Smith, Chattanooga Mocs take on the Furman Paladins

Chattanooga Mocs (21-5, 11-2 SoCon) at Furman Paladins (17-9, 9-4 SoCon)

Greenville, South Carolina; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

LINE: Furman -4.5; over/under is 139.5

BOTTOM LINE: Mike Bothwell and the Furman Paladins host Malachi Smith and the Chattanooga Mocs in SoCon action.

The Paladins have gone 11-2 in home games. Furman is fourth in the SoCon in team defense, allowing 68.4 points while holding opponents to 44.4% shooting.

The Mocs have gone 11-2 against SoCon opponents. Chattanooga leads the SoCon with 33.0 points per game in the paint led by Smith averaging 1.5.

The teams meet for the 10th time in conference play this season. The Mocs won 71-69 in the last matchup on Jan. 15. Smith led the Mocs with 21 points, and Jalen Slawson led the Paladins with 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Hunter averages 3.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Paladins, scoring 13.7 points while shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc. Bothwell is averaging 15.4 points over the last 10 games for Furman.

Smith is averaging 20.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals for the Mocs. David Jean-Baptiste is averaging 12.2 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 40.2% over the past 10 games for Chattanooga.

LAST 10 GAMES: Paladins: 7-3, averaging 77.9 points, 32.1 rebounds, 17.8 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.6 points per game.

Mocs: 8-2, averaging 71.4 points, 31.1 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 7.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.6 points.

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