Chattanooga Basketball Postgame Quotes
Chattanooga at Western Carolina
Ramsey Center – Cullowhee, N.C.
Tuesday - December 3, 2019

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
Overall thoughts after 87-77 loss at Western Carolina.
"No question. It was a 50-point half regardless that we had to foul at the end and send them to the free throw line. It was a bad defensive half. Defense and offense always correlates, it's amazing. Guys have to do the same thing over and over again to be really good on both ends. The offense was moving, then we had guys try to do their own thing for just a couple possessions, and that sprung another guy trying to do their own thing, and then another. We were grinding and getting what we wanted with our shots, we just didn't compete defensively. We just weren't competing. At the end of the day, you have to compete. That was a tough, scrappy team we just played and we just did not compete with them."

On WCU's inside game taking advantage.
"We worked with those guys, specifically, on how to keep them off their left shoulder, and they just kept going back to it. You have to make them do something different. We just didn't compete and that was disappointing. We didn't keep the ball out of the post like we're capable of and supposed to."
 
On early foul trouble and dealing with aggressive play from Catamounts.
"That was a problem for us. You have to learn to play when things happen like that. We still had chances. The way they guarded the ball screen for the majority of the game a certain way, and then we got the ball to the top of the key and we don't shoot the three in a six-point game. We still had chances. They scored what they scored with what we were doing at the end when we were fouling, but they play aggressively. That's just how they play. I felt like they were more aggressive to go get the ball and we were just watching."

On potential fatigue from team after long road trip.
"I think there's a chance of that, and we also had Rod [Johnson] out. But some guys looked a little gassed and didn't play like normal. Some guys looked a little tired and had to play more minutes than usual. It was a tall order. It would have been fulfilling to end this long road trip, and that much more satisfying, with a win. Hopefully this will motivate the guys to do somethings they aren't always used to doing."

David Jean-Baptiste, R-Jr.-G
On WCU's momentum being a factor in second half.
"It definitely was. Basketball is a game of runs and especially in the second half tonight, we have to give credit to Western Carolina. They took advantage of their home court and started running with it. They came out and were really aggressive in the second half. They did a good job of capitalizing on that momentum. They stayed aggressive and played through us, played around us."

On extended road trip catching up with the team.
"It was a tough one after coming off a great weekend in Florida. But it's basketball. It's a long season. We always say that a minor set back sets up for a major comeback. That's how we'll take it. Being on the road, with finals weeks too, there's a lot of cramming things in. It played a small role, but not the whole role."