Chattanooga Basketball Postgame Notes
Samford at Chattanooga
McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Wednesday – Jan. 6, 2021
TEAM
- The Mocs scored a 73-68 win over Samford in Southern Conference action in McKenzie Arena tonight … UTC improved to 10-2 overall and 1-2 in league action ... Samford falls to 5-5 and 1-2 in SoCon action.
- Chattanooga snaps a two-game slide after starting the season 9-0. 
- 10-2 is the best start to a season since the 2015-16 went 13-2 to open the year.
- UTC shot 27-60 from the floor (45.0%) and 12-27 (44.4) from three … fourth game with 10+ 3-point FGs … second in last three outings. 
- Mocs had 21 assists on 27 baskets … season-high for assists. 
- Nine steals for Chattanooga is tied for second-most this season.
- Mocs were out-rebounded for the third game in a row (38-31) … seventh time this season.
- Two teams combined to shoot just 16 FTs … UTC 7-9 and Samford 5-7 … season-low for makes and tied for fewest taken for the Mocs.   
- UTC committed a season-low 10 fouls in the game.
- Samford's Christian Guess had a game-high 13 rebounds … most allowed by the Mocs this season … also had a team-high 13 points. 

SERIES
- 104th meeting
- UTC leads 65-39.
- 41-12 at home.
- 6-2 under Lamont Paris.

INDIVIDUAL
Josh Ayeni – Sr.-F
- 10 points on 4-7 shooting, 2-2 from the FT line.
- Third game this season in double-figures … first since 14 against Northern Kentucky on Dec. 5
- Added four rebounds.

A.J. Caldwell – Jr.-G
- Flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, 10 boards and eight assists.
- First career double-double.
- Shot 4-8 from the field, 3-5 from three. 
- Team-high and career-high for rebounds.
- Game-high and career-high for assists.
- Most assists by a Moc this season … most since David Jean-Baptiste had eight at Samford on Jan. 29, 2020. 
- Fourth game in double-figures this season.
- 7-15 (46.7%) from three last three games.
- 19 assists in last four games.

David Jean-Baptiste – Sr.-G
- Game-high 22 points off the bench.
- Shot 8-16 from the field, 6-8 from three.
- Made his first six threes.
- 16 points on 6-11 shooting, 4-4 from three, in the first half.
- Career-high for threes made … most by a Moc this season.
- 51 points in last two games is the most by a Moc since Nat Dixon had  51 vs UNCG (30) & at Western (21) 1/29-2/1/18.
- 18-34 (52.9%) from the field and 10-19 (52.6%) from three last two games.
- 165 career threes made moves him from a tie for ninth with Brandon Born (159) into seventh place on the Mocs all-time wins list … passed Toot Young (160) and Keegan Bell (161) … Wes Moore is sixth with 167, while Omar Wattad (168) holds down the fifth spot.
- 1,084 career points passes Johnny Taylor (1,070), Stephen McDowell (1,075) and James Jones (1,081) for 27^th all-time at UTC.

Malachi Smith – So.-G
- 21 points, five boards and six assists.
- Shot 8-15 from the field, 3-6 form three and 2-2 from the FT line.
- 16 points on 6-9 shooting, 2-4 from three and 2-2 from the line in the second half.
- 13 points on 5-5 shooting, 2-2 from three and 2-2 from the line in the last 6:59 of play.