2021-22 Chattanooga Mocs Men's Basketball
Game 12 – at Murray State
Dec. 18 – CFSB Center – Murray, Ky.
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The Chattanooga Mocs were toppled by a late run losing 87-76 at Murray State Saturday night…Mocs are now 9-3, while the Racers are 10-1.
- It was a 67-66 deficit with 6:39 to play...the Racers went on a 17-2 run over the next 5:10 to pull away with the win.
- Teams entered the game ranked No. 8 (Chattanooga) and No. 10 (Murray State) in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
- 7th straight game with a 20pt scorer...Malachi Smith (5x) & Silvio DeSousa (2x)...last time with seven straight games of at least one 20pt scorer? Jan. 10-Feb. 16, 2004 (10 games): Ashley Champion (6x), Jason Rogan (5x), Chris Brown (1x) & Alphonso Pugh (1x)…Brown (31 vs Western Carolina, Jan. 24) and Ashley Champion (30 at Charleston, Jan. 19) had one 30-point night each.
- Murray State's bench certainly had a lot of star power on it or my just Scenic City Famous...it featured 2,143 points, 671 assists and 256 steals between the former Mocs duo of Casey Long (2004-07) and Ronrico White (2012-15) who now serve as assistant coaches for the Racers.
- Mocs shot 50 percent (29-58) overall and 65.6 percent (21-32) INSIDE the arc…shot 8-26 (30.8%) behind it...last time losing while shooting 50 percent? 2020 SoCon Tournament Semifinals making 26 of 52 in the narrow 72-70 upset loss to Wofford.
- 14 turnovers…6th time this season with 13 or more…3-3 in those games.
- There were 11 lead changes and nine ties…UTC led for 24:11 and trailed for less than 30 percent of the game (11:58).
- Both teams held double-digit leads just at the wrong times…Mocs led by 11 with 3:30 to go in the first half…Racers largest lead was 16 (84-68) with 1:29 left.
- Led 37-34 at intermission…6-2 this season when leading at the break…2-1 on the road.
- 14-6 in last 20 road contests.
- 18-3 against non-conference opposition over the last two campaigns.
- 1,368-1,110 in season No. 103…45th campaign as a DI program with an 822-541 ledger.
- 21 wins in last 24 non-conference games.
- 53-45 all-time on Game 12 of the campaign…last year's game 12 was a 73-68 win over Samford.
- 12-9 all-time on Dec. 18…last game on this date before tonight? 75-72 loss at UT Martin on the Skyhawks full-court buzzer beater.
- 70-78 against the Ohio Valley Conference based on membership at tipoff…2-2 this season including the Tennessee Tech series sweep and Wednesday's loss at Belmont.
- MSU's home non-conference win streak extends to 22 games.
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 9 | Record: 2-7 | Home: 2-1 | Away: 0-5 | Neutral: 0-1

• First meeting since Dec. 11, 2010.
• First team to 70 wins? Only once in the previous eight meetings did both teams top the 70-point plateau...that came in the Dev. 14, 1963 meeting in Murray, a 109-88 loss…MSU was the first team to 70 tonight.

 
COACH
Lamont Paris (College of Wooster '96)
Record: 69-67

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

 
INDIVIDUAL
- Another strong performance for Malachi Smith recording a career-high 36 points on 14-17 shooting (1-2 3pt) and 7-7 at the free throw line…first career 30pt game…seven 20pt efforts this season, 13th career.
- Most points by a Moc since 41 by Z. Mason in the Dec. 10, 2013 win over Hiwassee...most in a road game since John Oliver's 42 at Georgia Southern on Jan. 21, 1995...Oliver's total is the most by a Moc in a road game...it's the 18th time a Moc has recorded 36 or more points but just the seventh in a road contest.
- Smith extended his DI era school record streak of 20pt road nights to eight. The longest prior streak was five set by Eric Smith (Jan. 14-31, 1981), Gerald Wilkins (Feb. 4-Mar. 24, 1985) & Rashun Coleman (Jan. 17-Feb. 7, 2000)…Smith's current streak dates back to the road finale last season at Mercer.
- Even more impressive (if possible) is his five straight road games with 27 or more points: 28 at Tennessee Tech, 27 at Lipscomb, 28 at UNC Asheville and 27 at Belmont.
- Smith is shooting 54.9 percent overall (90-164), 43.5 percent from three (20-46) and 86.3 percent at the charity stripe (44-51)…if he finishes his season at 50/40/80, it would be the first such stat line in school history.
- Smith's is averaging 26.7 ppg over last six.
- 12 points for David Jean-Baptiste, all from the 3pt line…made 4-9 from three…seventh time this season and 37th career making three or more in a game.
- DJB now has 1,444 points for his career…just five 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
- The Stephen McDowell watch continues…Jean-Baptiste's 235 career 3pt made is second all-time at behind McDowell's (2008-09) 243.