Saturday, November 16, 2024

Furman Avenges Last Season's Heartbreaker Against Tulane

Furman senior point guard PJay Smith Jr.

GREENVILLE, S.C.--While last year’s loss at Tulane wasn’t the worst loss in Bob Richey era, it was as he called it in the postgame press conference only to the championship loss to Chattanooga back in 2022, so Friday night’s win, which improved the Paladins to 4-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season, offered a bit of sweet revenge, as the Paladins big nights from PJay Smith Jr and Nick Anderson en route to a big 75-67 win over Tulane in front of 2,867 fans on hand on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.  

The loss was the first for the Green Wave this season, who fell to 3-1. The win helped the Paladins avenge what was a heartbreaking, 117-110, double-overtime defeat last season at Devlin Fieldhouse in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. In Friday night’s win, the Paladins never trailed.

The Paladins got another outstanding performance from reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week PJ Smith Jr., who paced all scorers with a game-high 29 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, which included 6-for-11 from three-point range, with his six triples in the contest representing a career-high. In scoring 29 points on the night for the Paladins, Smith surpassed 1,000 points for his career.

Smith was one of two Paladins in double figures in the win, with Nick Anderson joining his backcourt teammate in double figures, as he finished the night with 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 shooting from three-point land. Anderson also finished the night with a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Smith and Anderson combined for 48 points and 11 of the team’s 13 three-pointers in the game.

Tulane finished the night with three in double figures, led by former VMI guard Asher Woods, who came off the bench to lead the Green Wave with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, including shooting 2-of-4 from three-point range and like Anderson, was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

Wood was joined in double figures by freshman guard Mari Jordan, who added 14 points and three rebounds, while former five-star recruit and Michigan transfer Gregg Glenn III, added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Paladins were again outstanding defensively for most of the night, holding the Green Wave to a season-low 67 points, while holding the Green Wave to just 42.9% (23-of-54) shooting for the game, which included a 33.3% (6-for-18) mark from three-point range. The Green Wave were strong from the charity stripe, connecting on 78.9% (15-of-19) from the charity stripe.

By contrast, the Paladins connected on a season-low 37.9% (22-of-58) from the field, but off-set that overall shooting mark by connecting on 36.3% (13-of-36) from three-point land. The Paladins also finished the shooting 81.8% (18-of-22) from the free throw line.

Furman has now hit 13 or more three-pointers in three of its four games to open the 2024-25 season. The Paladins have connected at a 43.2% (51-of-118) from three-point land through the first four games of the season. By contrast, Furman connected on just 30% (33-of-110) from three-point range through four games last season.

In 2021-22, which saw the Paladins set school and SoCon records with 401 three-pointers in a single-season, the Paladins connected on 45.1% (55-of-122) from three-point range through the first four games of the season.

Furman ended the night holding advantages in points off turnovers (13-10), total assists (19-13) and fast break scoring (16-10). Tulane finished the contest holding advantages in second-chance points (13-6), points in the paint (32-18), total rebounds (36-33) and bench scoring (22-17).

How it Happened:

For the third time in four games, the Paladins came out and enforced their will on the defensive end of the floor, and in true complimentary fashion, that led to positives on the offensive end, with the Paladins getting three three-pointers, and a Garrett Hien bucket underneath, as well as a pair of free throws from Cooper Bowser following a foul after an offensive rebound.

Furman was able to maintain its offensive flow for much of the opening half of play, however, later in the opening half a long three-point field goal by Kam Williams would cut the Paladin lead to six, at 21-15.

However, and offensive rebound and putback by Davis Molnar, and threes by Tom House and PJay Smith Jr. from opposing elbows staked the Paladins to their largest lead of the night, at 27-15, with 7:01 left in the opening half.

The Green Wave would eventually end the half on a 15-5 run over the final seven minutes, as the Paladins held a narrow 32-28 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Green Wave would trim the Paladin lead to just two points on a pair of foul shots from Tyler Ringgold free throws at the 19:06 mark of the second half. However, eight-straight points by Smith, which was part of a 17-7 run to start the second half, proved to be significant, as the Paladins assumed what was a 49-37 lead on a pair of made free throws by Cooper Bowser at the 12:29 mark of the second half.

Tulane would get as close as five on five occasions in the game, but could not get the score any closer, as the Paladins seemingly responded each time with a run of their own.

Furman will conclude its homestand on Wednesday night, as it heads to old West Greenville and Legacy Early College to take on Oglethorpe, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. EST. The Tulane Green Wave will return to NOLA to face Bethune-Cookman next Tuesday night, with tip-off for that contest slated for 7:30 p.m. EST at Devlin Fieldhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, November 15, 2024

Furman Ready to Host Tulane Friday Night

 

PJay Smith Jr. vs. Tulane in 2023-24 (photo courtesy of Furman athletics)

Overview of the Matchup:

If there was a game that definitely seemed to change the trajectory of the Furman basketball season in 2023-24, most who followed the Paladins last season would probably agree in unison that it was the double-overtime, 117-110, loss at Tulane. Friday night's clash will mark just the second all-time clash between the two programs. 

The losses at Princeton and Tulane were two that Furman should have won, however, let slip away. The way the game at Tulane ended last December, it seemed that the Paladins were victimized by some sort of voodoo. 

It appeared a JP Pegues three-pointer at the buzzer had given Furman, which charged back from as much as a 16-point deficit in the second half, felt it had the game in the bag and had salvaged a major road win out of a tough road trip. 

However, eight-tenths of a second were put back on the clock, and that was enough time for Kevin Cross, who recorded a triple-double in the contest (25 points, 12 rebs, 12 assists), caught the ball, turned and shot in just five-tenths of a second and was fouled in the process, drawing a three-shot foul on Davis Molnar. 

Cross went to the line and made all three foul shots to tie the game and send the game to its first overtime. The Green Wave would eventually go on to hand the Paladins a bitter, 117-110, defeat inside the historic confines of Devlin Fieldhouse.

Fortunately for Furman, most of that talented all of that talented roster has departed New Orleans, with Cross having moved on to San Diego State, while much like the year before when leading scorer Jalen Cook transferred to LSU. In fact, head coach Ron Hunter had to replace all five of those starters that took the floor against Furman last season, and that probably led to a low ranking in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll, as the Green Wave were picked in a tie for 11th in the 13-team league.

 Another talented player that Paladins--at least for now--won't have to worry about is Collin Holloway, who scored 18 against the 'Dins in that game last December. He has since moved on to SoCon rival and defending champion Samford to play "Bucky Ball." With arguably a more talented roster last season than two years ago, Tulane saw a decline in wins, as the Green Wave went from 20 wins down to 14.

Noted as one of the top offensive teams in the country a year ago, like Furman, it was struggles with consistency on the defensive end of the floor that proved to be costly for Ron Hunter's Green Wave during the 2023-24 season. The Green Wave averaged 81.9 PPG last season, and they ended the season on a seven-game losing streak, falling to 14-17 by the end of the 2023-24 campaign.  All five starters, which have now all departed, averaged in double figures at season's end last spring. 

During the off-season, the Green Wave added 10 players and with a 3-0 start to the season, the Green Wave carry positive momentum into its first road test of the season against the Paladins.

Furman comes into this contest off its first 3-0 start to a season since the 2020-21 campaign, and the Paladins' latest victim came on Tuesday night, as the Paladins downed the Jacksonville Dolphins, 78-69, as a part of the SoCon-Atlantic Sun Alliance. 

