NICEVILLE, Fla. – The Chattanooga Mocs jumped out early and cruised to a 74-56 win over Alabama State in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic. Stefan Kenic led four Mocs in double figures with 15 in his first game action this season.

Kenic was cleared Tuesday night from the NCAA. His waiver appeal for immediate eligibility was granted after transferring from Cleveland State. His impact was immediate as well.

His first shot was a 3-point from the right side which helped jump-start a 17-3 spurt to break open a 5-5 tie in the very early going. Maurice Commander capped the run for the 22-8 margin with 11:51 to go in the opening frame.

Two Tobi Ewuosho free throws got the lead back inside 10, 22-13, at 9:45, but the Mocs rolled the rest of the half. They outscored the Hornets 26-9 to take a 26-point advantage into intermission, 48-22.

The lead reached 30, 56-26, early in the second half. The Hornets fought back, but it was too steep a hill to climb. The closest it came was the 18-point final, 74-56, on D.J. Heath’s jumper with five seconds to go.

Kenic was joined in double digits by Ramon Vila with 13, David Jean-Baptiste with 11 and Matt Ryan’s 10. Ewuosho had 10 points and eight rebounds to pace ASU.

The Mocs move on to the championship game of their bracket Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Eastern time, against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks topped Chicago State 71-62 in the early game.

The five-game tour of the Southeast concludes with the Southern Conference opener at Western Carolina on Dec. 3. After approximately 2,000 miles of travel over a two-week period, the Mocs come home on Dec. 8 to take on Tennessee Wesleyan.