STATS | NOTES | QUOTES | ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
 
TALLAHASSEE---The Chattanooga Mocs could not overcome Florida State Wednesday night in the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. The Mocs fell 89-53 after carrying momentum into halftime.
 
The Mocs struggled early but found momentum late. Back-to-back baskets by David Jean-Baptiste cut the lead to 35-25. Devin Vassell scored on FSU's final possession before A.J. Caldwell's 3pt was off the mark to send the squads into intermission with Chattanooga down 12, 41-29.
 
"My thought going into halftime was we have a chance to win the game," Coach Lamont Paris shared. "I felt like if we played well in the first four minutes of the second half, 12 would turn into six or five. Then it's a game."
 
The Seminoles didn't let that happen. Chattanooga cut it to 10 on a layup by Ramon Vila and drive into the paint from Jean-Baptiste on consecutive possessions. FSU benefitted from early offensive rebounding and finding range to build on the lead rather than allow the Mocs a foothold.
 
"They have guys who are going to make individual plays, that's what basketball is," Paris continued. "You have to play your rules defensively and when you get a stop, you have to track it down and grab the rebound. We didn't on the first two possessions.
 
"So 12 goes to 16 and that's not the message you want to send at that point. From there, we never got into our flow."
 
Vila's layup with 17:37 to go put the deficit at 11, 46-35. FSU scored on 10 of the next 12 possessions resulting in a 20-4 run effectively putting the game out of reach.
 
Jean-Baptiste led a trio of Mocs in double figures with 15 points. Rod Johnson added 11 points and a team-high six rebounds, while Matt Ryan chipped in 10.
 
Vassell's 17 points and eight boards paced the Seminoles. Patrick Williams added 16 with the trio of Malik Osborne, Balsa Koprivica and Dominik Olejniczak scoring 10 apiece.
 
Tonight was the first of five games in a row away from the friendly Roundhouse confines. Next up is the short trip up I-75 to take on Tennessee on Monday, Nov. 25.
 
The Mocs then go to the gulf coast of Florida for the Emerald Coast Classic (Nov. 29-30) meeting Alabama State in the opening round with either Jacksonville State or Chicago State awaiting on day two. The 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. Tickets are available on GoMocs.com or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
 
RECORDS
Chattanooga 3-2 | Florida State 3-1
 
QUOTABLE
"You have learn what's been good to you and what's not been good to you. You're constantly learning that throughout the season so what breeds success for us and what causes problems. That means we need to stick to the things we do well and avoid those pitfalls. It sounds very simple to say, but at the end of the day, that's what it comes down to." – What do you take from the first five games to apply to the next one.
 
"It felt good, but it came at the wrong time. You just have to stay ready (for your opportunity). All that matters is the next game coming up." – Freshman Ashton Smith on scoring his first collegiate shot tonight.
 
Check out all we heard at the link above.
 
3 NOTES TO KNOW

• 53 points tonight is the lowest total in a road game since 51 at UNCG on Feb. 23, 2018.
• Just the third meeting with FSU…first since Feb. 1, 1975…Seminoles lead 3-0, 2-0 in Tallahassee.
• Trailed 41-29 at the half. Now 2-1 when behind at the break. FSU's 41 first half points is a season-high for an opponent and the tally tied for the largest halftime lead with Troy (39-27) who led by as many as 14 in the second half before the Mocs stormed back for the 74-68 triumph.

Check out all the notables at the link above.
 
3 STATS TO KNOW

• -11 rebound margin is a season low. Eleven of the Seminoles 41 boards came on the offensive glass leading to a 16-6 advantage in second chance points.
• There was a larger disparity in points off turnovers. FSU was +15 in the stat, 23-8, but only five better in turnover margin (16-11).
• Season-high shooting for the Seminoles making 52.3 percent overall, 40.0 from 3pt range after entering contest at 40.5 percent, 29.8 percent from deep.

Take a deeper dive into the numbers at the link above.
/
MBB UPCOMING GAMES
Nov. 25: at No. 25 Tennessee, 7 p.m. | Current Record: 2-0 | Next Opp: vs. Washington (Nov. 16)
Nov. 29: vs. Alabama State (Niceville, Fla.), 2:30 p.m. | Current Rec.: 0-3 | Next Opp: at Tennessee (Nov. 20)
Nov. 30: vs. either Jacksonville State or Chicago State on Day 2 of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla.
 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.