CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Seniors Stephen McDowell and Nicchaeus Doaks combined for 43 points as Chattanooga (5-10/1-3) shut down Furman (2-11/0-4) 73-46 at the McKenzie Arena Saturday night.  Defense was the story of the night as the Paladins' 46 points is a season low by a UTC opponent.

The Mocs, who had dropped its first three Southern Conference games by a combined 12 points, were able to hold the Paladin offense to 28.6 percent shooting (16-of-56) from the floor, also the lowest for a UTC opponent all season.   Meanwhile, Chattanooga went 25-of-48 from the floor (52.1 percent) in the Mocs' largest conference victory since an 85-55 win over Western Carolina last season.

McDowell scored his game-high 22 points off 8-of-17 shooting (47.1 percent) scoring a majority of his points from behind the three-point line, pouring in six from beyond the arc.  Doaks had a big night as well for UTC with a season-high tying 21 points.

At the break, the Mocs led the Paladins 33-26 as UTC dominated Furman in the paint 18-4.  Chattanooga's defense forced 10 Paladin turnovers and was able to convert those into 16 points, while Furman was only able to score two points off eight Mocs miscues.

In the second half, the Mocs took control of the contest as UTC outscored Furman 40-20 in the period. In the half the Paladins shot a paltry 21.4 percent (6-of-28) from the field, compared to 57.1 percent (12-of-21) for Chattanooga.

A big blow to the Paladins stemmed from a scoring drought that lasted 4:50, in which the Mocs rattled off 16 straight points to increase a slim 37-35 lead to a sizable 53-37 advantage.

Furman was led by Justin Dehm with 17 points, four assists and two steals.  Noah States chipped in 16 points as the duo combined to shoot nine-of-18 from three-point range.

Next up for the Mocs will be The Citadel on Monday, Jan. 12 at 7:05 from the McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C. Chattanooga will return home on Thursday, Jan. 15 for a showdown with Appalachian State at 7 p.m.