STATS | NOTES | QUOTES
 
WEST POINT---The Chattanooga Mocs (3-2) fell short in a 73-67 loss to Arkansas State (4-1) in the championship game of the mainland bracket of the Maui Invitational. The main culprit was an unusual one for the Mocs.
 
"Arkansas State is a good team, a good ball club that plays with a lot of energy," senior guard Greg Pryor noted. "It was a long two days with a late game last night and an early game today, but that's no excuse for the way we played today.
 
"They played with a lot more energy than us for 40 minutes, there's no doubt about it."
 
After a quick start from Chattanooga, Arkansas State built a big advantage with hot shooting. A-State hit eight of its first nine threes erecting a 22-point lead with 14:43 to play, 53-31. It was 20, 62-42, with seven-and-a-half to go when the Mocs made their move.
 
They slowly chipped away cutting it in half, 64-54, with 3:16 remaining on a Justin Tuoyo tip-in. But the Red Wolves had all the answers as Pryor's three-pointer in the final seconds capped the 73-67 loss.
 
Tuoyo was a mountain in the post with a career-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds and four blocks. His fourth block was the 200th of his career.
 
"His approach has been so good," Coach Matt McCall shared. "He plays as if something is on the line every time he suits up. I'm really proud of him. I think he has grown immensely since I've been here, and the sky is the limit for him."
 
Pryor scored 16 of his season-best 22 points in the final six-and-a-half minutes. Donte Thomas paced A-State with 18 points and 10 assists. Devin Carter had 16 points, while Jahmiah Simmons chipped in 12.
 
Despite the lackluster performance, McCall did see a ray of light with the fight to give themselves a chance late in the game.
 
"That was one area of the game I was proud of our team for," he explained. "They didn't quit…they kept fighting. The last seven minutes of the game is how we need to play for the whole game. Arkansas State is a good team who plays hard and is trying to be where we have been.
 
"If you don't bring it for a second in the game you can get beat. Hopefully we can learn and grow from this and move forward. We need to get better this week, and our guys understand that."
 
The Mocs are off until 2:30 p.m., next Saturday when they travel to Kennesaw State. The game broadcasts on ESPN3 and over the airwaves on 98.1 the Lake FM in Chattanooga. Links to live stats, video and audio (Mocs Sports Network) are on GoMocs.com's men's basketball schedule page.
 
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ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 30 titles with 11 regular season, 11 tournament and eight division.
- 16 NCAA Tournament Appearances (11 DI): 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2016
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 3 SoCon Defensive Players of the Year: Z. Mason (2014), Justin Tuoyo (2015, 2016).
- 4 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93), Will Wade (2014) and Matt McCall (2016).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter "Moose" McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).