NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTOS

CHATTANOOGA (Jan. 6, 2024) – In front of 3,901 fans, the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team used a fast start and a dominating defensive effort to help register a comfortable 73-58 victory over defending Southern Conference champion Furman on Saturday night inside McKenzie Arena.
 
Following the win, Chattanooga snaps a three-game skid and improves to 9-6 overall and evens its league record at 1-1. Furman drops to 6-9 overall and 0-2 inside SoCon play after the defeat.
 
The Mocs jumped out to huge first-half lead behind a hot shooting start and a stingy defensive performance, ultimately carrying a 43-20 lead into the break. UTC created eight turnovers in the first half and registered 16 fast-break points during the span.
 
"I was really proud of our guys, and I think we took a huge step forward with our unselfishness, that is playing the game the right way and competing hard particularly in that first half," head coach Dan Earl stated following his 100^th career victory.
 
"Super proud of the guys, I thought everyone contributed in a positive way and it's nice to get back on the winning track."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Chattanooga opened the game on a 12-4 run (17:01) on the help of triples from the duo of Trey Bonham and Honor Huff before claiming a 12-6 edge at the game's first media timeout (15:35). The Mocs built on its early lead with an efficient attack on both sides of the floor, grabbing a 22-12 lead with 11:43 left in the first half.
 
The scoring stalled for both teams over the next three-plus minutes as UTC held on to a double-digit lead, 27-13, at the 7:22 mark. The Mocs continued its impressive defensive effort to close out the opening half, forcing eight turnovers while holding the Paladins to a 24.1% (7-of-29) mark from the field including a 7.1% (1-of-14) tally from three, to snag a 43-20 lead at the break.
 
Chattanooga didn't let up coming out of the locker room and extended its lead to 51-24 (15:26) after knocking down five of its first six attempts from the floor. Furman forced UTC into calling timeout as a 7-0 run over a stretch of two-plus minutes cut its deficit to 58-40 with 9:48 remaining in the contest.
 
With a low-percentage shooting effort from three in the second half, the Mocs continued to clamp down defensively to help preserve a 66-50 lead at the game's final media timeout (3:34). UTC ultimately fought off a late Furman rally to notch the 73-58 victory.

RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 9-6, 1-1 SoCon · Furman 6-9, 0-2 SoCon · Series: UTC now leads the all-time series 58-40.

THREE KEY NOTES | MORE
1. Chattanooga extended its NCAA Division I leading streak of six or more 3PT FG's made in a game… streak is now at 50-straight games… 11^th-longest streak in NCAA DI history… finished 7-of-24 (29.2%) during the win.
 
2. Chattanooga earned a 29-14 advantage in points coming off turnovers… most points off turnovers this season… also earned a 44-26 edge in paint points… 44 marks a season-best total.
 
3. 3,901 on hand inside the Roundhouse… largest home crowd since drawing 4,015 against Samford on February 26, 2022.

QUOTABLE | MORE
F Tyler Millin on stepping up as a senior leader.
"Like you said you just keep the guys in line and try to keep everyone focused. That's what I try to tell the young guys. Just stay level-headed, stay focused. They can come back just like that, that's college basketball especially nowadays."
 
HC Dan Earl on if that first half was the best half the team has played this season.
"I would say one of the best. It's weird, I think defensively it was maybe the best that we've played. Offensively it was right there. This might sound silly, but you're looking for little good signs as you go. There's been other good halves that we've had, particularly second halves. As you know we've gotten off to some slow starts in some games. For the most part, for a first half on both sides of the ball, that was one of the best if not the best half that we've had."

NEXT UP – vs. VMI – Thursday, Jan. 11 – 7 p.m. ET – McKenzie Arena – ESPN+ – BUY TICKETS
 
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