The Furman Paladins rolled their way to a much-needed win against one of the best basketball teams in the Southern Conference, beating the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Mocs 77-69 at UTC’s home stadium on Jan. 18. This match was the first time the two teams faced off after UTC defeated Furman by one point with a half-court buzzer beater to win the Southern Conference on March 7, 2022. 

The first half of the game was relatively even with Jalen Slawson and Marcus Foster picking up numerous offensive and defensive rebounds. Scoring from Slawson and Mike Bothwell mostly evened the game against UTC’s Jake Stephens and Jamal Johnson. The Paladins started at a slow pace with UTC picking an early lead, tied the game 18-18 with roughly 9 minutes left in the first half. Furman then took the lead with a successful lay-up from JP Pegues. The Dins would end the first half with a narrow lead of 40-37. 

The second half of the game saw the two teams switch possession of the lead numerous times. With approximately 2 minutes in the second half, a successful three-pointer from Carter Whitt secured the Paladins the lead. The ending of the game included several intentional fouls by Chattanooga to bring the ball to their side of the court and retain possession, but this move backfired as Slawson proceeded to make every single free throw in the concluding minute of the match and there were no successful lay-ups or three-pointers by UTC. Furman’s win by 8 points over the Mocs in an away game was a significant win as the Paladins continue to demonstrate they can beat strong teams both away and at home.