Previewing the Green Wave:

Head coach Ron Hunter has seen just about everything in his career as a successful college basketball coach, which has been spent mostly at the mid-major level, having coached at Georgia State and IUPUI, leading both of those programs to the NCAA Tournament, and in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, led the Panthers to a win in the tournament.

Now at Tulane, he's trying to return the Green Wave to a destination--the NCAA Tournament--which it hasn't been in two decades, with the last appearance in the Big Dance coming in 1995.

Like so many coaches of a program at the mid-major level, which undergoes massive overhaul now with almost each turn of the calendar, Hunter had to familiarize himself with the whole process, and wisely sought out the counsel of coaches who did it with more regularity as a part of their jobs. He contacted coaches he used to work with now in the JUCO ranks to try and get advice on how they were able to turn over rosters so quickly. 

It was not a bad option. Like most coaches, he has found there is a sort of inexact science to the whole process of assembling a team, with the chemistry and moving parts to be complimentary of one another. It's like a hypothesized assembly of talent and personalities that hopefully, when the end product reaches fruition at the most crucial point of the season, will pay off in that short window of opportunity. The job of mid-major college basketball coach in this current era is likely one of the toughest in the world in any vocation. 

The Green Wave will also enter Friday night's contest with a 3-0 mark to start the season, as Tulane has posted wins over Louisiana Christian (W, 76-42), Lousiana-Monroe (W, 80-64), and Alcorn State (W, 84-51). It will be Tulane's first road trip of the season. This is another team that appears to be functioning at a high-level offensively under Hunter, which is no surprise considering the respect Hunter gets in coaching circles as a basketball coach, and particularly when it comes to coaching teams with great offensive efficiency.

Like Furman, the Green Wave has exhibited outstanding shot selection through its first three games this season. The Green Wave come into Friday night's game ranking 42nd in the nation in three-point field goal percentage ().  The Green Wave have connected on 35-of-83 shots from downtown as a team this season, which converts to an impressive 41% from long range as a team this season. 

Much like Furman has done this season, Tulane has gotten a fresh start with its additions from the transfer portal. One of those has been guard Rowan Brumbaugh (13.3 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.3 RPG), who has transferred into the program Georgetown, and he's been a solid at point guard. Hunter called Brumbaugh a point guard that has the potential to be the best he has ever coached in the preseason. 

Brumbaugh had his best performance of the season in terms of scoring in Tulane's second game of the season, which was an 80-64 win over Louisiana Monroe. The 6-4 guard, who hails from Washington, D.C., posted 22 points, with in the win over the Warhawks, with the majority of that damage done from beyond the arc, as he connected on 6-of-8 shots from downtown in the win over ULM. 

He's been an efficient outside threat for the Green Wave through the first three games of the season, having connected on 10-of-21 shots from long range this season, which converts to an impressive 47.6% shooting clip through the first three games of the season. He's also dished out seven assists in two of the Green Wave's three games this season, handing out seven helpers in wins over Louisiana Christian and Tulane's latest opponent, Alcorn State. He also posted nine points in both of those contests.

Set to team with Brumbaugh in the backcourt Friday evening will be Mari Jordan (10.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG), and he's a 6-5 wing that has worked out nicely for the Green Wave this season. Jordan is a redshirt freshman that was highly sought after in the recruiting process when he was procured to NOLA from Atlanta, GA., by Hunter. 

In his very first game as a NCAA Division I college basketball player, he showed why, as he poured in 18 points in the season-opening win over Louisiana Christian. While only posting three points against Louisiana-Monroe, Jordan responded with a nice effort in the last outing against Alcorn State, posting nine points on a 3-for-4 performance shooting from long range. Like Brumbaugh, a big part of Jordan's game is his ability to shoot from the perimeter and do so with high efficiency. He's taken just nine perimeter shots this season but has made five of them. 

In the paint, Kaleb Banks (19.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG) has proven himself to be the real deal. The 6-8, 210-lb transfer from Indiana never really could find his fit with the Hoosiers in two seasons in Bloomington, averaging just 2.3 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 45 total games over two seasons. 

Banks has become a reliable inside-outside option for the Green Wave. His versatility should cause concern for the Paladin coaching staff. He has connected on a team-high 11 triples this season and is shooting a blistering 57.9% (11-of-19) from downtown through the first three games this season.  

Prior to his arrival in NOLA, Banks had only connected on seven treys in his career and had shot only 25 total. With his hot start to the season from beyond the arc, it's clear that he has dedicated himself to being a threat from the perimeter and is a 40.9% shooter (18-of-44) from long-range for his career. 

Banks is also shooting 60.6% (20-of-33) from the field this season and is also the Green Wave's leading rebounder through the first three games, averaging a double-double per outing.  Banks has scored in double figures in all three games, including 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in Tulane's last outing against Alcorn State.

He started the season with back-to-back double-doubles against Louisiana Christian and Louisiana Monroe. Banks posted 14 points and 13 rebounds against Louisiana Christian, and followed that up with a 19-point, 12-rebound performance against Lousiana-Monroe. 

Set to team with Banks down in the paint for the Green Wave on Friday night will be both forward Gregg Glenn III (9.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG) and Tyler Ringgold (7.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG).  Glenn III is a 6-7, 230-lb junior is a former four-star/five-star recruit, who came to NOLA from the University of Michigan, and saw action in only four games in his freshman season with the Wolverines in 2022-23. He would see limited action in 2023-24 with the Green Wave in what was his first season at Tulane, averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.6 RPG in almost 10 minutes a game a year ago. He would see two minutes off the bench against the Paladins last season, but didn't record any statistics. 

Hunter is hoping to see a stark increase in Glenn's overall production this season and hoping he can also realize that five-star potential for the Green Wave, as that will be vital to the success of this team when it gets into the rigors of the grueling American Athletic Conference slate, in January and February. 

Glenn III started the season with a pair of double-figure scoring performances against Louisiana Christian and Louisiana Monroe, posting 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Ringgold rounds out the starting five slated to go against the Paladins on Friday night. He came to Tulane after redshirting the 2023-24 season at Texas A&M. The 6-8, 215-lb Ringgold redshirted the 2023-24 season at Texas A&M due to injury and he's gotten off to a solid start at Tulane, scoring in double figures in two of his first three games with the 10 points in his first two games of the 2023-24 season against Louisiana Christian and Louisiana-Monroe, and scored just two points and had five rebounds in the last outing against Alcorn State. 

One of the main players to watch coming off the bench for the Green Wave on Friday night will be Michael Eley (2.3 PPG, 0.7 RPG), who transferred into the program from Siena where he was the MAAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.3 PPG and 5.5 as a rookie in 2022-23 and last season also averaged in double figures, averaging 11.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG. He played 48 games, which included 16 starts over the past couple of season with the Saints. 

The 6-4 junior guard logged his most action with the Green Wave last time out against Alcorn State, which saw him play a total of 12 minutes, posting seven points. 

Asher Woods (5.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG) is a player Southern Conference and those who follow Furman basketball might be familiar with. The 6-3 junior guard started his career at VMI before making his way to NOLA to play for the Green Wave. Woods started all 32 games as a freshman at VMI back in the 2022-23 season, leading the Keydets by averaging 14.2 PPG and was named to the SoCon's All-Freshman Team by both the coaches and media. 

Woods enters the clash against the Paladins having seen his productive game of the young season last time out against Alcorn State, as he posted nine points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. 

