Frank Champion scored 20 points and was a strong presence defensively to lead UTC to a road win at Wofford
photo by Wofford Athletics
Venturing on the road in the Southern Conference is typically a dangerous proposition. But for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, they have developed a habit of becoming downright unruly guests.
The Mocs waltz into enemy gyms and make themselves at home, plopping down in the recliner, raiding the refrigerator, spilling their drink all over the living room carpet before leaving with the doors left standing wide open.
The latest home invasion occurred Wednesday night at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. where a flawless second half led to a 79-70 win over Wofford, the Mocs fifth straight win in enemy territory.
Chattanooga (16-8 overall, 8-3 SoCon) held the Terriers to only one basket over a nearly 13-minute span of the final stanza to seize control of the win, their sixth straight against Wofford. The Mocs have now won four straight and seven of their last eight games.
UTC forced 14 Wofford turnovers that led to a 20-2 advantage in points off turnovers, limiting the Terriers to 31% shooting after intermission. Equally important was Chattanooga’s commitment to protecting the basketball as they had committed only one turnover through the first 33 minutes of the contest, finishing with season-low four miscues.
“I don't think we've had only four, so that's really good,” UTC head coach Dan Earl said. “When you bring it down to who gets extra possessions, turnovers are huge. Offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds are huge, because you want extra opportunities at the basket. I thought it was really good that we were able to take care of the ball so well.”
Frank Champion scored 20 points for UTC, finishing 8-of-11 from the field with six rebounds, three assists, a trio of blocked shots and two steals. The 5th year senior also neutralized Wofford’s burly Kyler Filewich to only nine points and four rebounds while forcing the Terrier’s big man into four turnovers despite giving up a couple inches of height and 30 pounds of bulk.
“He's a guy that averages a double-double, so I think I did a good job of kind of making it a little tough for him tonight, not letting him impact the game as much as he usually does,” Champion said. “That was a big goal for me. And luckily, offensively, the game just fell in line with that as well. He got frustrated, and that was a big key, too.”
Wofford (12-12, 6-5 SoCon) shot 50% in the first half and was 6-of-13 from 3-point range to take a 37-35 lead into halftime. UTC grabbed an early 16-8 only to see the Terriers connect on four straight 3-pointers to spark a 13-2 run, leading by as many as five in the opening frame.
The fact the Mocs trailed by only two was fortunate considering Wofford outrebounded their guests by a 20-10 margin in the first 20 minutes, including eight offensive caroms.
Five straight points from Bash Wieland jumpstarted Chattanooga on a 12-2 surge early in the second half, capped by an Honor Huff 3-pointer that forced a Wofford timeout with the Mocs leading 49-41 at the 15:26 mark.
The Mocs then clamped down defensively, giving up a single basket in 11 attempts by the Terriers during a critical stretch midway through the second half.
Meanwhile, Chattanooga expanded the margin to 10 with 11:15 remaining thanks to five straight points from Champion. The Mocs eventually led by as many as 16, 72-56, when Trey Bonham drained a three with under four minutes on the clock.
The Terriers made things interesting by trimming the gap down to six in the final minute. However, four free throws from Wieland and a pair by Huff thwarted Wofford from getting any closer.
“Going into the half, we weren’t really thinking offense because I think we were pretty solid in the first half,” Champion said. “Ultimately, we were thinking about creating defense. And I think one of the big things about our team is when we get stops and we can play in transition, it opens up a lot. So, I think early in that half, we got a couple stops early, and got out to get out in the open floor, and that was a big thing that we got to see.”
Despite the late letdown, Earl was pleased with his squad’s performance.
“We were a little too casual down the stretch, Earl said “I don't know if it was 10 or 11 or 12 or whatever, and then they got it to within six. It's a two-possession game, so we have to clean some things up down the stretch. But overall, I’m really proud of the guys. I thought Frank Champion was awesome, particularly in the second half, but really had a good all-around game amongst a lot of different guys that positively impacted the game.
“It's a really great group to coach. They listen and try and they're fun to be around on the road and at home and joking around and hanging out. We’ve still got a ways to go. We have to continue to get better. We still have a lot of work to do. But I think this was a really big win on the road against a very good Wofford team.”
Champion attributes the Mocs’ road success to the presence of having five fifth-year players on the roster.
“I think it goes to our veteran experience, with the way that coach recruited us,” Champion said. “You know, our starting five has five years in it. That right there just shows, night in and night out on the road, you got guys that's been in these situations. Regardless if it's D-I or D-II, you have that experience of playing in a tough battle like this in the conference.”
Wieland also finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Huff added 14 points including a trio of 3-pointers and was perfect on five free throws plus snagged three steals. Garrison Keeslar chipped in with eight points, three assists and a pair of steals.
Wofford was paced by 20 points from Corey Tripp, who missed most of the first game at McKenzie Arena with an ankle injury that saw the Mocs storm back from an early 20-point deficit. Dillon Bailey was the only other Terrier in double figures with 11 points.
Chattanooga shot 59% in the second half, finishing the evening with 54% accuracy from the field (29-of-54). The Mocs made only 5-of-21 from long range, and were 16-of-21 on free throws. The only glaring deficiency was the fact the Terriers claimed 15 offensive boards, winning the rebounding battle by a 37-25 count.
The 13 steals by UTC led to a 21-5 edge in fastbreak points, and the Mocs dominated in the paint by outscoring Wofford by a 44-28 measure.
Wofford’s cold-shooting second half left them at 41% on the evening (23-of-56), and the Terriers converted 8-of-23 3-pointers - but only 2-of-10 after halftime.
With the win, UTC remains tied with UNC Greensboro for second place in the SoCon, one game behind Samford.
Chattanooga returns to McKenzie Arena on Saturday to entertain Furman (18-6, 6-5 SoCon). The game is slated to tip at 4:30 p.m., part of a basketball doubleheader following the women’s contest against Western Carolina at 2 p.m.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com