Chattanooga Mocs Upset Georgia in OT, 92-90

The Chattanooga Mocs showed why they are the SoCon favorite and a team that could be dangerous in March with their 92-90 overtime road win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night. The Dawgs rallied from three eleven point deficits to take a six point lead at 66-60 over halfway through the second half, but the Mocs showed resilience, fought back and came up with enough big plays to win in Matt McCall's first game as head coach. Georgia is expected to be one of the better teams in the SEC this year, so this win could carry a lot of significance.

Jonathan Burroughs-Cook scored 23 points off the bench for the Mocs and really helped the Mocs get off to a good start. Casey Jones, preseason SoCon Player of the Year, scored two points in the first half and Justin Tuoyo, hampered by foul trouble, did not score in the opening half. Greg Pryor made a trio of threes to start the game to help the Mocs take the early lead. Pryor has turned into a really solid contributor for this Mocs team as he has made himself into one of the clear leaders on this team. The Mocs held Kenny Gaines scoreless in the first half with stifling defense that left Georgia looking for answers as they went into the locker room down by 8, even after the Dawgs made a three pointer at the buzzer.

In the second half, Tuoyo continued to pick up more fouls and had to spend a bunch of time on the bench. Jones stepped up and scored 21 points in the half, but Gaines also scored 12. Gaines fouled out for Georgia with about five minutes left in regulation, and the Dawgs were clearly looking for someone to take over the floor leadership role. But J.J. Frazier stepped up and scored 22 for Georgia and knocked down key shot after shot late in the game and in overtime. When the game got to overtime, the Mocs jumped out to a commanding lead, but Frazier continued to keep the Dawgs in it. Jones fouled out for the Mocs, but Pryor stepped up and made a couple of big shots. In the end, a final shot from halfcourt from Georgia came up short and the Mocs had the win.

The Mocs won the rebounding battle 37-36 and collected 15 offensive rebounds compared to Georgia's 8. The number of fouls called in the game broke things up considerably, particularly during a stretch of the second half and Georgia shot 45 free throws to the Mocs 31.

This game shows that the Mocs are the rightful favorite in the Southern Conference. It also shows that they are a mid-major to be dealt with this year. Casey Jones is experienced and obviously very talented. Greg Pryor has turned into such a calming influence on this team in his third year as the starting point guard. Justin Tuoyo is one of the top defensive players in mid-major basketball, and can be an influential offensive player as well. With Jonathan Burroughs-Cook looking like a true offensive threat and Eric Robertson always being a threat from three point range, this team has the talent to be considered a very dangerous team in March.

The Mocs play Hiwassee on Monday, but then it gets tough again. They go to Illinois on Saturday and then to Iowa State on November 23. This is a tough start of the schedule for the Mocs, but they showed tonight that they are capable of beating teams from major conferences. It may only be November, but this is a game that we may be talking about in March.