Mocs 68, High Point 61

I tweeted just before the second half started something to the effect of, "This half may well define the rest of the Mocs season."

If it does define the remainder of the Mocs season, then the Mocs may well be in for some decent basketball from here on out.

The Mocs began the second half by scoring eleven straight points and going from down two to up nine. They then allowed the Panthers to get back into the game and even take the lead. But there was nothing to fear on this night, as Rico White simply refused to let the Mocs lose.

I said yesterday that I thought White's ability to get to the free throw line and make free throws would be the difference. I think it was. White made 9 of 11 from the stripe, and scored 21 points to lead the Mocs. White was brilliant and deserves a ton of credit for this one.

Is it an irony that this was his first game where he did not start at point? Farad Cobb took over the starting point guard spot tonight. With Casey Jones out (it is unclear how long at this point), Cobb came into the starting line-up. Cobb did not play brilliantly, but he did not commit a turnover in 24 minutes. The Mocs only committed thirteen turnovers for the game, which was low for the Mocs. I think that is a direct correlation to Cobb playing more minutes at the point.

The Mocs did not shoot the ball well. They only made 2 of 21 from three, and the Panthers only made 3 of 20. The Mocs had no answer for John Brown. He scored 23 points and collected 16 rebounds. Wow. That guy is a tremendous basketball player.

In fact, the Mocs really struggled rebounding the basketball tonight. This was their worst rebounding night of the year, which was a real problem. They were outrebounded by 13. The Mocs will need to do a better job than that.

Gee McGhee played very well, scoring 12 points. Z Mason also played brilliantly. He scored 15 points and collected nine boards.

The Mocs obviously played well enough to win tonight. This was a very nice win for the Mocs. They came up with just the type of performance that was necessary for the Mocs to come up with. If the Mocs are going to continue to play with that effort and without turning the ball over, there is a chance this team is starting to develop. White and Mason may be turning into the stars of this team. Zlovaric is not playing up to expectations, but he's a good producer. McGhee is also a very nice piece to add to the puzzle.

This is an interesting team. We'll have to see if the Mocs can put this together back to back nights in the Dr Pepper Classic Championship Game against Utah Valley on Saturday night.

GO MOCS!