“We always put our efforts toward playing defense,” Isaiah Miller said. “Everybody on this team has the want-to. There’s just certain things we’ve got to learn, certain things to get us all on the same page. We try hard to do what we do.”

The deflections and defensive rebounds led to points on the other end. UNCG closed the first half on a 21-7 scoring run over the final six minutes, holding the Mocs without a field goal for 5:07 of that stretch and taking a 37-32 lead.

Chattanooga had no answer for Isaiah Miller in the second half. He scored 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting as the lead grew and grew.

“Isaiah’s really taken steps, and it started with the work he did in the offseason,” Wes Miller said. “He got in the gym every day and worked on his left hand and his jump shot. You see that. He’s now a threat to make a three from the outside. He’s now a threat to drive (to the basket) not just to his right, but to his left. And his decision-making continues to improve. You see us trending toward putting him on the ball more, playing more point guard.”

And you see the Spartans trending upward. The 13-2 start is the best in the program’s history, and the young coach has more wins than anyone else in the program’s history.