GAME NOTES | ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
 
CHATTANOOGA---The Chattanooga Mocs return to McKenzie Arena for three straight at home in Southern Conference play. It starts this weekend with Western Carolina and ETSU visiting.
 
Western Carolina enters Thursday night's game on an upswing. The Catamounts started the year 1-5 but are 4-3 over the last seven including wins over Appalachian State and UNC Asheville. They began SoCon play Saturday with their first road win of the year, 81-79 at The Citadel.
 
ETSU won eight of nine heading into Thursday's game at Samford. The lone loss over that stretch was a 68-66 heart-breaker at Xavier. The Bucs opened conference play with a 74-55 win over preseason favorite Mercer in Macon.
 
The Mocs look to bounce back from back-to-back losses bookending the holiday break. The squad shot just 32.7 percent (37-113) in the meetings with Georgia State and Samford. More troubling, they allowed the Panthers and Bulldogs to make 61 percent (61-100).
 
The Catamounts and Bucs are two of the Mocs oldest rivals. This is the 90th meeting with Western and 83rd with ETSU. The top 5 in school history:
 
1) Samford: 95 (57-38)
2) Western Carolina: 89 (65-24)
3) ETSU: 82 (47-35)
tie) Furman: 82 (54-28)
5) The Citadel: 79 (62-17)
 
Thursday night's game is Alumni Night for the doubleheader with the ladies facing UNCG. Special $8 ticket for both games for student section seating for alums to relive the past. Free t-shirts for the first 100 alums buying the package, call (423) 425-5740 to order.
 
Saturday is Gold Rush night with fans encouraged to wear gold to the game along with a t-shirt giveaway. America's favorite dunk team AcroDunk performs at halftime.
 
THE MATCHUP
Thursday – Jan. 4, 2018 – McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chattanooga (6-8/0-1) vs. Western Carolina (5-8/1-0), 7:30 p.m. (DH)
Media: ESPN3/Real 96.1 FM/GoMocs.com
 
Saturday – Jan. 6, 2018 – McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chattanooga vs. ETSU, 5 p.m. (DH)
Media: ESPN3/Real 96.1 FM/GoMocs.com
 
SERIES HISTORY
Western Carolina
Meeting: 90th
Overall: 65-24
SoCon Regular Season: 53-21
Last 10: 7-3
 
ETSU
Meeting: 83rd
Overall: 47-35
SoCon Regular Season: 34-20
Last 10: 6-4
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
G - 0-Makale Foreman, 6-1, 185, So., 8.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 38.9% 3pt
G - 1-Rodney Chatman, 6-1, 175, So., 11.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.9 apg
F - 5-Nat Dixon, 6-4, 180, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.2 apg
F - 22-Makinde London, 6-10, 220, Jr., 13.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 37.5% 3pt
C - 2-Joshua Phillips, 6-8, 245, Sr., 10.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 63.6% FG
 
3 NOTES TO KNOW

• Makinde London leads the Southern Conference in defensive rebounds per game at 6.2. The last time a Moc averaged greater than six defensive boards per game was 6.7 by Z. Mason '14 in 2013-14. He's 73rd nationally. Conference and national leaders are on page 9.
• Nat Dixon (34.3 mpg) and Makale Foreman (33.1) are one and two in the league in minutes played.
• Huge Ohio University connection Thursday night. Four coaches were around for some of the best moments in Bobcats history. Western Carolina Head Coach Larry Hunter led Ohio for 12 seasons taking the 1994 squad to a school-record 25-win season and NCAA Tournament berth a year ahead of ranking as high as 14th in the AP poll during the 1995 campaign. Mocs assistants Aaron Fuss (coach) and Walter Offutt (student-athlete) along with assistant to the head coach David McKinley (student-athlete) broke that mark with a 29-win year in 2012 reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.

 
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday's game is available online and on the radio. Here's the broadcast info with links available on the men's basketball schedule page:
 
Video Stream: Fans can watch the Mocs games on ESPN3/WatchESPN app. Chris Goforth (PxP) and Todd Agne (analysis) have the call.
 
Radio: There are several ways to listen to the game. "Voice of the Mocs" Jim Reynolds is over the airwaves on Real 96.1 FM in Chattanooga. Click the 96.1 FM link on the men's basketball schedule to listen online or use the iHeart (search Real 96.1 FM) and TuneIn (search Chattanooga Mocs) radio apps.
 
Live Stats: Access live stats on the men's basketball schedule page.
 
Social Media: Score updates and more on Twitter from @GoMocsMBB.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for home games are on sale –single-game and mini-plans – at all the usual places. To buy tickets, you can:
 

• Visit the Gate 1 Ticket Office at McKenzie Arena during business hours.
• Call the McKenzie Arena Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627) during business hours.
• Go online via GoMocs.com: Single-Game | Mini-Plan
• Group tickets are available by calling (423) 425-5470.

 
NEXT UP         
Next three games for the Mocs (all times Eastern):
Jan. 4 vs. Western Carolina, 7:30 p.m. (DH)
Jan. 6 vs. ETSU, 5 p.m. (DH)
Jan. 10 vs. Furman, 7 p.m.
 
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