CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team aims to rebound from Saturday's heartbreaking loss as they welcome Southern Conference preseason favorite Furman to McKenzie Arena on Wednesday night. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Chattanooga (11-8, 3-3 SoCon) dropped a tough 75-74 decision on the road at league-leading and unbeaten Samford on Saturday night, a game in which the Mocs held a lead as big as 19 in the second half before the hosts turned things around. The Mocs were held without a field goal for seven-plus minutes during the game's final eight minutes of play.

Jake Stephens led the team in scoring with 19 points while adding in seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Jamal Johnson (16), Dalvin White (13) and Khristion Courseault (12) all reached double figures on Saturday.

Stephens is currently the only player in NCAA Division I basketball averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots per game. He ranks fourth in NCAA DI in points per game (21.9), third in total points (417) and 10th in rebounds per game (10.3).

Furman (13-6, 4-2 SoCon) enters the contest on Wednesday as the league's top scoring offense (81.9 ppg) and aims to bounce back from an 88-80 OT loss at home to UNCG on Saturday. The Paladins are led by fifth year seniors Mike Bothwell (19.5 ppg) and Jalen Slawson (14.8 ppg & 7.1 rpg).

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 (11-8, 3-3 SoCon) vs. Furman (13-6, 4-2 SoCon)
Wednesday, Jan. 18 · 7 p.m. ET · Chattanooga, Tenn. · McKenzie Arena (10,995)
ESPN+ · Listen · Live Stats · Buy Tickets
 
PROMOTIONS: The first 500 fans will receive commemorative 2022 Southern Conference Championship rings. The first 100 students will receive a "423" hat. Academic Night for UTC Athletics will take place during halftime.

GAME NOTES
Chattanooga · Furman · SoCon

SERIES INFO
95^th Meeting · Record: 57-37 · Home: 31-11 · Away: 19-25 · Neutral: 7-1
Last Meeting: March 7, 2022 – W, 64-63 (OT) – Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, N.C.)

LAST TIME OUT
Chattanooga (11-8, 3-3 SoCon) saw a 19-point second half lead evaporate at league-leader and unbeaten Samford (12-7, 6-0 SoCon) as the Mocs dropped a 75-74 heartbreaker inside the Pete Hanna Center on Saturday. UTC went without a field goal for over seven minutes during the final stretch as Jake Stephens three-point attempt at the buzzer clanked off the front iron. Stephens led the team with 19 points while adding in seven boards and three blocked shots.
 
THREE'S KEY TO SUCCESS
After finishing last Wednesday's game 42.9% (9-of-21) from three, Chattanooga improved to 7-0 this season when shooting 40.0% or better from behind the arc. UTC ranks 26th in NCAA DI with a 38.3% three-point FG percentage.
 
ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST FROM DEEP
Entering NCAA DI action on Tuesday (1/17), Chattanooga ranks No. 1 in NCAA Division I behind an 11.9 three-pointers per game average. The Mocs currently are tied with Liberty in threes per game (11.9) and total threes made (226).
 
EARL EFFECT FROM DEEP
Chattanooga (11.9 - 1st), Cornell (11.6- 3rd), and Penn State (11.1 - 4th) 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).
 
STEPHENS IN NATIONAL COMPARISON
How does Jake Stephens' impressive season compare to others around the country? Stephens is currently the only player in NCAA DI averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks per game. Stephens and Purdue's Zach Edey are the only two players in NCAA DI averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. If the season were to end today, Stephens would be the first DI player to average 20ppg, 10rpg, 3apg & 2bpg since Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) in 1996-97.
 
MAGIC NUMBER 80
Chattanooga moved to 10-0 this season in games where the offense scores 80 or more points following the 95-76 win over WCU. The Mocs are just 1-8 in games scoring less than 80 points.
 
WORKING ON THE WEEKENDS
Following Chattanooga's 75-74 loss at Samford on Saturday, the Mocs dropped its first Saturday game of the season to move to 6-1 this season when lacing it up on Saturdays. Two of the three SoCon victories this season came on Saturday. UTC improved to just 2-4 this season in Wednesday games after the 95-76 win over WCU.
 
STEPHENS MAGIC CONTINUES
Graduate transfer Jake Stephens continued his unbelievable 2022-23 campaign after posting 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Wednesday's win over WCU. The performance marked his second-straight 30-plus point, 10-plus rebound effort to become the first Moc to post consecutive 30/10 games since Chad Copeland in 1993-94. Stephens became the first player in NCAA Division I since 2019 (Nathan Knight, William & Mary) to post consecutive 35/10 games.

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