Rounding out those who see major minutes for the Green Wave coming into Friday night's showdown includes 6-8 wing Kam Williams (8.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG), who can play either guard or forward, and is extremely athletic, and 6-10 center Spencer Elliott (2.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG), who is averaging about 11 minutes per contest off the bench for the Green Wave so far this season. Williams recorded his most productive outing of the season last time out against Alcorn State, as he posted 13 points, four rebounds and three steals in the lopsided 84-51 win. 

Previewing Furman: 

Through the first three games this season, Furman has made a habit of getting 10 or 11 players involved in the action, and in all three games this season, the Paladins have featured three different leading scorers, which includes two players procured from the transfer portal during the off-season. The latest of those was 6-11 Charles Johnston (14.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG), who recorded a game-high and season-high scoring performance for the Paladins against Jacksonville, posting 25 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and a 4-for-5 effort from three-point land in the 78-69 win. 

The other game which has seen a newcomer lead the Paladins in scoring this season was the season-opening blowout of Columbia International, which saw Tom House (13.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG)--a junior transfer from Florida State--score all 21 of his points in the opening half, as Furman posted a 104-46 win over the Rams. 

The only game which has seen a Paladin veteran returnee post a leading performance for the Paladins this season just also happened to land him the first SoCon Player of the Week honor this season, as PJay Smith Jr. (17.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.5 APG) finished out the contest with a team-leading 21 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining, as the Paladins were able to escape with a 76-74 win at the Curb Events Center against Belmont. Smith was also a preseason All-SoCon selection and in his second game of the 2024-25 season, he put together another solid, all-around effort, posting 14 points, six rebounds, handed out six assists, and recorded four steals.

Smith Jr. will once again handle the point guard position Friday night against the Green Wave and is expected to team with sharp-shooting Nick Anderson (10.0 PPG, 2.7 APG, 1.7 RPG), who is a graduate transfer from Barry University, and showed what he could do as a perimeter threat in the win at Belmont, connecting on all five of his three-pointers for the game in the opening half against the Bruins, as he finished the contest as Furman's second-leading scorer behind Smith with 17 points. 

In the paint, the Paladins will feature an experienced trio that is expected to start once against Friday night against the Green Wave, with forward Garrett Hien (10.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.3 APG) getting the start at the four, while Cooper Bowser (3.3, 5.3 RPG, 2.7 BPG) is expected to start at the five and has been a defensive enforcer through the first three games this season, which includes a career-high 10 rebound and four-block performance in Furman's win at Belmont. The small forward spot will be occupied by Furman's main "glue guy" Ben VanderWal (3.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG), and he does whatever is necessary to help the Paladins gain a winning edge. His primary strength is his ability to drive off the bounce, as well as his ability to cut to the basket for layups and dunks. 

Perhaps Furman's most impressive performer to start the season has been the 6-10 Hien. The graduate senior from Charlotte, N.C., has started the season with a pair of double-figure scoring efforts, which includes a second-career double-double last time out in the nine-point win over Jacksonville. Hien registered 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the win. That performance followed an excellent outing at Belmont, which saw Hien post 15 points, six assists, and six rebounds in Furman's key road win over the Bruins. 

Off the bench, the Paladins to watch for in no certain order are redshirt freshman guard Eddrin Bronson (6.7 PPG, 0.3 RPG), veteran senior forward Tyrese Hughey (4.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG), and sophomore forward Davis Molnar (3.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG). Johnston and House, who are mentioned above, are also expected to see impactful minutes off the bench once again on Friday night against Tulane for the Paladins. Johnston appears to be fully healthy after battling some injuries throughout the preseason.

Bronson offers the Paladins one of their best lockdown defenders off the bench. The 6-4 guard from Tampa, FL., can score in a variety of different ways, and is especially good off the bounce. Hughey comes off a game which saw him post a +16 off the bench against Jacksonville, and like VanderWal, can change the temperature of the game with his overall effort.



Wednesday, November 13, 2024

SoCon Basketball Notebook: Week 1 Recap and Power Rankings

Week One Recap

UTC guard and preseason SoCon Player of the Year Trey Bonham (photo courtesy of UTC Athletics)

It's really hard to know anything after just one week of basketball in the Southern Conference, but we could tell a little bit from the small sample size we got in week one. I haven't seen everyone in the league play so far, so this article will involve observations I have made from teams that I have seen play so far in the league. I hope to be able to have seen every team play at least once by the end of this week.

With more than 60 players transferring out of the league this season, it's really hard to know what to expect in the opening week of the season. If you're a SoCon hoops fan like myself, you're probably just so excited that basketball is back that you end up enjoying the games more than anything. It's sometimes hard to analyze games when that is the case because you are enthralled by the action in front of you.

Certainly that is how I spent my Friday night, and with three games with staggered start times within a 90-minute span, I was able to take in a lot of basketball in the opening weekend of the college basketball season. The good news is that three of the four games involving SoCon teams were really good games. The bad news is the SoCon only won one of those games. 

Of the three losses, maybe the most concerning is the loss by Western Carolina (1-1), which was drilled by a Queens Royals (2-1) team that went 14-19 last season and they took on a Catamounts team that was almost an entirely new squad from a team that won 22 games a year ago. With that said, some of the 13-point loss to Queens is more understandable.

The other concerning loss came from East Tennessee State (1-1). I picked the Bucs to win the league and I have no doubt that they will be right in the mix come the start of league play, but ETSU went through a ho-hum home win over Newberry and then facing an Eastern Kentucky (2-1) team that will be right in the mix to win an Atlantic Sun title this season, and while the Bucs' four-point loss to EKU is respectable in the end (L, 78-82), the most concerning thing about the loss isn't the loss itself.

In fact, it's how the Bucs have started games, or like the exhibition loss to another very talented and conference title contender, in High Point, the Bucs started great and then went through a lull of about 13 minutes to end the first half and then it carried over to the beginning portions of the second half, which ETSU found it especially hard to score the basketball.

The Bucs fell behind the Colonels by 20 points early in the game and they found themselves having to battle back the entire night, however, after whittling the Colonel lead down to just four late. The stat that sticks out is the fact that ETSU had 21 offensive rebounds, which they converted into 14 points. That was something the Bucs did especially well last season. 

EKU's Devontae Blanton, who is one of the top players in the Atlantic Sun and will compete for ASUN Player of the Year honors, finished with a game-high tying 20 points. His backcourt opposition for ETSU, Quimari Peterson, who is also one of the top players in his respective conference and is one of handful of players that should compete for SoCon Player of the Year this season, matched Blanton's total with 20 of his own.

Jaden Seymour added 18 points in the loss, while North Texas transfer John Buggs III finished with 16 points. Karon Boyd, who is the Bucs' glue guy and arguably the top sixth man in the SoCon, added 14 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in 36 minutes off the bench. 

Two of the areas the Bucs struggled with most last season was shooting from the perimeter and post scoring production. In the first two games of the season, the Bucs have connected on a combined 12-of-51 from three-point (23.5%). 

The Bucs were solid scoring the ball in the paint in the post in the first two games, scoring 40 in the opener against Newberry and followed that up with 32 points in the second outing against EKU. 

Another thing that seems a bit concerning is ETSU's minutes distribution through the first two games of the season with essentially six players logging all the minutes in ETSU's game against Eastern Kentucky, with Roosevelt Wheeler not seeing any minutes. He transferred into the Bucs program from VCU. Davion Bradford did start the game, but he only played a total of five minutes and didn't record any stats.

As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how the minutes distribution changes, and how much Bradford sees his minutes increase as he develops in Brooks Savage's system. All in all, I remain optimistic about the Bucs and I think this will be a team that will once again be tough to score against, and will shoot the ball much better from three-point range as the year progresses as the season matures. The Bucs have too much talent to not be a title contender this season, even if one or two its big men don't end up panning out like originally thought.

