Richards Leads Balanced Chattanooga Attack In Winning Coke Classic

It’s no secret that the fortunes of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball team revolve around the presence of guards Honor Huff and Trey Bonham. But with each passing game, opponents are discovering that the Mocs have much more offensive firepower beyond their dynamic backcourt duo.

That fact was on display Wednesday at McKenzie Arena in the final contest of the Coke Classic where the Mocs (5-3) placed six scorers in double figures on their way to their fifth consecutive win, defeating talented Bryant University by a final score of 84-76.

Forward Makai Richards, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Pacific University, led the balanced attack with 17 points in 17 minutes of play off the bench. Richards converted 4-of-5 field goal attempts, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the possession with 6:25 remaining to boost UTC’s shrinking advantage back to nine. It was the redshirt junior’s second trey this season in three tries after never attempting a shot beyond the arc during his two seasons at Pacific.

Richards was also steady at the charity stripe with only one miss in nine tries to go along with five rebounds.

“Makai obviously had a monster game,” Chattanooga coach Dan Earl said. “He paid attention to what they were doing defensively as they were switching a bunch of screens, so he was able to dive and get some things around the basket and get some free throws, which was awesome.”

Richards, who recorded a career-best 19 points earlier this season in the loss to St. Mary’s, credited his success to the offensive game plan operating with efficiency.

“You never know how a game is going to go, as it's really about the flow,” Richards said. “I really stuck with it, tried to dive hard and make the shots in front of me. I was just trying to help my team win in any instance possible.

“We were just playing together and sticking to the offense, moving the ball and trusting each other to make the right decisions. I feel like we were getting in the right spots to make tough shots.”

Bonham contributed 10 of his 15 points in the second half, while Sean Cusano added 13, Bash Wieland scored 12, Huff chipped in 11 and Collin Mulholand tallied 10 to round out the Mocs’ double-digit performers.

“I was really proud of the guys. I thought that was a great team win,” Earl said. “Obviously, we had six guys in double figures, so a variety of guys positively impacted the game. To have 19 assists and only 11 turnovers I think says a lot about us sharing the ball. And that was as dialed in as we've been defensively with paying attention to the scouting report. Overall, I thought we played great team basketball. Better team basketball makes for a better Thanksgiving.”

After experiencing sluggish starts in previous games, the Mocs displayed renewed intensity from the opening tip against the America East Conference school from Rhode Island. Back-to-back 3s from Cusano gave Chattanooga an early 19-11 lead, then six straight points from Mulholland swelled the margin to a dozen at 25-13 with 9:49 until halftime.

“I reminded them that as soon as the ball is tipped, it’s ‘go’ time,” Earl said. “I'd like to say I just have to say that every game and we'll come out to a great start. The guys are smart enough to know that you can't dig a hole like we did against Tennessee State and some other games and then play from behind. That's not fair to themselves, not fair to their teammates. I just thought we had much better focus coming out and being ready to play.”

The Mocs maintained a 12-point lead with under three minutes left in the first half before Bryant mounted a charge. The Bulldogs closed the opening stanza on a 12-2 run to pull within 39-37 at intermission, then scored the first five points of the second half to seize a 42-39 advantage.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Wieland and Bonham ended the five-minute scoring drought, but Bryant parlayed 14 second half offensive rebounds into multiple scoring chances to maintain a 53-52 edge with 12:12 remaining.

It was then that Mocs then ratcheted up their effort on the defensive end to regain control. Bryant’s Rafael Pinzon had tallied 13 first half points, but UTC’s Garrison Keeslar blanketed the former St. John’s guard down the stretch, limiting him to a single field goal in his last 12 attempts.

“Pinzon is a very good basketball player, and he’s tough to contain. So I can’t say enough about Garrison’s effort,” Earl said. “I thought he was absolutely outstanding. He played with tremendous toughness, but also with a lot of smarts.”

With the score tied at 55-all, Wieland scored four points to jumpstart an 8-0 run as the Mocs didn’t allow Bryant to score a basket in just under five minutes. The Bulldogs remained within five points with 4:30 left before Cusano’s third 3-pointer on the afternoon increased the lead back to eight.

The Bulldogs (4-4) were able to climb within six only one other time, but UTC was able to seal the outcome by making 10-of-12 free throws in the second half.

“In years past, maybe we haven't had as much toughness as we needed,” Earl said. “Guys like Garrison Keeslar, Bash Wieland are tough kids who will stick their nose in there, along with Jack Kostel and Sean Cusano. Makai plays with some toughness as well. We are not where we need to be with that side of the ball, but we have to continue to improve upon it.”

After sitting out most of last season due to injury, Cusano continues to gain confidence and make his presence felt during his minutes. The sophomore from Hilton Head, S.C. recorded his third double-digit scoring output in his past four games, and hauled in a team-high nine rebounds for the Mocs.

“I can’t say enough about how Sean is playing now,” Earl said. “Sometimes as a coach you're pleading with guys to just do your job or positively impact the game. Well, Sean is playing a lot more minutes because he's going in there and grabbing rebounds and mixing it up defensively. He is very important for our program.”

Cusano is now starting to see the fruit of his efforts off the court manifest itself in the heat of competition.

“When I first got here to Chatt it was a struggle for sure,” Cusano said. “But I think now the game is starting to slow down. I believe I deserve to play. Sometimes my confidence can get a little shaky, but the coaches are always trying to try to build me up, trying to make sure I'm in the gym, just make sure I have my confidence.

“Even when my shots are not falling, I try to be solid defensively and just try to get every board. I try to take on the role of just being the best rebounder I can be, and then if I get an open shot, just shoot it with confidence.”

The Mocs once again dominated in bench scoring, outscoring Bryant 43-20 from the reserves. Chattanooga has averaged more than 35 points from its backups over the last four games. UTC led for 35:01 of the contest, with four different lead changes and four ties.

Chattanooga finished 49.1% from the field (28-of-57), made 11-of-30 3-pointers and canned 17-of-22 free throws (77.3%).

Bryant was led in scoring by Miami and Memphis transfer Earl Timberlake with 18, while Pinzon finished with 16 and Jakai Robinson 12. The Bulldogs shot 36.9% from the field, limited to only 28.9% in the second half thanks to the Mocs’ defensive efforts.

Pennsylvania Connections: Bryant is led by second-year coach Phil Martelli Jr., the son of legendary St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli. Earl played collegiately at Penn State and later served as an assistant for the Nittany Lions, so there were plenty of past connections.

“I'm familiar with Phil and his family,” Earl said. “Everybody from the Philly/South Jersey area knows each other if you're in the basketball world. His father was a tremendous coach at St Joe's for years, and he recruited me when I was coming through. His brother is at Penn State as an assistant, so they are a great basketball family and good people.”

Champion Close to Returning: Two-time Division II All-American Frank Champion, a graduate transfer from North Georgia, is progressing in his recovery from a pre-season injury and should see his first action on the court soon. The native of Lithonia, Ga. average better than 17 points over four years at North Georgia and is the school’s all-time career leader in both points and rebounds. Champion will certainly add an imposing inside threat to the Mocs’ offensive arsenal.

Next Up: Chattanooga will host Lipscomb University next Tuesday Dec. 3 at McKenzie Arena at 7 p.m. The Mocs dropped an 82-68 decision in Nashville last year, and have won only 11 of 30 previous meetings.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com