GREENVILLE, S.C.--Cooper Bowser scored a career-high 24 points to lead five Furman players in double figures, as the Paladins breezed past Bob Jones to record what was a 105-59 win over their visitors in what marked the final game with non-Division I competition of the 2025-26 schedule. Junior forward Cooper Bowser
With the win, the Paladins claimed their third-straight win and sixth win in their past seven outings, improving to 7-4 on the young season, while the Bruins remained 3-3, as the game counted as only an exhibition.
It was the first time the Paladins have surpassed the century mark this season, and the 105 points marked the 19th time Furman has reached the 100-point plateau in a game under head coach Bob Richey. The Paladins did so twice last season in two out of their three non-Division I games against both Oglethorpe (124 pts) and Montreat (100).
The win also marked Furman's 230th win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among Southern Conference members over that span.
Bowser, who came into the night leading the nation in field goal percentage at 79.4% this season, finished the contest 11-of-14 from the field and was 2-for-6 from the charity stripe to finish with his career-high 24 points. He also added six rebounds to his total and is now 61-of-77 from the field this season, which converts to a 79.2% shooting clip.
Tom House added a season-high 16 points, scoring in double figures for the second time in three games, as the senior from Dayton, OH., finished the evening going 5-of-9 from the field, including a 4-for-7 from three-point land.
The Paladins got 15 points and six rebounds out of "glue guy" and senior veteran Ben Vander Wal, while Charles Johnston added 12 points and eight boards to continue his consistency to start the season underneath the basket. Furman's double-figure scorers were rounded out by Asa Thomas, who added a quiet 10 points, finishing off his third-straight game in double figures. Leading scored Alex Wilkins didn't reach double figures, however, he did manage to dish out nine assists to lead a Paladin team that finished with 26 helpers in the win.
Bob Jones was led by leading scorer and sophomore guard Justin Skelton, who came into the contest averaging 19.0 PPG, as he finished as the lone Bruins player in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and was 1-of-3 from three-point range in the win.
The Paladins finished the game connecting on an impressive 59% (41-of-69) from the field and produced huge advantages in points in the paint (60-12), total rebounds (46-24), second-chance points (22-1) and points from turnovers (26-5) to secure the win.
Meanwhile, Furman's defense was also solid, holding the Bruins to just 33.9% (20-of-59) from the field and Bob Jones finished just 9-of-25 from the charity stripe.
The Paladins will now have a nine-day break before returning to the floor for their final non-conference road game of the season, traveling to Riverdale, N.Y., to meet the Manhattan Jaspers on Dec. 18. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. EST.
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