Samford (2-1) has been an interesting watch and on Friday night against a good Cornell team, they looked every bit the part of the SoCon favorite and the most talented team in the league and one of the most talented in mid-major hoops for a good portion of the second half. It was almost as if two different Samford teams was playing in one game at different times in the same contest.

The Bulldogs looked elite offensively at times in their loss to Cornell (2-0)--a team that won 22 games last season and went to the NIT--but struggled most of the night on the defensive end in what was a heartbreaking 88-86 setback, which saw the Big Red win on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from 6-4 sophomore guard Jake Fiegen.

It was easy to see the full array of offensive talent this team possesses, but it was also easy to see that this was a team very much still getting used to playing together with one another, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

Samford would allow 88 points and did use its press with some effectiveness, forcing 18 Big Red turnovers, which led to a 25-10 advantage for the Bulldogs in the "points from turnovers" statistic. The Bulldogs allowed opponents to score 80 or more points on 11 occasions last season in 35 games last season, posting a 7-4 record in such games, so it is not all that uncommon to see. 

It's not as if the Big Red shot the ball lights out from the field in their small, quaint home facility--Newman Arena--Friday night, as Cornell ended the night connecting on just 43.1% (28-of-65) from the field, but struggled from long-range in the game, as the Big Red could only manage a 28.6% (10-of-35) from long-range. Overall, the effort was there defensively for the Bulldogs, which is always nice to see.

In the matchup Friday night between the Bulldogs and Big Red, it was a chance to see two teams that had similar philosophies in terms of getting the game sped up. Cornell posted 93 points in their season-opening win over non-Division I Marywood and ranked 16th in all of NCAA Division I basketball in scoring offense (82.1 PPG) last season, featuring one of the nation's most efficient offenses, finishing the 2023-24 season ranking 14th in field goal percentage (48.8%) and 10th in three-pointers made per game (10.3). Those are all stats that the Bulldogs excelled in offensively in a year ago as well under fifth-year head coach.

Cornell is a team that most resembles a couple of teams that the Bulldogs will face in the Southern Conference this season, although not identical. Both Chattanooga and Furman are similar in offensive efficiency and both of those teams, much like Cornell, place a heavy importance on shooting the three.

Collin Holloway has looked as good as advertised so far in the small sample size of games, and he ended up tying for game-high scoring honors along with Cornell's Fiegen, as he finished the game with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, which included a 1-for-3 effort from three-point land. He also added six rebounds, two steals and two assists and was one of four Bulldogs in double figures. 

Rylan Jones looked as good as advertised, and he looks like he will be one of those few players that should be in the running for SoCon Player of the Year honors this season, as he posted 16 points and dished out five assists, but had a somewhat uncharacteristic three turnovers. 

The Big Red ended with a narrow advantage in points in the paint (36-32) and were a +3 (29-26) on the boards, with 15 offensive rebounds. However, despite having three less offensive boards, the Bulldogs managed to edge the Big Red in the second-chance points category, outscoring the Big Red, 18-15, in that category. 

Big men Jaden Brownell and Riley Allenspach (2 pts) combined for just 11 points, which isn't great in post production--an area that made the 2023-24 Bulldogs so tough to deal with when Achor Achor and Jermaine Marshall were healthy, as it gave the Bulldogs a true inside-out game that had to respected at all times. Achor was almost a walking double-double during Southern Conference play a year ago.

The verdict on Samford early at least is that the Bulldogs are uber-talented offensively in the backcourt, and it's a team likely more talented within its starting five than the one that won it last season. I am not sold, however, that this is a deeper team than the one that cut down the nets in Asheville last season. From watching a lot of the Cornell game, Samford is a team that showed signs of being a good defensive team at points but are way too inconsistent right now.

With the scoring talent Bucky McMillan's team has, you still have to consider them one of the title favorites based on that simple fact alone, but there may not be the disparity in being an overwhelming title favorite as some might have thought based on the portal talent brought in during the off-season. 

Sometimes and overwhelming amount of offensive talent like Samford has can create a role overload when it comes to having more than one guy that is looking to get theirs in terms of points. Head coach Bucky McMillan has a tough job managing that particular aspect.  

It was largely a problem that doomed Furman last season, or if you are looking back to a team like the 2016-17 Chattanooga Mocs team. Both of those teams had those struggles among returning players, so it might be even more difficult to deal with in the current transfer portal/NIL era we find ourselves currently in. It's also really early, so it's hard to make a completely accurate judgement on much of anything as of yet.

The Bulldogs opened the season last Monday night with a 100-58 win over Mississippi College. The Bulldogs will get their second chance at their first NCAA Division I win later this week when they travel to North Alabama in their first game in the SoCon-Atlantic Sun challenge on Thursday night. The Bulldogs made easy work of Rhodes College on Tuesday night, blasting the visiting Lynx, 108-50, inside the friendly confines of the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs return to the road on Thursday night, facing North Alabama (3-0) as a part of the SoCon-ASUN Alliance. Tip-off is set for 8:45 p.m. EST.

Another of the preseason favorites--the Chattanooga Mocs (0-3)--started the season with maybe the two most intriguing games and two best tests, as Chattanooga went out to the west coast to face both the University of Southern California (2-0) and mid-major perennial power St. Mary's (3-0) to start out the season. With not much time upon arrival back in the Scenic City after losing at St. Mary's on Friday night, the Mocs would be on the road again in their opening game of the SoCon-ASUN Alliance series against a pretty good Austin Peay (3-0) team.

The Mocs were also a team that was not 100% healthy when they took the floor for either game during their trip, with portal addition Frank Champion, wing guard Bash Wieland and returning big man Colin Mulholland both currently out with injuries. Two of the three would end up returning to the fold against Austin Peay. are slated to return soon, but it made the Mocs a little thin when it came to the low post in their opening two games of the 2024-25 season.

One thing we know about Dan Earl's teams--they love to shoot the three, and when they struggle in that area of the game, it more often than not is probably not going to lead to the desired result Chattanooga hopes to achieve.

With that said, prior to arriving in Chattanooga, Earl was of course the head coach of VMI, and not only did his VMI teams shoot the ball well, but they played really well on the defensive end of the floor. Earl's first two teams in the Scenic City, have been a joy to watch on the offensive end of the floor, but more inconsistent defensively.

If the Mocs hope to return to the pinnacle of the SoCon mountain, they will have to play more like some of those VMI teams that Earl had, rather than his first two teams in the Scenic City. With that said, you can't decipher too much from the first two games of the season against a pair of teams that really good offensively. Like most teams that almost relied solely on portal talent, it was hard to know exactly what USC would be like as a team this season, however, what was undeniable is that they beat a pretty good Gonzaga team in an exhibition game before the season.

For the opening half of play at least, Dan Earl's matchup zone gave new USC head coach Eric Musselman headaches in the opening 20 minutes of action, but as a result of offensive struggles of their own, the Mocs found themselves down by 10 (22-32) at the break. In the second half, the Trojans figured things out and started using their position-less players to create some matchup problems for the depth-challenged Mocs. 

Chattanooga finished the night against the Trojans with its lowest shooting percentage totals under Earl, which included a 27.8% shooting clip from the field and just 17.6% (6-of-34) from three-point range in the seqason-opening, 77-51, setback to the Trojans. Chattanooga's shooting percentage for the game was its lowest since shooting 25.4% in a 63-42 loss to Southeast Missouri on Nov. 17, 2018. 

