UNCG at Chattanooga
Monday, January 29, 2018
Chattanooga, Tenn. - McKenzie Arena
Postgame Quotes

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
Opening statement after wild 2OT 87-85 win over UNCG.
"What a college basketball game that was. It was going to be a shame for whoever it didn't turn out right for. It's crazy what fight can do for you. You need some luck, but you create your own luck some times. We made some mistakes. We're a growing team and we made some mistakes in critical times. Some times you can make mistakes and learn from it after a W. It worked out that way this time. The guys fought. I could see after regulation a little disappointment that we didn't close it out. I thought they did a great job once they found that way of not letting that feeling stick around. We got aggressive and made some big time plays."

On UNCG's hot start to first OT & Rodney Chatman's circus three to tie the game.
"They hit a three on their first possession. They had momentum. They made a couple buckets and we got down. We kept scrapping and playing. That ball was right in front of our bench so we had a good view. I didn't even see it go in, I was focused on the play and how hard Rodney was getting after the ball. That was great to see. So tenacious. We came up with the ball and that was great. Fortunately for us, they were also going for it aggressively. They couldn't back off. Luckily, Rodney [Chatman] made it and got fouled. What a wild play. That was one of the wildest plays I've ever been around. I didn't see it, I just heard the crowd and said, 'that must have went in.' What a game."

On the play of Rodney Chatman.
"You have to be resilient. And he was resilient. We put him in some tough spots and he's a young guy. Similar to the last game, you have to grow and learn from it. I could see it. They pressed on one play and he attacked it. I could see that he learned from the first time. There were some things tonight where he'll learn from again. He kept going after it. It's a hard position to be in. It's not for just anybody to handle that position in these situations. It's a good learning and growing experience for him. He wants to do what we ask him to do. He tries really hard. I couldn't be prouder of him. And to go back and stick his face in there and do it again, that was tenacious. He made a couple big free throws when we needed him to."

On growing from close win.
"I thought that was huge. I thought the same thing last game. If we could find a way to manage that situation and move forward with a win. To finally do that, it feels great and it's really important for our overall growth and improvement. It's so important for situations like this to happen and particularly when you come out on the right side of it. We won't be too high or too low the next game. I hope we get another close game next time we go out. By my account, that's ten one possession games this season. That's a lot for any team. When you have a young and inexperienced team, you're not used to coming out on the right side of it. When you do, great, put it away in the bank. It really helps us moving forward."

Nat Dixon, So.-G/F
On feeling after emotional, close win.
"It feels good. Even when we were down, we could have put our heads down. Rodney [Chatman] hit that big three in the corner. Makale [Foreman] played such good defense tonight. Makinde [London] and Josh [Phillips] dominated the boards. Everyone kept fighting on this team, that's what I love about these guys. We aren't going to give up and we're going to play to the very end. It feels great to get a win tonight."

On playing close games night-in and night-out.
"Every single time we play games like this, we get more experience. Just being in that situation and learning, understanding from it. We don't want it to be that close, but we keep fighting no matter what. If someone misses a shot or turns the ball over, we're going to play through it and play hard through it."

On UNCG jumping out to early lead in first OT.
"We were kind of shocked, we're a young team, and we don't want to use that as an excuse. We looked each other in the eye and said it's make it or break it time. We had to keep playing and when you play hard, good things happen. At the end of the day, anyone can step up on this team. Guys don't care about points, we're not selfish. Everyone plays hard and for each other. That's what we always say, just play hard and good things will happen."

Rodney Chatman, So.-G
On close win over UNCG.
"Real tough game. Our guys kept fighting. It was a great game, especially for the fans. But we're sitting on the bench thinking about the mistakes and missed free throws. We didn't box out and rebound. There's a lot that goes into winning, but we're glad to come out on the right side."

On all the close games this season and learning from them.
"We should have won Saturday. We've been in a lot of close games this year. Our team has been through everything. The highs, lows and mediums. We've been through it all. We just keep battling. Adversity comes up every game. We're a young team still trying to figure things out on the fly. Coach Paris coaches us well. We have to keep pushing and improving."

On team's resiliency.
"We're never out of a game. That's something we always talk about. We're never down on ourselves. We always fight through everything. Wether we're down 20 or ten, you have to keep fighting. You can't change the score in the middle of the game. All you can do is keep fighting."

On knocking down game-tying three in first overtime.
"I was off-balance. I just threw the shot up and fell. I didn't even know I made it. I stood up and Nat [Dixon] said I made it. My heart started beating fast because now it's a tie game. I'm usually never nervous about a free-throw, but I kept thinking about making it and that we would win. I heard the crowd and thought they were just happy I got fouled. I'm glad it went in."