There was no place David Jean-Baptiste would have rather been Tuesday night. And there may not have been another person University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris would have rather had on his side in that moment.
After a pesky Loyola Marymount squad cut UTC’s lead to 61-59 with less two minutes to play in the season opener for both teams at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, sophomore guard Malachi Smith drove the baseline toward the basket before firing a pass to the top of the key and a wide-open Jean-Baptiste, who was already 4-for-8 from 3-point range in the game.
Attempt number nine became make number five, and the Mocs were able to pull away for a 75-64 win over the Lions in UTC’s first game west of the Mississippi River since a loss to Wyoming to open the 2017-18 schedule – the first season with Paris in charge of the program.
“It just felt good, man,” Jean-Baptiste, whose 26 points led all scorers, said in a postgame interview via Zoom. “The confidence that my teammates and coaches had in me to take those open shots – that was just one of those ones.”
Jean-Baptiste is now seventh in program history with 1,293 career points and third in 3s made with 199. His next chance to add to his numbers will be in the Mocs’ home opener against UNC Asheville at 2 p.m. Sunday at McKenzie Arena.