Mocs Show Grit in Loss to Furman With Depleted Bench

Chattanooga-(WDEF) Mocs coach Lamont Paris had just one thought looking at his thin bench on Wednesday night.
Said Paris: “It has been a weird year, as far as injuries have gone.”
It got even weirder when 6’11 center Makinde London was sidelined after hurting his ankle in practice Tuesday.
That left UTC with basically seven players against Furman, including zero scholarship players in the post.
So imagine game planning for that.
Said Paris: “We altered our playbook so to speak before we came into the game, and had to dust off a few plays we hadn’t run in a while.”
However, the Mocs were not about to get any sympathy from Furman.
Said Bob Richey: “They’ve got scholarship players. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier. They’ve got guys that are really, really good. Sometimes what happens is teams rally around that stuff.”
Said Paris: “For an effort standpoint, boom, check that box. That’s the effort that we need in every game.”
Mocs guard Nat Dixon showed great effort, scoring a career high 21 points.
Said Dixon: “You gotta do what you gotta do, til we get some guys back healthy. Whatever I gotta do for the team, it is what it is.”
With so few healthy bodies, Furman’s bench out-scored UTC’s bench 15-0 on their way to the 73-55 victory.
Said Mocs guard Rodney Chatman: “It’s hard, but I don’t want to make an excuse. We play hard, we try to win. We still try to win, but with only seven people playing. It’s tough, but you gotta do what you do.”