If there were a blueprint to guard Chattanooga's diverse motion offense, which is predicated on constantly cutting and moving, the Trojans probably provided it. However, the major issue is that most teams don't have the personnel in the SoCon to do the type of job the Trojans were. They were able to largely stagnate ball movement by playing physical and causing a slight delay in the arrival time of players getting to spots, and that caused the player passing the ball to delay his pass, and thus it slows the primary goal of the offense entirely, which is creating space. 

In the second game against Saint Mary's, the Mocs played much better, despite the fact that it dropped the 86-74 contest at St.Mary's. The Mocs were still without Frank Champion, Bash Wieland and Colin Mulholland, but the Mocs more than held their own against the Gails, and after trailing 39-29 at the break, came out strong in the second half and used a 16-4 run to take what was a 45-43 lead, with preseason SoCon Player of the Year Trey Bonham and Honor Huff had 12 of 16 points during that run, however, the Gaels responded with a 12-2 run down the stretch in the game and that would prove to be the difference in the end, as the Gaels went onto the 12-point triumph on their home floor. 

The Mocs didn't get much rest before hitting the floor for the third time in the opening week Monday night, finishing out the long road trip to open the season with a trip to F&M Bank Arena to take on Austin Peay as a part of the ASUN-SoCon Alliance Monday night. The Governors, who already have a win at Butler this season to raise more than a few eyebrows around the country. The Governors were picked to finish second behind Lipscomb in the preseason ASUN hoops poll by the league's head coaches. 

The Mocs, who were picked second in the preseason SoCon Coaches' Poll behind Samford, played the Governors tough throughout the night, ultimately falling to 0-3 with a 67-61 setback to Austin Peay. The 0-3 start for the Mocs marks the first time the Mocs have started a season in the NCAA Division I era with three-straight true road games (Division I since 1977-78) and also marked just the fifth time the Mocs have started a campaign 0-3 (1999-00, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2011-12, and 2024-25) in their NCAA Division history. 

All of UTC's 0-3 starts to a season have come since 1999, and it marks the first time since the 13 years the Mocs have started a season winless through its first three games. The Mocs went on to win the Southern Conference Tournament title and make one of their 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2008-09 season.

Chattanooga's start to the season is easily the toughest three-game stretch anyone in the league has had to this point. Against the Governors, and it was another tough shooting start for Chattanooga which got the Mocs off to a precarious start in the contest.  

Despite the struggles shooting the basketball, the Mocs would eventually settle into the game and used their defense to hang around most of the night. For a third-straight game, the Mocs would struggle shooting the basketball from three-point land, connecting on just 17.2% (5-of-29) from three-point land, and that led to just a 39.1% (25-of-64) for the game for the Mocs. 

LJ Thomas ended up leading three Governors players in double figures with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 1-for-3 shooting from long range. Thomas also dished out two assists and had one steal. Thomas also finished 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.  Sai Witt added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Isaac Haney rounded out the Governors in double figures with 14 points.

Chattanooga would be led in the loss by Bash Wieland, who in his first appearance of his career for the Mocs, who represented the lone UTC player in double figures, as he finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and went 3-for-4 from the charity stripe in the loss. Wieland, a transfer from Bellarmine, went 0-for-3 from long-range. 

Honor Huff and Trey Bonham represented two of three Mocs that would finish the contest with seven points, with Latif Diouf rounding out those with seven points in the contest. For Bonham and Huff, the dynamic scoring duo was held to just 4-for-22 shooting from the field, which included just a combined 2-for-15 effort from three-point range. The Mocs made their first five of 10 shots from three-point land against the Governors, however, missed their final 19. 

The five made threes marked the 71st-straight game in which Chattanooga has made five or more three-pointers in a game, which began in the 2022-23 season opener or Dan Earl's first game as the head coach of the Mocs. That is the second-longest streak in the nation, with Oral Roberts sporting a streak of 128-straight games of having made five or more threes in a game. 

Of concern through the first three games for Chattanooga is its almost total reliance on the three-point shot and outside the 14 points provided by Makai Richards in the loss at St. Mary's, Chattanooga has had trouble getting scoring in the post. That could very well change when the Blue and Gold gets completely healthy underneath, and Frank Champion makes his return to the lineup. 

Through the first three games of the 2024-25 season, the Mocs are connecting on just 19-of-83 (22.9%) from three-point range, and as a result, the overall field goal percentage has suffered. The three-point shot has made up 48.5% of the total shot attempts so far this season for Chattanooga. As a team, the Chattanooga sports a team field goal percentage of just 39.2% (67-of-171) from the field, while opponents are shooting 48.8% (80-of-164) and 35.5% (22-of-62) from three-point range. 

The Mocs will try and right the ship on Thursday night, as the Mocs will welcome the Morehead State Eagles to McKenzie Arena for a 7 p.m. EST contest in what will be the home opener for Chattanooga. 

Furman graduate senior forward Garrett Hien

Not many folks knew what to expect out of Bob Richey's Furman Paladins (3-0) coming into the 2024-25 season, and with some good reason, as there were some unknowns about the Paladins coming into the season, which was due in large part to the fact that the Paladins and Richey had to be heavily reliant on the transfer portal for the first time in his now eight seasons as the head coach. 

Also, the Paladins had four of their top five players move on, and that included losing 56.5 PPG of 79.4 PPG scoring as a team last season, which is 71.1% of the team's scoring from last season. The good news is the Paladins did return a veteran core of players, which included a trio of Tyrese Hughey, Garrett Hien, and Ben VanderWal, all returning from that team that won 28 games two years ago and won the Southern Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament game. Though they weren't big in terms of scoring contributions to that team, they were a big part of every game that season.

The biggest concern for the 'Dins coming into the 2024-25 season was the point guard spot, and that's because both JP Pegues and Carter Whitt moved on to both Auburn and Belmont respectively, and with Jalen Sullinger ultimately deciding not to come to Furman via the portal from Kent State, it left coach Richey and staff without a true point guard entering the 2024-25 season, with PJay Smith Jr., who was a preseason all-league pick, being the one to take on that new responsibility this season. Smith hasn't been 100% healthy during the off-season with a broken finger keeping him out in the opener, however, he would return in Furman's second game of the season against Belmont.

The Paladins brought in three primary newcomers for the 2024-25 season, with Tom House, Nick Anderson and Charles Johnston, all providing notable new pieces to the potential championship puzzle for the Paladins. The Paladins finished 17-16 last season, and the 10-8 mark in league play was only good enough to ensure a tie for fifth-place in the league standings last season.

A 17-16 isn't horrible, but it is certainly not to the standards to which the Paladins have built their program upon over the past few seasons. The Paladins would not only be welcoming in plenty of new faces to its roster for the 2024-25 season, but also be playing basketball in a new venue all together, with Timmons Arena getting a new 40-million dollar upgrade, as the Paladins will be playing a majority of their games at the big downtown arena--Bon Secours Wellness Arena--for the 2024-25 season. Furman currently sports an all-time record of 11-9 inside its home away from home, and that record dates back to Dec. of 1998 and a 64-57 loss to the Tigers on Dec. 26, 1998. 

The Paladins opened up the season with a 104-46 win over Columbia International in their new, spacious arena that hosted the NCAA Tournament First Round back in 2022. That was not a surprising result, but what was a bit surprising for some is how well the Paladins defended as well as how well the Paladins shot the basketball.

