NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTOS

CHATTANOOGA – The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team used clutch second-half shooting and a huge first half performance from Jake Stephens to help down mid-major power Murray State, 69-66, in front of a raucous 2,934 fans inside McKenzie Arena on Saturday night.
 
Following the win, Chattanooga picks up its first win over MSU since 2007 and improves to 3-3 this season. Murray State falls to a similar 3-3 record after the defeat.
 
"I'm proud of our guys and I want to thank the crowd for coming out and supporting us. It wasn't the prettiest of games, so the good thing is you figure out how to win a tough game against a tough team in Murray State," said head coach Dan Earl.
 
"Overall, I thought we had good minutes from all of the guys. Every little thing matters, especially in a tight game like this. It feels good to get a win like this at home."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Jake Stephens knocked down a triple at the top of the key after a Jamaal Walker offensive rebound to make it 9-8 (17:08) before four quick points gave MSU a 12-9 lead (15:31). The Racers saw four different players connect on a three over the early stages as they built a 20-13 (11:44) advantage at the under 12 media.
 
Stephens continued to supply the Mocs offense in the first half as his second three of the game forced Murray State into a timeout and cut the deficit to two, 22-20 (7:53). After Stephens accounted for five more points, Brody Robinson pulled a long three-ball to give UTC a brief 30-28 (4:20) lead before MSU carried a 34-30 lead into half.

Murray State opened its largest lead of the game at seven, 40-33 (17:23), early in the second half. Chattanooga answered with a 10-1 run that was capped off by a Dalvin White three to jump ahead 43-41 (13:42). Down six, Jamaal Walker hit his first three-pointer to pull UTC back within a possession, 52-49 (7:02).
 
Jamal Johnson caught fire over the next three-plus minutes and connected on three-straight deep balls to allow Chattanooga to regain the lead 58-57 (4:09) and force MSU into a timeout as McKenzie Arena erupted. UTC continued the run and built an eight-point lead, 65-57, with just 2:08 left after a Jamaal Walker three.
 
The Racers made things very interesting late with a quick 7-0 run to pull back within one, 65-64, with 23 seconds left in the game. Stephens and Johnson each went perfect at the free throw line down the stretch as UTC saw Murray State's game-tying three attempt clank off the rim to notch the 69-66 victory.
 
Stephens led all scorers with 27 points and earned his third double-double of the season with another game-high in rebounds with 11. Johnson followed with 13 points and seven boards while Demetrius Davis reached double figures with 10 points.

RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 3-3 · Murray State 3-3 · Murray State now leads the all-time series 7-3.
 
NOTES TO KNOW
- The Mocs are now 3-1 all-time against the Racers at home… first win over Murray State at home and in the series since December 29, 2007... UTC led for just 8:57 opposed to Murray State commanding the lead for nearly 27 minutes (26:43).
 
- Chattanooga made a season-high 14 free throws… tied a season-high 17 attempts… went 11-for-13 (84.6%) in the second half to help seal the victory.
 
- Jake Stephens recorded 20 of his 27 points in the first half… shot 8-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-5 from deep in the first 20 minutes… also grabbed seven of his 11 rebounds in the first half… third double-double of the season.

QUOTES
Coach Earl on the difference in a close game down the stretch.
"I think we handled not making shots better tonight. That's something we talked about too in a spirited Thanksgiving morning practice and another hard practice yesterday. We have a bunch of great high character guys. You could feel it tonight, we had a lot of open shots and we just weren't making them. That can be hard for everyone, the fans, the coaches, and certainly the players going through it. I thought we did a much better job of it not allowing it to affect our defense and other facets of the game."
 
Jamal Johnson on the confidence.
"My teammates. I love my teammates, they kept motivating me and giving me positive feedback. They kept telling me to keep going. I love my coaches and my teammates for aspiring me to be the best I can be. It felt good to see some go in."

NEXT UP – at Tennessee Tech – Wednesday, Nov. 30 – 7:00 p.m. ET – Cookeville, Tenn.
 
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