2021-22 Chattanooga Mocs Men's Basketball
Game 12 – at Belmont
Dec. 15 – Curb Center – Nashville, Tenn.
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The Chattanooga Mocs lost 76-68 at Belmont Wednesday evening…Mocs are now 9-2, while the Bruins are 9-3...came back from 14 down (57-71) with 3:43 to play.
- Teams entered the game ranked No. 7 (Belmont) and No. 8 (Chattanooga) in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll…Saturday's opponent Murray State is No. 10.
- 6th straight game with a 20pt scorer...Malachi Smith (4x) & Silvio DeSousa (2x)...last time with six straight games of at least one 20pt scorer? Jan. 10-24, 2009: Stephen McDowell (3x) and Kevin Goffney (3x).
- Belmont made 59.6 percent of its shots tonight (28-47)…1st opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field…previous high was 47.9 percent by VCU (22-46)…lost last five games when opponent shooting 50 percent or better dating back to Dec. 7, 2020 win at Middle Tennessee…Blue Raiders hit 29 of 58 (50%).
- +5 in turnover margin with 13 compared to a season-high tying 18 for the Bruins…despite the advantage, it was an even 19-19 in points off turnovers.
- Cold start doomed the Mocs…53.1 percent (17-32) shooting offset an eight-for-27 (29.6%) start.
- 9-2 start for the second straight season.
- Snaps 11-game non-conference road win streak...last road loss was Dec. 11, 2019 at Virginia Tech (58-63).
- 15-5 in last 20 road contests.
- 18-2 against non-conference opposition over the last two campaigns.
- 1,368-1,109 in season No. 103…45th campaign as a DI program with an 822-540 ledger.
- 21 wins in last 23 non-conference games.
- 61-37 all-time on Game 11 of the campaign…last year's game 11 was an 84-70 loss at VMI…last non-conference road loss before tonight was also G11 (at Virginia Tech).
- 9-9 all-time on Dec. 15…last game on this date before tonight? 84-80 overtime win at home in 2019 over Troy…won six of the last seven coming into tonight on this date dating back to the 1994 OT loss, 84-83, at Ohio State.
- 70-76 against the Ohio Valley Conference based on membership at tipoff…2-1 this season sweeping Tennessee Tech series…snaps 6-game winning streak over OVC schools.
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 8 | Record: 5-3 | Home: 3-1 | Away: 2-2 | Neutral: 0-0

• First meeting since Nov. 22, 2005. Belmont competed in the 2007 Dr Pepper Classic in the Roundhouse but lost to Wright State in the opening game and played Saturday's opponent Murray State in the semis.
• The two programs have played six times as DI programs…they split a season series in 1997-98 with each team winning at home before a win over the Bruins in the opening round of the 1999 Dr Pepper Classic…won on each other's home court in a home-and-home series over the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

 
COACH
Lamont Paris (College of Wooster '96)
Record: 69-66

• Home: 39-22 | Away: 26-38 | Neutral: 4-6
• vs. Belmont: 0-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-1

 
INDIVIDUAL
- Malachi Smith has scored 27 or more in four straight against DI competition (all on the road)…27 points and seven rebounds tonight…added two steals…multiple steals in five games this season and 15 times over his 2-season UTC career…12 20-point scoring games over that latter span…27.7 ppg in three contests playing in the Music City (29 at Tennessee State last season/27 at Lipscomb this year).
- Smith is shooting 51.7 percent overall (76-147), 43.2 percent from three (19-44) and 84.1 percent at the charity stripe (37-44)…if he finishes his season at 50/40/80, it would be the first such stat line in school history.
- Smith's is averaging 25.0 ppg over last five.
- 15 points and nine boards for Silvio De Sousa…eight straight games in double figures averaging 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over that span.
- David Jean-Baptiste now has 1,432 points for his career…17 short of the legendary trio of Gerald Wilkins (1983-85), Brandon Born (1991-95) and Walter "Moose" McGary (1972-74)…passing them puts DJB in the top 5 all-time at UTC in scoring…231 3pt made which is second all-time at Chattanooga behind Stephen McDowell's (2008-09) 243.
- Josh Ayeni came off the bench to score 10…second double-figure night of the season…has 19 points in 28 minutes over last two games shooting 66.7 percent (8-12) from the field…he was a team-high +8 in 11:41 of playing time before fouling out.