In the win over the Rams to open the new basketball season, the Paladins connected on 12-of-17 three pointers in the opening half, while holding the Rams to just 46 points and held the Rams to just 28.6% (16-of-56) from the field, including just 9.5% (2-of-21) from long-range in the win. House led the Paladins with 21 points and his performance would be a hint of things to come for the Paladins.

The next matchup against Belmont (2-1) would provide a truer sense of what the potential of the Paladins could be in terms of whether or not Furman could exceed its preseason prognostication of fifth in the league, as selected by the head coaches.

Belmont is maybe the best example of a mid-major program that has been able to build sustainable success at this level, as the Bruins have 19-consecutive seasons of 19 or more wins, and have been a model of winning consistency as a mid-major program. It was a bit of unfamiliar territory for Belmont as well entering the matchup with the Paladins, however, as the Bruins didn't return a single starter from the 2023-24 season to its starting five for the 2024-25 season.

The Paladins again used an outstanding half shooting the basketball from deep, canning 11 triples in the opening half of play and would take a 42-34 lead into the half. Five of Furman's 11 triples in the opening half of play would come from Barry University transfer Nick Anderson, who ended up finishing the night 17 points. 

The Bruins, who had within their ranks former Paladin guard Carter Whitt, would make a run and eventually take the lead in the basketball game in the second half when the Bruins put together a 15-3 run to take a 58-55 lead with 9:35 remaining. 

Following an Aidan Noyes miss and a House rebound, the Florida State transfer would record his second-straight important assist, finding Davis Molnar in the paint, who converted a baby hook in the paint and was fouled in the process by Belmont's Drew Scharnowski. Molnar finished off the three-point play the old-fashioned way to trim Belmont's lead to a single point, at 69-68, with 4:07 remaining. 

House continued his strong stretch, and following a Brody Peebles missed three and rebound by Cooper Bowser, House took a pass from PJay Smith Jr. and knocked down a left elbow three to help Furman regain the lead, at 71-69, completing what had been an 8-0 run with exactly four minutes remaining.

Peebles would then score five-straight for Belmont to help put the Bruins back into the lead when he converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way following Bowser's fourth foul of the night. Bowser blocked a key shot by Belmont's Jonathan Pierre with two minutes left, but eventually Peebles would increase on a short jumper with 50 seconds left, giving the Bruins a 74-71 lead. 

After a 30-second timeout, Warner drew up a nice play for a PJay Smith Jr. layup to get the Paladins within a point, at 74-73, with 22 seconds remaining. After Bowser committed his fifth foul on Belmont's Isaiah Walker, it put the Bruins in the bonus and sent Walker to the line for a one-and-one with 15 seconds remaining. Walker missed the front end and the ball was rebounded by Garrett Hien. Belmont had a foul to give, and Walker would foul Hien with seven seconds left. 

The Paladins inbounded the ball just in front of their bench and a beautifully designed ball-action off the inbounds play would lead to Smith's game-winning triple from straightaway. 

The ball was inbounded by Smith to Nick Anderson and following an excellent screen from House at the nail,  despite being well-guarded by Belmont's Jonathan Pierre, House's screen created just enough room for Smith to get off his shot and the career 40% three-point shooter would connect on what proved to be the game-winning triple to give the Paladins a 76-74 lead with 2.3 seconds left. 

The Paladins played good defense on Belmont's long inbounds pass, as the Paladin bench erupted in celebration when the final buzzer sounded in reaction to the huge early road win. 

Of note in the win is not only was it PJay Smith Jr.'s first game of the season, which saw him lead the Paladins with a team-high 21 points, but Furman was also without head coach Bob Richey, who was with his wife, Jessica (Richey), as the couple welcomed their fourth child into the world--Francie Elizabeth Richey--and what a Birthday memory the Richeys will be able to share with their young daughter in the future.

Along with the obvious performance by Smith, it was Garrett Hien that also came up big in Furman's win, posting a 15-point, six-rebound, and six-assist effort in the second win of the season. For his 21-point effort, which ultimately included the thrilling game-winner, Smith was named the SoCon's Player of the Week for the first week of the 2024-25 season.

Following the win over Belmont, the Paladins headed back to Bon Secours Wellness Arena, the Paladins first challenge in the SoCon-ASUN Alliance came calling in the form of the Jacksonville Dolphins (1-2), who are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Jordan Mincy, and it was the Dolphins that made that memorable run as the No. 12 seed all the way to the ASUN Championship game last season before eventually losing to Stetson, 88-87, in what

After trailing 36-33 at the break, the Paladins used a strong defensive effort and an increased effort on the boards in the second half, as Furman held the Dolphins scoreless for nearly seven minutes in the second half, and that led to a 14-0 run, allowing the Paladins to take control of the game in the second half. 

Furman would go on to an impressive 78-69 win, led by an impressive 25-point performance from 6-11 big man Charles Johnston, which saw the native of Sydney Australia and former Cal State Monterrey Bay center connect on 8-of-9 shots from the field, which included a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range.

For a second-straight outing, Garrett Hien was a huge reason the Paladins ended up being victorious. The graduate senior from Charlotte posted his second-career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the win. 

The Paladins have won 201 games since the start of the 2015-16 season, having posted a 201-98 overall mark, which is the top record in the league among the 10 members. The next closest SoCon team, is UNC Greensboro, which has 199 wins and has posted a 199-102 mark over that same span. 

My assessment of Furman is that they are deep and much better defensively than they were a year ago, and while the Paladins don't have maybe a player as individually talented as its top two last season, the comprehensive depth and overall team and the roles understood within that structure, are far better than the 2016-17 season. This a Paladin team closer to competing for a title and NCAA Tournament berth than it is to battling to finish in the middle-of-the-pack in the league this season.

Furman returns to action this coming Friday night, welcoming Tulane (3-0) into Timmons Arena for a 7 p.m. EST tip-off. The Paladins will be looking to avenge what was a 117-110 double-overtime loss to the Green Wave last season. 

Other Notes:

--VMI (3-0) is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2010-11 following a 102-56 win over Christendom on Tuesday night at Cameron Hall. Highlighting the young season for head coach Andrew Wilson's Keydets so far is a 76-71 road win over Bellarmine (0-2), which was part of the SoCon-ASUN Alliance. It was VMI's first road opening win since the 2010-11 season and it was the first win away from Cameron Hall since a 75-69 win at The Citadel on Feb. 2, 2023. The Keydets would overturn a 17-10 deficit early and then after trailing 24-23 later in the opening frame, put together a decisive 19-6 run in to close the half and took a 43-29 lead to the half and never looked back, bringing back a huge road win. Indiana State transfer Augustinas Kiudulas led the way for the Keydets with 17 points, while Lipscomb transfer TJ Johnson added 14 points in the road triumph. 

--The Citadel (2-1) became the first SoCon team to take down an NCAA Tournament qualifier from last season, taking down Stetson (1-2) in emphatic fashion Tuesday night, routing the Hatters, 74-52. Kenyan Davis led the way for the Bulldogs, pouring in 18 points, while Brody Fox added 13 in the win. For the second-straight season, the Bulldogs gave ACC member Boston College (1-1) all it wanted before eventually falling in the contest, as this time the Bulldogs would fall, 69-60, in Chestnut Hill. The Bulldogs would battle back to stay in the game, despite trailing by as many as 16 points (48-32) in the second half. The Citadel would be led in scoring by Brody Fox's 18 points, as the UW-Stoudt transfer finished the night by connecting on 6-of-10 shots from the field and was 6-for-9 from the charity stripe. Fox also contributed three rebounds and three steals. The Bulldogs connected on just 12.5% (3-of-24) from three-point range in the loss to the Eagles. 

