Sunday, January 21, 2018

Southern Conference Basketball Results and Power Rankings For Jan. 20


Furman Knocks off Samford

Daniel Fowler led four Furman players in double figures, as the Paladins knocked off Samford, 78-67, in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

With the win, Furman improves to 14-6 overall and 5-2 in Southern Conference action, while Samford dropped to 7-13 overall and 3-4 in league play.

Furman took excellent care of the basketball all game, committing just five turnovers, while putting on one of its best performances from the charity stripe, knocking down 17-of-20 shots from the charity stripe in the win.

Samford would run out to an early 8-7 lead following a jumper from Alex Thompson, however, the Paladins would respond with six-straight points to take the lead for good. The Paladin run would total 19-6 over a little over a nine minute span, dating back to Thompson's jumper which gave the Bulldogs their final lead of the game. Furman's lead at the end of the run would reach as much as 12 points (26-14) following a Daniel Fowler layup with 8:09 to play in the first. 

The Bulldogs, however, would cut the Paladin lead in half by the time the two teams went to the halftime locker room, going on an 18-12 run to close the half following Fowler's layup to trail 38-32 at the break. 

In the second half, the Paladins would get out to a quick start and extended their lead to eight, at 42-34, however, a 10-5 spurt by the Bulldogs capped by a triple from Thompson would trim the Furman lead to just three, at 47-44, with 13:56 remaining. Following a timeout, Furman would respond in emphatic fashion, with an 11-2 run to stretch the lead to double digits, 58-46, with 9:56 to play in the game.

Samford would not go away, however, and cut Furman's lead to five after a 9-2 spurt following a steal and layup by sophomore point guard Josh Sharkey to make it 60-55 with 7:20 remaining. However, that's as close as it would get the remainder of the contest, with Furman stretching it back to double digits, at 69-58, following a pair of Jordan Lyons foul shots.

The Paladins would keep the lead in the 8-11 point range the remainder of the game en route to winning their 20th  out of their last 22 home Southern Conference games at Timmons Arena. The 78-67 win over Samford snapped a two-game Southern Conference losing streak for the Paladins.

Fowler's 16 points came on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including going 1-for-4 from three-point range and was 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Additionally, the senior from Kennesaw, GA., finished the contest with eight rebounds, an assist and a steal. 

In the absence of preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Devin Sibley due to a finger injury, others were asked to step up for the Paladins. Joining Fowler in double figures for the Paladins in the 11-point home win were Matt Rafferty (15 pts), Andrew Brown (15 pts) and John Davis III (11 pts). Rafferty also contributed seven assists, six rebounds and had a pair of steals.

Samford placed a pair of players in double figures, with Alabama transfer Justin Coleman with a game-high 20 points, while senior forward Alex Thompson added 17 points. Coleman, the SoCon's assists leader, went 8-of-14 from the field, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. The junior point guard was also 2-for-2 from the stripe. He also dished out eight assists and had two rebounds in 34 minutes of floor action. 

Furman finished the contest shooting the ball at a 44.8% (26-for-58) from the field, while Samford finished the game connecting on 49.0% (24-for-49) from the field. The Paladins shot 31% (9-for-29) from three-point range, while the Bulldogs connected on 38.1% (8-for-21) from beyond the arc in the game. 

The Paladins held a 34-23 advantage on the glass, and also held advantages in points off turnovers (10-6) and second-chance points (14-2). The Bulldogs ended the game hold advantages in bench points (16-14), points in the paint (28-26) and fast-break points (6-0). 

Both teams shot the ball well from the charity stripe, with Furman finishing the contest hitting 85% (17-of-20) from the line, while the Bulldogs were 91.7% (11-for-12) from the line. Furman finished with 16 assists, while Samford dished out 13 helpers.

Furman returns to the hardwood Wednesday night, when it travels to UNC Greensboro to face the Spartans in a 7 p.m. SoCon matchup at the Greensboro Coliseum. Samford will also be in action on Wednesday night, staying on the road to take on Chattanooga at the Roundhouse, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. 

More Recaps to follow.

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