Bash Wieland acknowledges a teammate after making one of UTC's 14 3-pointers in a win over Tennessee Wesleyan
photo by Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com
The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team started fast and went wire-to-wire in a 99-52 rout over NAIA-member Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday night during the final game of the 2024 calendar year inside McKenzie Arena.
Chattanooga (8-4) has now won eight of its last nine games following the victory over longtime in-state foe Tennessee Wesleyan (3-7). Honor Huff led the team with a game-high 20 points which included six threes while Noah Melson (13) and Trey Bonham (12) each posted double-digit scoring performances.
"Overall, I thought it was a pretty good showing from us,” UTC head coach Dan Earl said. “We talked about having a mature mindset before the game and going into it. I thought we really shared the ball well with 25 assists. We made some shots and did some pretty good things. So, overall, it was a good team win and I'm proud of the guys. We'll start preparing for Indiana."
The Mocs turn their attention to Big Ten member Indiana with a trip to Bloomington and Assembly Hall on Saturday's docket. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.
Chattanooga shot 52% from the field (39-of-74) and connected on 14 3-pointers for the second straight game, finishing 14-of-38 (37%) beyond the arc. The Mocs dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Bulldogs by a 59-32 count and limiting the visitors to 28% shooting. With every available player seeing action, UTC won the bench scoring by a 49-15 measure.
UTC scored the game’s first 11 points to seize an early lead. But TWU responded as Ty Hurst – who led the Bulldogs with 17 points – scored seven straight to cut the margin to 11-7.
The Mocs’ Makai Richards made his presence felt inside with six points in just over a minute to spark another 12-0 run by the hosts, leading to a 48-27 halftime advantage.
Huff connected with three of his long-range bombs in a 90-second span to cap a 16-4 surge to open the second half to swell the margin to 34, allowing the Mocs to cruise to the victory that increased their overall lead in the historical series to 52-18.
A dozen different Mocs found the scoring column, with a quartet chipping in with seven points apiece that included Bash Wieland, Jack Kostel, Collin Mulholland and freshman walk-on and Silverdale Academy standout Houston Holland.
Garrison Keeslar’s six assists led the way, while Sean Cusano’s nine rebounds and three blocked shots were tops for Chattanooga. Eight different Mocs also made at least one 3-pointer in the contest.