Chattanooga Game Information (Wednesday, Jan. 22 – 7 p.m. – Chattanooga, Tenn. – McKenzie Arena)
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Furman Game Information (Saturday, Jan. 25 – 1 p.m. – Charleston, S.C. – McAlister Field House)
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel basketball team has a pair of Southern Conference games this week, beginning on the road at Chattanooga on Wednesday, Jan. 22 before returning home to open a two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 25 against in-state rival Furman.

Wednesday's game tips off at 7 p.m., while Saturday's game, which is sponsored by Papa John's, will feature a 1 p.m. tipoff.

PACK THE MAC
The Bulldogs' annual Pack the Mac Presented by APECS event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8 against VMI. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m., and the entire South Carolina Corps of Cadets will be in attendance. The game will also serve as The Citadel's annual Military Appreciation Day, and The Citadel Athletics will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day at that game as well.

LAST TIME OUT
Four of The Citadel basketball team's starting five scored in double figures Saturday afternoon, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs dropped a Southern Conference road game at VMI by a score of 88-79. After VMI stretched the lead back out to 14, 71-85 with 3:12 to play, The Citadel mounted an 8-0 run over the next nearly three minutes to pull to within six, 85-79. The run was spurred by a Derek Webster, Jr. layup and capped by Kaiden Rice's fifth 3-pointer of the game. Despite being within striking distance of the Keydets, the Bulldogs stumbled down the stretch, and VMI capitalized to claim the nine-point, 88-79 final score. The Bulldogs shot 41.0% (25-of-61) from the field for the game after shooting 46.2% (12-of-26) in the first half. In comparison, the Keydets ended the game shooting 41.4% (29-of-70) from the field, including 31.4% (11-of-35) from beyond the 3-point arc. VMI scored 14 second-chance points and turned the Bulldogs' 14 turnovers into 21 points. Rice led the Bulldogs in scoring with 17 points, including 14 in the first half. Kaelon Harris notched his eighth double-double of the season off 12 points and 10 rebounds. Eddie Davis, III was second on the team in scoring with 14 points, including going a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Davis just missed out on a double-double as he added eight boards. Fletcher Abee was the final Bulldog in double figures with 10 points, including a pair of treys. VMI's Jake Stephens led all scorers with 18 points and recorded a double-double as he added 11 boards.

THE BULLDOGS NATIONALLY
The Citadel enters the weekend in the top 50 in NCAA Division I in six different statistical categories. The 'Dogs are tied for sixth in 3-pointers made per game (10.5), eighth in scoring (81.8 ppg) and tied for 19^th with 16.4 assists per game. The Bulldogs are also tied for 23^rd in the nation with 178 made 3-pointers, tied for 26^th in 3-point field goal attempts (512), tied for 47^th with 27.94 defensive rebounds per game.

TYSON WITH THE ASSIST NATIONALLY
Tyson Batiste enters the week 18^th in NCAA Division I with 6.2 assists per game and tied for 29^th with 106 total assists.

RICE BEYOND THE ARC NATIONALLY
Rice enters the week ranked 25^th in NCAA Division I with an average of 3.12 made 3-pointers per game, tied for 29^th in the nation with 144 3-point field goal attempts and tied for 36^th with 53 made triples.

RICE CLIMBING THE RANKS
Rice boasts 157 3-pointers made in his career, a mark that has him ranked 12th in program history. He is three treys away from cracking the top 10 in program history.

TYSON CLOSING IN
With his three assists at VMI, Batiste now boasts 106 on the year. He is 13 away from cracking the top 15 in program history for assists in a single season.

HARRIS WITH THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
With his eighth double-double of the season on Jan. 18 at VMI, Harris moved into a tie for fourth in program history for double-doubles in a single season. He matches Stallworth's 2018-19 campaign, Mike Groselle's 2010-11 season and Craig Burgess' 1986-87 season. The double-double was the ninth of Harris' career, moving him into a tie for 10th in program history for career double-doubles. He is tied with Demetrius Nelson (2004-09), Kirill Misyuchenko (1995-98) and Tom Slawson (1976-80).

ABEE ECLIPSING THE 200-POINT MARK
With his 10 points scored at VMI, Abee eclipsed the 200-point mark for the season. He is 57 points away from cracking the top 15 in program history for points by a freshman.

ABEE FROM THREE
With his four 3-pointers made on Jan. 15 against UNCG, Abee moved into the top 10 in program history for treys made in a season by a freshman. Abee now has 45 made 3-pointers.

SPENCE SWATTING SHOTS
Freshman Brady Spence swatted away one shot on Jan. 18 at VMI, giving him 15 blocked shots on the year. His 15 blocks as a freshman are 12th in program history for a freshman season. Spence has recorded a block in four straight games, his longest such stretch.

FRIERSON SIGNS FIRST PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT
Former Citadel men's basketball player Matt Frierson became the 15th Bulldog to join the professional basketball ranks over the weekend as he signed his first international professional basketball contract Friday. Frierson signed with Campo Mourão Basquete, a member of Brazil's CBC League, the second-highest professional league in Brazil. The team is based out of Campo Mourão, Paraná, which is located near the southern-most tip of the country. The team will begin action in the Brazilian Basketball Championship on March 20. Since graduating from The Citadel in May of 2019, Frierson has been playing with the Baltimore Hawks, a semi-professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association (ABA), which was founded in 1999. The Hawks currently sit atop the Mid-Atlantic North Division standings with an 8-1 overall record, including a 7-1 record in division play.

