The Furman Paladins faced off against the Chattanooga Mocs for the second time of the 2022-2023 Southern Conference season after previously defeating them 77-69 at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga. The match took place on Feb. 1 at Timmons Arena, and a decisive 79-58 win by the Paladins expanded their winning streak to five while maintaining Furman’s claim of first place in the SoCon. 

The match started relatively evenly with both teams trading shots. Notable shooters in the first half included JP Pegues, Jalen Slawson, Mike Bothwell, and Marcus Foster. The Paladins displayed relative weakness in three-pointers, keeping a consistent 25% success rate with three-pointer throws, but they made up for it in the form of successful rebounds and free throws. Half-way through the first half, Furman stepped up their defense, blocking Chattanooga players from scoring almost any points and ending the halftime score at 42-31 with the momentum on the side of the Paladins. 

The second half saw nothing but domination from the Paladins as without their star player, Jake Stephens (Chattanooga center), the Mocs were unable to find footing and coordinate their offense. Furman outscored Chattanooga in the second half 37-27, ending the game with a crushing win of 79-58. One key highlight of this game touched upon by Bob Richey, the head coach of the Furman Paladins Basketball Team, in his post-game interview was that while the Dins demonstrated poor accuracy in three-pointers during this game, they were able to adapt and make up for it in the form of offensive rebounds (53 rebounds by the Dins compared to 32 by the Mocs) and successful free-throws. As a result of the match, Furman continues sharing the title of first place in the Southern Conference with Samford while the Chattanooga Mocs sunk to the second-lowest ranking, only above the Virginia Military Institute who has managed to only win one Southern Conference game this season (1-11).