MACON, Ga. --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team will look to snap a three-game skid to end the 2022 calendar year when the squad travels to Macon, Ga., to face Mercer on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off for the New Year's Eve contest is set 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
 
Chattanooga (8-6, 0-1 SoCon) suffered a conference-opening loss at The Citadel on Thursday night, falling 76-68 after a rocky defensive effort in the second half. The loss marked the third-straight for the Mocs after the team dropped games to Belmont and Georgia to round out the non-conference slate before the holidays.
 
Jamal Johnson backed up his career-high (23) scoring effort at Georgia with another 20-plus point performance on Thursday, totaling 21 points on the help of six threes. Johnson has finished 6-of-10 from behind the arc in each of the last two games and has connected on three or more threes in six-straight.
 
Jake Stephens posted his eighth double-double of the season on Thursday after finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds in addition to five blocks. Stephens is one of just six players in NCAA DI this season with eight or more double-doubles.
 
Mercer (7-7, 0-1 SoCon) also looks to rebound from a SoCon-opening loss after dropping a 78-69 decision on the road at Samford on Wednesday. The Bears are led in scoring by sophomore Jayln McCreary who ranks fifth in the SoCon behind a 15.7 points per game average.
 
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.

GAME INFO
Chattanooga (8-6, 0-1 SoCon) at Mercer (7-7, 0-1 SoCon)
Saturday, Dec. 31 · 2 p.m. ET · Macon, Ga. · Hawkins Arena
ESPN+ · Listen · Live Stats

SERIES INFO
86^th Meeting · Record: 44-41 · Home: 25-13 · Away: 16-27 · Neutral: 3-1
Last Meeting: February 7, 2022 – W, 74-72 (OT) – Hawkins Arena (Macon, Ga.)

LAST TIME OUT
Chattanooga (8-6, 0-1 SoCon) suffered its third-straight loss after falling 76-68 on the road at The Citadel on Thursday night to open Southern Conference action. UTC entered Thursday's contest winners of nine out of its last 10 meetings against the Bulldogs. Jamal Johnson posted 21 points following his second-straight 6-of-10 performance from behind the arc. Jake Stephens notched his eighth double-double of the season after totaling 20 points and 11 boards while adding in five blocks.
 
JOHNSON CATCHING FIRE
Graduate transfer Jamal Johnson has found his stroke from deep over a recent stretch of games. Johnson has connected on three or more threes in six-straight games including consecutive 6-of-10 performances. He scored a career-high 23 points last week at Georgia before adding 21 points in Thursday's loss at The Citadel.
 
ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST FROM DEEP
Entering NCAA DI action on Friday (12/30), Chattanooga ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division I behind a 12.2 three-pointers per game average. The Mocs were ranked No. 1 sporadically over the last few weeks. Liberty leads with 12.3 threes per game.
 
THREE STREAK
Chattanooga has connected on 10 or more threes in nine-straight games which continues to set new program highs. The Mocs are currently the only team this season to knock down 10 or more in nine-straight and the active streak is one greater than Liberty, who has hit 10 or more in eight straight.
 
EARL EFFECT FROM DEEP
Chattanooga (12.2 – 2nd), Cornell (11.9 – 3rd) and Penn State (11.2 - 6th) rank among the nation's top three-point shooting teams. Cornell is led by Dan Earl's younger brother Brian while Penn State is Earl's alma mater (1997). Earl's former team, VMI, ranks seventh with a 10.8 per game average.
 
STEPHENS IN NATIONAL COMPARISON
How does Jake Stephens' hot start compare to others around the country? Stephens is currently the only player in NCAA DI averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He joins Purdue's Zach Edey as the only two players who are averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per contest. His scoring average of 21.4 points per game ranks 10^th in NCAA DI while his 300 total points is sixth most in Division I this season.
 
WHITE PACES COUNTRY IN BALL SECRUITY
Graduate transfer point guard Dalvin White currently leads NCAA Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio behind an even 5.00 tally. For the season, White currently has 40 assists to just eight turnovers while totaling 19 assists to just three turnovers over the last five games. UTC ranks 27^th in NCAA DI this season in assists per game (16.7).
 
STEPHENS HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Jake Stephens put on a historic performance in last Sunday's OT loss to Belmont. Stephens finished with 32 points and 20 rebounds to become the first Moc on record to ever post a 30-point, 20-rebound effort. He also added five assists, five blocks and three steals in the contest.
 
STEPHENS WEEKLY HONOR OUTBURST       
After a week against MTSU and Belmont, Stephens averaged 28.0 points, 15.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.5 blocks per game and was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for the fourth-straight week and fifth time in the season's first six weeks. He joined Davidson legend and NBA superstar Steph Curry as the only two in SoCon history to win the award four-straight times.

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