THE HISTORY WITH CHATTANOOGA
Chattanooga holds a 65-18 record over the Bulldogs heading into Wednesday's game, including a 35-6 record in Chattanooga. The Mocs have won the last three meetings, but all three of those were decided by three or fewer points. The Bulldogs last won in Chattanooga during the 2011-12 season, claiming a 48-46 victory. The Bulldogs won back-to-back games in the series at home between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. The last Bulldog win was a 110-101 overtime victory on Jan. 13, 2018.

SCOUTING THE MOCS
Chattanooga enters the week 12-7 overall with a 3-3 mark in Southern Conference play and 7-1 at home. The Mocs have won six of their last eight games, but most recently fell 72-52 on the road at UNC Greensboro on Jan. 18. Chattanooga's other two losses in conference play are at Western Carolina (87-77) and at home to Furman (73-66). The Mocs average 71.1 points per game while holding their opponents to 66.2 points per outing, a +4.8 margin. Chattanooga has connected on 44.6% of its shots from the field compared to 43.9% by the opposition. The Mocs have converted an average of 8.6 3-pointers per game compared to 6.1 per game by their foes.

CHATTANOOGA INDIVIDUALLY
Chattanooga is led in scoring by Matt Ryan's 14.5 points per game off 40.8% shooting. Ryan is tied for 40^th in the nation with 139 3-point field goal attempts. David Jean-Baptiste is second on the team with an average of 13.5 points per outing with Roman Vila third with an average of 11.1 points per contest. Vila shoots 61.2%, which leads the team. Second in shooting is Stefan Kenic (.475). Vila also leads the team in rebounding with an average of 5.5 boards per contest, just ahead of Rod Johnson's 5.2 rebounds per game. Ryan leads the team with 48 made 3-pointers on the year with Jean-Baptiste second with 35 made treys. The duo is flip flopped for assists with Jean-Baptiste leading the way with 42 assists and Ryan second with 35. Ryan, Jean-Baptiste, Vila and Maurice Command have all started all 19 games with Johnson having started 18 games.

THE HISTORY WITH FURMAN
Saturday's game will be the 212^th meeting between Furman and The Citadel. Furman holds a 124-87 record over the 'Dogs, but The Citadel is 54-47 against the Paladins in Charleston. Furman claimed both meetings last season after the two teams split the series during the 2017-18 campaign. The Bulldogs last won 100-92 in overtime over the 'Dins.

SCOUTING THE PALADINS
Furman heads into the week with a 15-5 record, including 5-2 in SoCon play and 6-4 on the road. The Paladins host Samford on Wednesday before traveling to Charleston for Saturday's game. The 'Dins most recently lost 66-52 to rival Wofford on Jan. 17. From Dec. 8 to Jan. 8, the Paladins rattled off seven wins, including starting Southern Conference play 4-0 before falling to UNC Greensboro on Jan. 11. Furman averages 76.8 points per game and has held opponents to 66.1 points per outing for a +10.7 scoring margin. The Paladins have converted 47.8% of their shots from the field compared to 44.3% by their opposition. Furman has made 193 3-pointers, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division I. That is an average of 9.7 made 3-pointers per game, 26^th in the nation, while their foes dropping 6.9 treys per outing. The Paladins are tied for 11^th in the nation with 542 3-point attempts.

FURMAN INDIVIDUALLY
Four Paladins are currently averaging double-digit scoring highlighted by Jordan Lyons' 16.4 points per game and Noah Gurley's 14.2 points per game. Lyons shoots 40.7% from the field and leads the team with 49 made 3-pointers. Gurley leads the team with a .556 shooting percentage from the field, but his 5.1 rebounds per game are second to Clay Mounce's 6.4 boards per outing. Jalen Slawson also averages 5.1 boards per game. Mike Bothwell is second on the team with a shooting percentage of .537. Alex Hunter is second on the team with 38 made triples, and he leads the team with 66 assists. The Paladins have started the same five players in all 20 games, including Lyons, Gurley, Mounce, Hunter and Slawson.

COMING UP
Next week, the Bulldogs will host in-state rival Wofford and then travel to face Mercer. The 'Dogs and Terriers will tangle on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. The game between The Citadel and Mercer will tip off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Fans attending ticketed athletic events at The Citadel this year are reminded of the new clear bag policy that has been implemented. Under the policy, fans will be allowed to bring with them a clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag that does not exceed 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches, or a one-gallon plastic bag (such as Ziploc or Hefty bags). The bags may have a logo on one side that is no larger than 4.5 inches by 3.4 inches. Bags carrying a properly sized logo of other teams or venues are permitted. For more information, please click HERE.

JOIN THE CITADEL BRIGADIER FOUNDATION
Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes. Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on The Citadel basketball team, please visit CitadelSports.com or follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.