With its 25th victory of the season, Furman (25-8) secured its third trip to the SoCon championship game in the last four years.

Huff scored eight straight points for the Mocs as part of his 17-point first half outburst to spark UTC to a four-point lead just before intermission, but Smith – who had 14 points of his own in the opening stanza – connected on a 3-pointer in the waning moments to give Chattanooga a 35-34 edge at intermission.

The No. 1 seed Chattanooga Mocs (24-8, 15-3 SoCon) square off against the No. 5 seed Furman Paladins (24-8, 11-7 SoCon) in the SoCon Tournament Sunday at Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville,

The Paladins trailed by one at the half and went toe to toe throughout the second half, ultimately tying the game with 22 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

Led by Nick Anderson's 26 points, the Furman Paladins defeated the Samford Bulldogs 95-78 in the Southern Conference Championship quarterfinal

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BOTTOM LINE: Chattanooga plays in the SoCon Tournament against Furman. The Mocs have gone 16-3 against SoCon opponents, with an 8-5 record in non-conference play. Chattanooga is third in the SoCon with 32.9 points per game in the paint led by Frank Champion averaging 9.3.

The Chattanooga Mocs play the Furman Paladins in the SoCon Tournament. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.

The Clemson Tigers dominated the Furman Paladins, 12-0, in a five-inning makeup takedown on Tuesday at McWhorter Stadium. The victory extends Clemson’s win streak to 12 games