The streak is nine for the Chattanooga Mocs after a 72-66 overtime win at Mercer. Five of those nine consecutive wins have come in the last 10 days, the last two against the team trailing them atop the Southern Conference standings.
“We didn’t have a chance to catch our breath,” coach Matt McCall said. “You look at these last few games. You play Wofford, who’s one of the better teams in our league. One-day prep, you play Furman, one of the better teams in our league. One-day prep, you play at Mercer on the road, who’s one of the better teams in our league.
“That’s a difficult stretch there.
I’m really proud of our guys for handling that stretch and moving on to the next game and taking the scouting and the coaching.”
Eric Robertson tied for game-high honors with 20 point. “3-Rob” was absolutely sizzling from 3pt range making six of seven, the last coming from the top of the key with 32 seconds to go on OT.
Demtre Rivers, who also tallied 20, got the extra period started on a good note for the home team. Chattanooga scored on three straight possessions to take a four-point lead, 65-61.
The defenses clamped down with no points for almost two minutes before Jordan Strawberry made one of two free throws to get the Bears within three, 65-62, with 51 seconds remaining. That set up Robertson’s heroics. Robertson got a nice feed from Chuck Ester just left of the top of the key and drilled his sixth triple of the contest.
Mercer scored on its next two possessions, but Tre’ McLean and Johnathan Burroughs-Cook drilled four free throws for the six-point win.
“We got stops when we needed to in overtime,” McCall added. “I thought that was big to be able to score a basket and get a couple consecutive stops in. Greg Pryor fouls out, and we didn’t get rattled. Johnathan Burroughs-Cook goes to the line and makes two really big free throws for us in overtime.
“That’s what a team is…a total team effort.”
McLean had 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Justin Tuoyo added 14, Dee Oldham came off the bench for 10 points. Robertson dished a career-high six assists.
Phillip Leonard chipped in 18 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Bears. Stephon Jelks posted 12 points, but the SoCon leader in rebounding was limited to six below his average with three.
It was a see-saw affair late in regulation. Jelks’ 3pt with 4:38 to go put Mercer up three, 56-53 with 4:38 to go. Three out of four free throws over the next two-and-a-half minutes knotted the score at 56-all with 2:04 left.
After three straight defensive stops, Oldham calmly drilled a three from the left corner with just under a minute to go. Just a few moments later, Ethan Stair made the Bears first basket in nearly four minutes to tie the score and eventually send it into overtime.
The Mocs made 85 percent from the free throw line hitting 17 of 20. They hit 15 of their final 16 and all six in overtime.
“It was definitely a game of runs and momentum swings,” McCall concluded. “We went down late in the game. Tuoyo goes to the line and makes two huge free throws. In this environment, going 17 for 20 from the free throw line as the road team, I couldn’t be more proud of our team and our guys.”
UTC is now 22-3, 11-1 in the SoCon, while Mercer falls to 18-7, 8-4. East Tennessee State remain in second, two-and-a-half games behind the Mocs at 8-3.
Chattanooga stays on the road completing its seven-game-in-15-day gauntlet at Western Carolina (Thursday) and East Tennessee State (Saturday). The game in Cullowhee is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game airs on ESPN3 online and the Mocs Sports Network through 96.1 the Legend FM in Chattanooga.