoring edge in the second half, but it wasn’t nearly as lopsided as the first.
A 3 by Ashton Smith with 2:25 to play put the Mocs over the century mark at 102-49.
Four Chattanooga players finished in double figures, including Alexis, who came off the bench to lead the way with 27 points and he also led the team in rebounding with 11.
Stephens followed with 15 points, all in the first half, while Jamaal Walker and Randy Brady both had double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Jonathan Gernatt, Charlie Hester and Eli Witt all scored eight points to lead Covenant.
Chattanooga finished the game by sinking 22 of 40 from long range, which broke the old school record of 17. Every Moc except Johnny Taylor Jr. had at least one 3.
The Mocs will be at home for their next two games, including Wednesday against Lipscomb in a game with a 4 p.m. start.
Chattanooga is now 4-0 in games with Covenant. The Mocs won last year by a 100-39 final.
COVENANT (55) – Igbanu 6, Pearlman 3, Gernatt 8, Hester 8, Noel 2, Crowden 3, Witt 8, St. Germain 3, Hood, Mathis 2, Mitchell 3, Compere 3, Hunter 6, Christiansen.
CHATTANOOGA (108) – Davis 7, Jake Stephens 15, Caldwell 3, Johnson 5, White 5, Sam Alexis 27, Robinson 9, Randy Brady 11, Jamaal Walker 13, Smith 9, Taylor Jr. 4.
FIELD GOALS: Covenant 20 of 57 for 35.1 percent; Chattanooga 38 of 66 for 57.6 percent.
3-POINT GOALS: Covenant 10 of 30 for 33.3 percent (Igbanu 0-4, Pearlman 1-3, Gernatt 1-7, Hester 2-4, Noel 0-1, Crowden 1-2, Witt 0-1, St. Germain 1-2, Hood 0-1, Mitchell 1-2, Compere 1-1, Hunter 2-2); Chattanooga 22 of 40 for 55.0 percent (Davis 2-5, Stephens 3-4, Caldwell 1-3, Johnson 1-5, White 1-1, Alexis 4-8, Robinson 3-5, Brady 1-2, Walker 3-3, Smith 3-3, Taylor Jr. 0-1).
REBOUNDS: Covenant 20 (Hester 5); Chattanooga 48 (Alexis 11, Brady 8, Stephens 7, Davis 4, Caldwell 4, White 4, Walker 4).
ASSISTS: Covenant 14 (Pearlman 3, Hood 3); Chattanooga 26 (Davis 6, Robinson 4, Brady 4, White 3, Alexis 3).
TURNOVERS: Covenant 8 (Hood 2); Chattanooga 5 (Robinson 2).
STEALS: Covenant 1 (Hood); Chattanooga 5 (Davis, Johnson, Alexis, Walker, Taylor Jr.).
BLOCKS: Covenant 1 (Mathis); Chattanooga 3 (Stephens, Alexis, Brady).
HALFTIME SCORE: Chattanooga, 61-14.
ATTENDANCE: 2,510.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)