Chattanooga hosts Furman after Smith's 33-point performance

Furman Paladins (12-6, 4-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga Mocs (13-4, 3-1 SoCon)

Chattanooga, Tennessee; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Chattanooga faces the Furman Paladins after Malachi Smith scored 33 points in Chattanooga's 70-59 loss to the Western Carolina Catamounts.

The Mocs have gone 7-1 at home. Chattanooga is the top team in the SoCon with 35.2 points in the paint led by Silvio De Sousa averaging 0.9.

The Paladins have gone 4-1 against SoCon opponents. Furman is second in the SoCon with 17.8 assists per game led by Jalen Slawson averaging 3.9.

The Mocs and Paladins match up Saturday for the first time in SoCon play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: David Jean-Baptiste averages 3.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Mocs, scoring 14.6 points while shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc. Smith is averaging 21.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals over the last 10 games for Chattanooga.

Alex Hunter is scoring 15.6 points per game with 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Paladins. Slawson is averaging 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 44.1% over the past 10 games for Furman.

LAST 10 GAMES: Mocs: 7-3, averaging 76.7 points, 33.0 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.6 points per game.

Paladins: 6-4, averaging 72.0 points, 29.3 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.8 points.

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