--Wofford (1-1) battled 2024-25 Atlantic Sun favorite Lipscomb (1-2), 78-69, on Saturday afternoon at Allen Arena. The Terriers had three players in double figures in the loss, led by Dillon Bailey's 17 points, while Corey Tripp added 15. The Terriers opened the season with a lopsided 112-58 win over Erskine. 

--Furman currently ranks ninth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (38-of-82), shooting 46.3% from long range through the first three games of the 2024-25 season. By contrast, both Chattanooga and East Tennessee State rank No. 340 and 345, respectively in three-point field goal percentage through at least two games so far this season. The Bucs have connected on 23.8% (12-of-51) in two games, while the Mocs have posted 22.9% through three games, connecting on 19-of-83 from long range. 

--Mercer (1-1) opened the Ryan Ridder era with a 125-54 throttling of Virginia-Lynchburg, as all 12 Bears players that played in the contest made at least two field goals, with Angel Montas leading the Bears with a career-high 18 points. The second game of the Ridder era didn't go nearly as well and it was a steep step up in competition, with the Bears dropping what was a 95-64 contest to Big East member Depaul (2-0). The Bears would be held to just 39% shooting from the field for the game, while the Blue Demons connected on 55%. Depaul connected on its first four threes of the game and never looked back, taking a 51-24 lead into the locker room.

--UNCG (1-1) had one of the most impressive wins of the opening week of the 2024-25 season, as Mike Jones' Spartans took down Florida Gulf Coast (0-2) as a part of the SoCon-ASUN Alliance, with the Spartans holding on for a 73-64 win over the Eagles at the First Horizon Coliseum (aka the Greensboro Coliseum) to open the 2024-25 campaign.  Sharp-shooting guard Donovan Atwell and Radford transfer guard Kenyon Giles led the scoring efforts for the Spartans, posting 17 points apiece en rout to helping the Spartans securte the nine-point win. The Spartans would suffer their first defeat of the 2024-25 season at one of the ACC's newest members, falling 81-68 at SMU (3-0) this past Tuesday night. The Mustangs, which were selected to finish 13th in the 18-team ACC, were led by Boopie Miller's 21 points, while BJ Edwards added 17 and Samet Yigitoglu added 14 to round out the double-figure scorers, as the Mustangs used a key 9-0 run to extend a three-point lead (44-41) to 12 (53-41) and never were really threatened again, as they would go on to the 13-point win. Giles posted his second leading performance for the Spartans, posting a game-high tying 16 points.

Power Rankings (Nov. 4--11)

1. Samford

2. Furman

3. ETSU

4. Chattanooga

5. Wofford

6. UNCG

7. Mercer

8. VMI 

9. The Citadel

10. Western Carolina

Upcoming Games: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024

Tusculum at East Tennessee State, 7 p.m. EST

Trinity Baptist at Mercer, 7 p.m. EST

Wofford at Presbyterian, 7 p.m. EST

Truett-McConnell at Western Carolina, 7 p.m. EST

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

North Greenville at The Citadel, 7 p.m. EST

Morehead State at Chattanooga, 8 p.m. EST

Friday, Nov. 15, 2024

VMI vs Tennessee Tech, 3:30 p.m. EST (White Sulfur Springs, WVa)

Tulane at Furman, 7 p.m. EST

Samford at North Alabama, 8:45 p.m. EST

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024

Wofford at Duke, 12 p.m. EST

NC Wesleyan at UNCG, 1 p.m. EST

Mercer at South Alabama, 4 p.m. EST

ETSU at Davidson, 5 p.m. EST

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024

North Carolina A&T at The Citadel, 2 p.m. EST

Texas Southern at Samford, 4 p.m. EST

Chattanooga at Southeast Missouri State, 3 p.m. EST


ASUN-SoCon Alliance Schedule and Results

Round 1:

ASUN and SoCon tied, 4-4, through eight games


Nov. 4 - UNCG 73, FGCU 64

Nov. 8 - Eastern Kentucky 82, ETSU 78

Nov. 8 - Queens 67, Western Carolina 54

Nov. 9 - VMI 76, Bellarmine 71

Nov. 9 - Lipscomb 78, Wofford 69

Nov. 11 - The Citadel 74, Stetson 52

Nov. 11 - Furman 78, Jacksonville 69

Nov. 11 - Austin Peay 67, Chattanooga 61

Nov. 15 - Samford @ North Alabama

Dec. 4 - West Georgia @ Mercer

Round 2:

Dec. 1 - North Alabama @ Wofford

Dec. 3 - Lipscomb @ UTC

Dec. 4 - Bellarmine @ Western Carolina

Dec. 4 - Furman @ FGCU

Dec. 7 - Queens @ VMI

Dec. 8 - Austin Peay @ Samford

Dec. 8 - Mercer @ Stetson

Dec. 14 - East Tennessee @ Jacksonville

Dec. 14 - UNCG @ North Florida

Dec. 16 - The Citadel @ Central Arkansas

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Furman Outlasts Gritty Jacksonville

Furman senior forward Garrett Hien vs. Jacksonville

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Sophomore center Charles Johnston scored 25 points, and Garrett Hien added his second-career double-double, with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, as Furman held off Jacksonville, 78-69, Monday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 

With the win, Furman improved to 3-0 on the young season, while the Dolphins fell to 1-2 on the season with their second-straight loss. As a result of Monday night's win, the Paladins evened the all-time series with Jacksonville, 8-8.

Johnston, a 6-11 sophomore native of Sydney, Australia, was near-flawless in the game, as he finished the night connecting on 8-of-9 shots from the field and was 4-for-5 from three-point range. The junior forward was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line and also added three rebounds.

Hien, who posted 15 points and six rebounds in the 76-74 win at Belmont last time out, posted 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point land. The senior forward also finished 2-for-4 from the free throw line. In addition to his career-high 14 rebounds, the graduate senior from Charlotte, N.C., dished out three helpers. 

Rounding out the Paladins in double figures in the contest were reigning SoCon Player of the Week PJay Smith Jr., who finished with 14 points, six assists, six rebounds, and four steals, while teammate and backcourt mate Tom House added 13 points off the bench. 

The Dolphins were paced by preseason Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Robert McCray V, who scored a game-high 26 points and was one of two Jacksonville players to finish the contest in double figures, finishing the contest by connecting on 8-of-15 and finished 2-for-6 from three-point range. The scoring star, who began his career at Wake Forest, was also 8-for-10 from the charity stripe and finished with five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. 

The only other player in double figures for the Dolphins was guard Zach Bell, who finished the night with 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field, which included just a 1-of-11 shooting effort from long range. 

Furman finished the game connecting on 45.6% (26-of-57) for the game, while shooting 34.6% (9-of-26) from long range. The Paladins also connected on 70.8% (17-of-24) from the charity stripe in the win.

Jacksonville finished the night connecting on just 36.9% (24-of-65) from the field, which included a 24.0% (6-of-24) from three-point range. The Dolphins shot a solid 75.0% (15-of-20) from the charity stripe in the game. 

Furman owned a huge 40-15 edge in bench scoring, and after being outscored 10-0 on eight offensive rebounds by the Dolphins in the opening half of play, the Paladins would close the gap in second-chance points to 14-7 by the end of the game, using five offensive rebounds in the second half to score seven points. 

Meanwhile, after the Dolphins recorded eight of their 15 offensive boards in the first half, which led to 10 points, the Paladins would allow one less offensive carom for the Dolphins in the second and just four second-chance points. The Dolphins posted 18 offensive rebounds in their previous outing against No. 20 Florida (L, 60-81).

