The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Coach Lamont Paris liked the physicality that the Commonwealth Bank Giants brought. He was even more impressed with how his University of Chattanooga Mocs responded to the pressure.

Paris and his Mocs survived a physical battle with the Giants to win their second straight game played so far in the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s 2019 Summer of Thunder college series at the Kendal Issacs Gymnasium.

One day after winning their opener 100-84 on Monday night, the Mocs took care of the Giants 95-72 to climb to 2-0.

Commonwealth Bank dropped to 2-1 after losing their opener 98-96 to Temple University on Saturday, only to come back and secure a 79-65 win over McNeese State University on Sunday.

“It’s been great. These teams are really good. We’re playing against some older, stronger competitive guys. They’re really good players. The game has been very physical. I think it’s really good for our players,” said Paris, a former All-North Coast Athletic Conference pick as a player in his final two seasons with Wooster.

“We are having to guard some very good offensive players. The whole trip has been really valuable for us.”

Paris got a pretty good game from Ramon Vila, a 6-foot, 8-inch forward, who pumped in a game high 28 points with 13 rebounds and three block shots. What he didn’t do, guard Troy Doomes came off the bench and made up for with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Swingman Matt Ryan contributed 12 points with six rebounds and both David Jean-Baptiste and Malachi Smith came off the bench with 11 points.

The game was a rarely close one with the Mocs opening up an early 29-20 first quarter lead. But at the half, the Giants stormed back for a 44-41 deficit. Chattanooga went on a 19-14 spurt in the third quarter and 32-17 in the fourth quarter to turn things around.

Forward D’Shon Taylor tried to keep Commonwealth Bank in the game with his side high 24 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Forward Mart St Fort and centre Justin Smith both helped out with nine points and five and four rebounds respectively.

Livingstone Munnings, who arrived to the game late, came off the bench with nine points and five rebounds before he fouled out. The Giants, coached by Perry Thompson Jr, started the game without a full complement of players and Taylor admitted that hurt them.

“We came out with a lil sluggish start, not the start we expected. We had some guys who were fatigued. I don’t want to make any excuses, but that was our main issue tonight,” he stressed.

The Giants will be back in action at 7pm on Thursday against the University of Delaware and Taylor was confident that they will get back in the win column. Before that, the University of Chattanooga will take on the IBA Elite at 5pm in their final game of the tournament.

In another game played yesterday, Temple University held off the Bahamas Select 88-74 as JP Moorman came off the bench and scored 19 points with four rebounds and three assists.

Damian Moore had 18 points and four rebounds, Nate Pierre-Louis had 17 points and five rebounds, Marty Scott also got off the bench with 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals and both Quinton Rose and De’Vondre Perry added 10.

For the Bahamas Select, Zane Knowles came off the bench with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the attack.

Livingstone Munnings had 12 points and six rebounds, Stally Silver had 11 points and five rebounds and Ziv Basden added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Two more games will be played today with IBA Elite facing McNeese State University at 5pm and then at 7pm, Raw Talent Elite will battle with Duquesne University.