Lamont Paris allowed himself to smile Wednesday night.
But not until the final buzzer had sounded.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball coach had just watched his team beat Samford 78-71 for its first Southern Conference win in more than 11 months, and as he was walking out of the media room at McKenzie Arena, he finally cracked a grin.
After three straight narrow defeats, the Mocs were able to execute enough down the stretch to earn their first victory overall since defeating Jacksonville State on Dec. 21. Wednesday’s success halted an eight-game losing streak.
The Mocs (7-14, 1-7) host Virginia Military Institute on Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader, with the women hosting Mercer at 2.