Western Carolina at Chattanooga
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021
Chattanooga, Tenn. – McKenzie Arena
Postgame Quotes

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
Opening statement after win over WCU.
"I was told a long time ago in my career that there are going to be five games every season that you can't recognize your team. And for a lot of this game, this one of those. The guys just have got to play with more urgency early on. But [Western Carolina] played well. Without [Mason] Faulkner here, somebody is on that bench, and they've been waiting to show what they can do. And they did. I can't say enough about the fight and the change in urgency because our basketball life was on the line at some point. Super proud of the guys, and I'm happy for them."

On more drama, playing differently when the drama is there.
"This was the most dramatic of all, I'd say. I think there's a point in time when you know, when you look up and you do the math, and right now has to be the time. It was a different level of urgency at that time. We started making stronger attacks to the basket. We started hitting shots that were open. We defended, caused turnovers, and pressed some. It's crazy, you hit the press button and it changes how aggressive you are. You could see it click, they finally got to that point and then once they saw some daylight, they remembered how they play, and were not going to give that one back up."

When the flip switched for the Mocs.
"[Pressing] was the catalyst but I think it was once they saw a result. And then another result, and another result, and then the team that goes into overtime with momentum on their side is the team that just has some sort of slight advantage when you go to that final five minutes. I felt really good once it got into overtime."

On the latest stretch of wins.
"What a crazy stretch it's been, two ETSU games that came down to the absolute last shot. Citadel came down to if they hit a three, it goes into overtime, so there's been a lot of drama in these games. This is the most rewarding, just in the fact of how close we were to doomsday in terms of our basketball life."

On "sending a message" to the rest of the league.
"We've talked about sending messages. I don't want to shy away from that. They picked us seventh in the league. There's only ten teams in the conference. So the way I do my math, that's not great. So yeah, we talk about it. I like our guys. I liked our guys in July. I talk about that a lot, talked about 'let's send messages with how we defend. It doesn't matter who thinks you're good. We've got a tight knit group and we know who we are and what we've done and what we are capable of doing. We've played well in this stretch. And sometimes, well it's not Picasso. I don't care what it looks like, I really like what they're doing. I love this team. They have something about them that knows how to win."

On heading on the road for a first-place game at UNCG.
"Sometimes you just backdoor your way into somethings. And we've got a chance to do that. We just want to keep playing and get better. We're just grinding, we believe in each other at a very high level."

Stefan Kenic, Sr.-F
Overall thoughts after comeback win.
"It's amazing. We were down 12 with 3:33 to go and the energy we showed at the end of the game and the energy the fans gave us was important in the determination to get some stops and go on a 12-0 run. I'm so proud of these guys. Basketball is a 40-minute game, you better play all 40 until its over. That's what we did tonight and I'm proud of that."
 
On the team's style of play.
"It's not a secret that we're not a very athletic team, an explosive team, but what we do is play smart. We're an intelligent team. We move the ball a lot and get our shooters in good positions. We penetrate in the paint and kick out for a corner three. That's just what we do."
 
On Saturday's challenge at league-leading UNCG.
"It's an amazing opportunity. It's going to be a really hard game. They're a very strong team. We struggled last time to get a defensive rebound, they had 20 second chance points. That's why we lost that game, even though we played well, it just wasn't enough. It's going to be a fight. We have to box out every time, rebound every time, and then we have a chance."
 
Malachi Smith, RS-So.-G
On the comeback effort.
"We've been up 12 or 14 and seen teams come back and beat us. The first thing we said in the huddle was that we've been here before. We don't like being in that position, but we've been in that position before and we know what it takes. It builds confidence for us in case it comes again down the road."
 
On the game-tying layup in regulation.
"I knew that you want to try and put a ref in a tough position to call a foul, so I just wanted to attack knowing that I had the size. Having success all night going to the rim, I just wanted to make a play."
 
On the current outlook of the SoCon.
"Anyone can be beaten on any given night. With what we have, I think we can play multiple ways and do multiple things. We're never out of a game and I think that can make people worried about playing us."
 
On the team's non-flashy style.
"We know that dunking or a layup, it's still two points, it doesn't make a difference. We only have eight guys so we're not trying to exhaust ourselves. We don't have to show off for anyone because at the end of the day, talking or making noise isn't going to win the game. We know to just do what we do, and it'll lead to wins."