Missing a few key pieces to begin the year, the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team suffered a 77-51 season-opening defeat at USC inside the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Monday evening.
Chattanooga struggled to find the bottom of the night for much of the night and finished the contest with its lowest totals in the Earl era, shooting just 15-of-54 (27.8%) from the field and 6-of-34 (17.6%) from behind the arc. The Mocs held a lead for over two minutes in the opening half before the Trojans started to extend its advantage with a half-closing 9-2 run, taking a 32-22 lead into the break.
Honor Huff led all scorers with 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting (5-of-13 3PT) and surpassed 900 career points during the process. Eight of the nine Mocs who saw action on Monday night recorded points on the scoresheet including career firsts for Latif Diouf (4).
Chattanooga finished shooting just 29.6% (8-of-27) in total (lowest total since 2018); five total lead changes in the game; 35:23-2:09 in lead times.
UP NEXT – Chattanooga at Saint Mary's (CA) – Thursday, Nov. 7 – 10 p.m. ET – ESPN+ – Moraga, Calif.