NOTES | QUOTES
 
CHATTANOOGA --- Sophomore guard Malachi Smith dropped 20 points and drilled the go-ahead jumper with less than a second left to help lift the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team to a 56-54 road win at perennial mid-major power VCU on Saturday afternoon inside a raucous Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
 
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 4-0 on the season. VCU falls to 2-2 after the loss. UTC is the lone team in NCAA Division I with a pair of road victories against the top 125 teams in the current KenPom.com ratings.
 
"I'll be honest with you, I was really hoping it went in. Obviously, I wanted to win the game, but he [Malachi Smith] had a couple of those type of shots earlier and didn't have that much luck with it," said head coach Lamont Paris.
 
"I felt like it had a chance and he made it. It was over a long defender that played good defense on it. He made that shot. He made that play."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A defensive battle broke out to begin the contest with both teams combining for just 12 (6-6) points over the first nine-plus minutes of the opening half. Tied 8-8 with 9:42 on the board, Chattanooga went on a 9-2 scoring run over the next five minutes with three-pointers coming from Malachi Smith and David Jean-Baptiste to build a 17-10 lead.
 
UTC's lead never grew more than seven points down the stretch of the first half with the latest lead coming at 27-20 with just four seconds left. VCU ended the half with a banked in three-pointer as the time expired to send the two teams into the locker room separated by four, 27-23.
 
Much like the first half, both teams came out aggressive on the defensive side of the ball and saw. VCU pulled within three at 38-35 before UTC rattled off six-straight points, highlighted by buckets from De Sousa, Jean-Baptiste and Smith, to claim its largest lead of the game, 44-35, with 9:22 remaining.
 
The Rams came roaring back with a 9-0 run to tie things up at 44-44 and heighten the energy inside the Siegel Center. A back-and-forth battle saw the game tied at 52-52 with just 45 seconds left and the Mocs controlling an in-bound play under their basket.
 
Smith found a driving Silvio De Sousa for a go-ahead alley-oop on the in-bounds pass to put the visitors up 54-52. VCU nailed two free throws on the other end with 25 seconds, tying the game at 54-54 and allowing Chattanooga one final possession.
 
Smith would dribble the remaining seconds off the clock, drive right, and bury the game-winning jumper with 0.1 seconds left to give UTC a thrilling 56-54 victory. 
 
Smith finished with a game-high 20 points and added five boards and two assists in the win. De Sousa picked up the squad's first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jean-Baptiste added 12 points for the winners.

RECORDS – Chattanooga (4-0) – VCU (2-2)
 
SERIES – Chattanooga and VCU are now tied in the all-time series 2-2.
 
NOTES TO KNOW
- The back-and-forth contest featured three lead changes and 10 ties… Chattanooga led the game for 29:08… VCU led for just 2:08… the game was tied for a whopping 8:44… 16-straight non-conference wins for Chattanooga.
 
- Tied at 54 with 23 seconds left Malachi Smith dribbled out the clock and hit the game-winning shot with less than a second… first buzzer-beating win since A.J. Caldwell at ETSU last season on February 6, 2021.
 
- Malachi Smith dropped 20 points and added five rebounds in tonight's win… second game with 20+ points… third-straight game with five or more rebounds… went a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

- Silvio De Sousa picked up the team's first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 boards… second career double-double… last one came with the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 Conference title game against WVU (3/10/2018).
 
Check out all the notes at the link above.

QUOTABLE
"It's a good feeling to come in here and win. We play a lot of good teams on the road and this really helps us when we get to conference play. The crowd was loud and we knew that coming in. We're an older team and we kept our composure. That's something we hang our hat on." – Malachi Smith on experienced team on the road.

"For me, personally, it's hard to describe to be perfectly honest with you. This is what I live for. That's what I told the guys in the locker room. To watch these guys achieve in these moments, one to experience the moments, but to achieve those moments and rejoice in the aftermath. I'm a very blessed man that this is what I do for a job around these particular guys. It's a tremendous amount of fun. I'll say it from every mountain top I can. Mocs fans, if you haven't seen these guys, you owe it to yourself to watch these guys play. Get out and watch this team. It's a great crew, great group and talented. It's a great assembly of young men." – Lamont Paris on coaching this team.
Check out all the quotes at the link above.
 
UP NEXT – Chattanooga vs. Covenant – Tues., Nov. 23 – 11AM ET – 2021-22 Schedule
 
SOCON SCOREBOARD
Western Carolina 80, at American 79
at Saint Louis 75, Mercer 58
at Marist 78, VMI 74 (OT)

FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
Follow @GoMocsMBB on Twitter & on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga men's basketball.
 
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 Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.