The UTC bench celebrates moments after Trey Bonham made his game-winning shot in overtime
photo by Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com
There was an uncanny sense of déjà vu unfolding Wednesday night inside McKenzie Arena. It provided an uncomfortable foreboding feeling that we had been here before, with all of our senses reminding us of previous heartbreaks.
But just maybe the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s hard-fought 83-81 overtime win over Wofford will serve as a memorial stone of sheer determination that will define the season. Because the Mocs certainly weren’t perfect, but they took a needed step forward that cast aside some of the demons of their past.
In one fell swoop, Chattanooga was able to exorcise the sting of both a recent overtime loss at Mercer and the pain of watching UNC Greensboro celebrate a game-winning 3-pointer on the Roundhouse floor. Plus, the Mocs were able to exact a measure of retribution in being on the right side of a team blowing a 20-point lead for once.
With McKenzie faithful coming to life reminiscent of years past, the Mocs’ Trey Bonham drove inside and delivered a twisting, contact-laden layup with three seconds remaining in overtime to put UTC in front. When Wofford missed on a surprisingly uncontested 3-pointer at the horn after a full-court pass, the celebration that was equal parts relief and jubilation ensued.
The Mocs players made a beeline toward the student section, enjoying a victory with unbridled joy that seemed anything but probable in the early stages of the game. It was a glorious picture of a team that simply refused to lose, and learned a lot about itself in the process.
Bash Wieland led a quartet of Mocs in double figures with 20 points, while Bonham and Honor Huff both supplied 15 and Sean Cusano with 10 points off the bench.
“I wish we would have played better and not been in the position that we were in,” UTC coach Dan Earl said. “Having to storm back from down 20 is not ideal, digging yourself that hole. Then late game we got down, but we continued to fight. Bash Wieland hit two huge threes. Sean Cusano came in and gave us great minutes. Makai Richards gave us great minutes. And then Trey Bonham had six assists and one turnover. I thought he played really well. So, a variety of different people affected the game, but we have to try to make things easier on ourselves.”
UTC (11-7 overall, 3-2 in SoCon play) could not have gotten off to a worse start. After just over nine minutes of play, the Mocs found themselves on the short end of a 31-11 deficit. Wofford was shooting better than 71% and red-hot beyond the arc, and the Terriers’ Justin Bailey had single-handedly outscored the Mocs with 15 early points.
But Earl’s squad refused to wilt in the face of adversity. Instead, they turned up the defensive heat and clawed their way back into contention. A 17-6 Chattanooga run late in the half reduced the deficit to nine, and suddenly trailing at intermission by a 46-34 count seemed manageable.
“When we got it back down to 12, it was like that's just four stops to us,” Bonham said. “We can light it up from three. So, we had to just stay calm, stay collected, and keep playing as a team. We knew we could come back.”
The momentum continued in Chattanooga’s favor to open the second half with the Mocs scoring 20 of the first 26 points to complete the comeback and take their first lead at 54-52 with 14:16 showing on the clock. Cusano drained a three from the corner to cut the gap to a single point. Then after a defensive stop, Huff deftly found a streaking Cusano with a physics-defying bounce pass for an and-one layup. After Cusano converted the free throw, the Moc faithful were in full-throated mode ready to carry their team to the finish line.
The next 12 minutes saw neither team lead by more than three points with four ties. But when the Terriers surged ahead by 73-67 with 1:07 remaining, it appeared the Mocs’ valiant rally would fall short. But Wieland drilled 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to knot the contest a 73-all with 17 seconds left, and Wofford misfired on a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
Bonham drove the lane to give UTC a lead to open the extra frame as the Mocs pounded the ball inside. Clutch shots in the paint by Wieland and Frank Champion kept Chattanooga in front, but misfiring on three of five free throws allowed the Terriers to remain close. After Wofford knotted the game with 26 seconds remaining, the stage was set for Bonham’s game-clinching shot.
‘I was pretty determined to get a good look,” Bonham said. “I was just seeing what they were going to do, how they were going to guard me. So I made a play.”
Earl was not surprised by Bonham’s late-game heroics.
“Trey has a million good traits, one of which is he's not afraid,” Earl said. “That goes with him willing to take the big shot, but also going to get the ball late in the game. He's been getting better and better with his decision making. I think he had a really, really solid basketball game across the board.”
Chattanooga ended the game shooting 53% (29-of-55) after starting slowly, and made 16-of-33 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Wofford cooled from its torrid opening minutes to finish the game making 46% of its attempts. From beyond the arc the Terriers made 11-of-29, but converted only 4 of its final 19 long-range tries due to the Mocs improved defensive pressure.
Justin Bailey finished with 22 for Wofford (9-9, 3-2 SoCon) before fouling out in overtime. Dillon Bailey added 21 for the Terriers, and Kyler Filewich tallied 12.
Wieland’s five rebounds paced UTC, while Bonham supplied six assists and a pair of steals.
"That one gave us a little extra anxiety and a higher blood pressure, but I'm super proud of these guys and their response after the first eight minutes, especially defensively,” Earl said. “We need a little more sense of urgency out the gates and that's on me. Credit to Wofford, they played so hard. That was a good college basketball game and hard fought. I'm proud of our guys for responding."
The 20-point comeback (31-11, 1st 10:42) is the largest comeback since erasing a 17-point hole against Gardner-Webb last season… largest in a SoCon game since 19 against Mercer in an 83-80 win on January 13, 2021.
The Mocs travel to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com