CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team hits the road for the first time in over two weeks as the squad gets set to face in-state foe Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night inside the Eblen Center in Cookeville, Tenn. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Chattanooga (3-3) is coming off a high energy 69-66 home victory over mid-major power Murray State on Saturday. The Mocs saw a plethora of clutch three-point shots hit the bottom of the net down the stretch to help secure the team's first win over the Racers since 2007.
Jake Stephens, this week's SoCon Player of the Week, led all scorers and rebounders with his third double-double effort of the season, finishing with 27 points (20 in the first half) and 11 boards while adding in three assists and three steals.
Jamal Johnson connected on three-straight threes late in the second half to spark UTC's charge and ended with 13 points and seven rebounds. Jamaal Walker also knocked down a pair of clutch threes down the stretch and totaled six points and four boards in a season-high 24 minutes of floor time.
Tennessee Tech (3-4) enters the game on Wednesday looking to rebound from an 85-77 double OT loss at Northern Kentucky on Sunday. The Golden Eagles have already earned a win over a SoCon opponent at home this season, defeating ETSU 69-62 last Sunday (11/20) inside the Eblen Center.
Fans can watch the game LIVE on ESPN+ through the Watch ESPN and ESPN App platforms or fans can also listen LIVE on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/ 1070AM in Chattanooga as well as the Varsity Network app.
Full game preview, notes and more are below.
GAME INFO
Chattanooga (3-3) at Tennessee Tech (3-4)
Wednesday, Nov. 30 · 7 p.m. ET · Eblen Center (7,500)
ESPN+ ·
Listen ·
Live Stats
GAME NOTES
Chattanooga ·
Tennessee Tech ·
SoCon
SERIES INFO
63rd Meeting · Record: 22-40 · Home: 15-12 · Away: 7-28 · Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: November 30, 2021 - W, 82-65 at TN Tech inside the Eblen Center in Cookeville, Tenn.
OPENING NOTES - LAST TIME OUT
Chattanooga earned its first win over Murray State since 2007 and picked up its first win over a DI opponent this season behind a 69-66 thrilling win at home on Saturday. Jake Stephens paced the Mocs with his third double-double of the season with a 27-point, 11-rebound performance. He also added three assists and three steals in the win. Jamal Johnson connected on three-straight threes late in the second half to help propel UTC to its slim victory.
CHATTANOOGA IN THE NCAA DI RANKINGS
CATEGORY # NCAA DI RANK
Three-Pointers Per Game 11.5 5th
Effective FG Percentage 56.1 43rd
Assists Per Game 17.7 23rd
Field Goal Percentage 46.8 98th
Three-Point Attempts Per Game 30.8 5th
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio 1.56 18th
Three-Point Percentage 37.3 72nd
Dalvin White (A/TO Ratio) 4.0 16th
Jake Stephens (Def. Reb./Gm) 7.83 10th
STEPHENS SURPASSES CAREER MILESTONES
Graduate big man Jake Stephens surpassed 1,500 career points during Wednesday's loss to Lipscomb. In Saturday's win over Murray State, Stephens has now totaled over 300 career assists and has connected on more than 200 three-pointers during his collegiate career.
BACK-AND-FORTH DRAMA
Over the last two games, Chattanooga and its opponents have combined for 25 lead changes and 15 ties over the 80 minutes of action. UTC and Lipscomb featured 11 lead changes and 10 ties on Wednesday with both teams leading the contest for 16-plus each. In Saturday's tilt against Murray State, the Mocs and Racers played to 14 lead changes and five ties. MSU held a strong advantage in time leading, 26:43-8:57, despite UTC's winning efforts.
STEPHENS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK… AGAIN
Jake Stephens was named the SoCon Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last week in a pair of games. Stephens has now earned the POTW award for the second time this season and seventh time in his career (five at VMI). He became one of just seven players to ever win the award seven or more times in a career in SoCon history.
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