Furman held a narrow 14-13 edge in points from turnovers, while Jacksonville owned a slight 34-30 edge in points in the paint. Jacksonville owned a 12-10 advantage in fast-break scoring, while Furman posted a 16-11 advantage in total assists. Both teams ended even on total rebounds (39-39) and turnovers (14-14).

The Furman-JU game, which is a part of the SoCon-ASUN alliance, would end up giving the SoCon a brief 4-3 lead in the series following the Paladins' nine-point home triumph. Simultaneous to Furman's win, The Citadel was completing a 74-52 demolition of ASUN defending champion Stetson at McAlister Field House. 

However, as a result of Austin Peay's 67-61 win over SoCon rival Chattanooga at F&M Bank Arena in the first meeting between the Volunteer State schools since 2011, the Alliance ended the night all tied, 4-4. 

Furman's win was its 201st since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among SoCon members. UNCG's 199 wins is next closest over that same span. The Paladins improved to 201-98 over the past 10 seasons, and also ran their all-time record to 10-8 at Bon Secours Arena.

How It Happened

Furman faced a different type of challenge Monday night when it played its first of two games in the Southern Conference-Atlantic Sun Alliance, and it would take a complete team effort before the Paladins were finally able to find their way to a win over a gritty, athletic Jacksonville Dolphins team.  

Jacksonville is a team, which last season, reached the Atlantic Sun Championship game as the No. 12 seed last March before eventually falling to Stetson in the championship game, and carried plenty of momentum and confidence into its first mid-major test of the 2024-25 season against the Paladins.

The Dolphins also had within their ranks the preseason Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, in Robert McCray V, who came into the season as one of two starters returning for a Dolphins team, as Jacksonville was picked to finish fifth overall in the 12-team Atlantic Sun coming into the season. In McCray V, the Dolphins have certified scoring star, as he posted a 36-point effort in the 88-87 championship game loss to the Stetson Hatters last March. 

Jacksonville and Furman started the proceedings at a rapid pace, and the Dolphins jumped out to a 14-12 and eventually extended its lead to as much as six points (29-23) on a Robert McCray V driving layup in the lane, prompting timeout from Bob Richey with 5:10 remaining in the half.

Then head coach Bob Richey inserted Tyrese Hughey into the lineup, and according to the head coach himself in the postgame press conference, that's when the game would begin to change. 

The Paladins were getting blitzed on the boards for the first 15 minutes of the game, however, Hughey's presence in the game and presence on the backboards would ultimately change the trajectory and energy for the Paladins. Hughey would grab four of his total five rebounds in the final five minutes, including two on the offensive glass, as he would affect the game in a positive manner and the Paladins would close the deficit to within three, following one of Johnston's four triples, at 36-33, with just under a minute remaining and Furman headed to the half trailing 36-33.

A Jakari Spence layup in the lane increased the Dolphins lead back to five (38-33) in the opening minute of the second half, however, the Paladins would charge back to get within one following a dunk by Garrett Hien and a layup by PJay Smith Jr., which made it a 38-37 game with 17:42 remaining. 

The Dolphins eventually pushed the lead back to four, at 41-37, on a Stephen Payne III three-point play the old-fashioned way after he was fouled by Hien driving to the basket. Payne converted the foul shot at the 16:03 mark to stake the Dolphins to the four-point lead. It would turn out to be the final points for the next 6:49 of the game, as the Paladins used an important 14-0 run to take control of the basketball game, with Tom House starting the run with a left elbow three with 15:16 remaining to cut Jacksonville's lead to one (40-41).

Following a turnover by Hien and a missed layup by Jacksonville junior guard Simon Wheeler, the Paladins would end up stealing a play out of two-time defending champion UConn and head coach Dan Hurley's playbook, according to head coach Bob Richey in the postgame press conference, and the well-devised ball-action allowed House to get free of a tenacious Jacksonville man-to-man defense for a three off, and while he wouldn't connect on the three, the junior guard from Dayton, OH, did manage to draw the three-shot foul from Payne. 

House would connect on the first two charity shots before missing the third, as the Paladins assumed a 42-41 lead with 13:58 left. It would be a lead the Paladins wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. 

Seizing upon that offensive momentum established by House's five-straight points in quick succession, the Paladins turned up the heat and the physicality on the defensive end of the floor, contesting nearly every shot and also using four of the 10 team steals it totaled for the entirety of 40 minutes to help push the lead to 10, with Smith's layup off one of the14 Dolphins turnovers allowing the Paladins push their lead 51-41 cushion with 10:54 remaining. 

Jacksonville would finally end its long scoring drought with Zach Bell layup in the lane with 9:18 remaining, trimming Furman's lead back to eight, at 51-43. However, Furman would lead by double digits for most of the remainder of the game, taking as much as a 16-point lead when Johnston connected on a three-pointer following rebounding his only missed shot of the night--which was also a three--as his second attempt splashed through the net and Furman increased its advantage to 64-48 with 3:50 left.

The Dolphins would use their athleticism and quickness with a heavy full-court press for the remainder of the contest capitalizing on some Furman miscues, getting as close as seven with 26 seconds remaining when McCray converted one of Furman's 14 turnovers into a layup, as the Dolphins trimmed Furman's lead to 76-69. Nick Anderson would immediately be fouled on the following a 30-second timeout by the Paladins to set up a play to get him the ball on the inbounds. He connected on both double bonus free throws to set the final margin at nine. 

Furman returns to the floor Friday night with a huge test against American Athletic Conference member Tulane (3-0), who handed the Paladins a 117-110 double-overtime setback last season in the unlikeliest of fashions, as well as one result that was one of the most controversial of the season for the 2023-24 Paladins at Devlin Fieldhouse. 

The Paladins trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half to take a late, 92-89, lead on an apparent buzzer-beating three-pointer, however, eighth-tenths of a second were put back on the clock, which allowed the Green Wave enough time to convert a long pass on the inbounds pass to Kevin Cross, who caught the ball, turned, and was fouled by Furman's Davis Molnar while shooting a desperation three, double-clutch three in five-tenths of a second. It even somehow left the Paladins three-tenths of a second remaining after Cross converted all three charity shots.

The Paladins will have an opportunity to avenge that loss Friday night, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. EST at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Green Wave, which was picked in a tie for 11th in the 14-team American Athletic Conference in the preseason, has wins over Louisiana Christian (76-42), Louisiana Monroe (W, 80-64) and Alcorn State (W, 84-51), with all three victories coming inside the friendly confines of Devlin Fieldhouse.

Jacksonville, which will take on a couple of more SoCon foes in the non-conference, in Mercer (Nov. 24/neutral floor) and will host East Tennessee State (Dec. 14/SoCon-ASUN Alliance), returns to the floor to host South Carolina State on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST at Swisher Gym.


Postgame Press Conference (Head Coach Bob Richey)



Sunday, November 10, 2024

PJay Smith Jr. Delivers in the Clutch as Furman Downs Belmont

Furman junior forward Ben VanderWal (Photo courtesy of Furman Athletics)

NASHVILLE, TENN--Furman has won a lot of memorable basketball games since the start of the 2015-16 season, however, it was win No. 200 in that time frame that will rank right up there with the best of them, as the Paladins used their 16th triple of the night with 2.3 seconds remaining, which was a part of a 21-point debut from preseason All-SoCon selection PJay Smith Jr. in a thrilling 76-74 triumph over perennial mid-major power Belmont Friday night at the Curb Events Center.

The win sees the Paladins improve to 2-0 on the season, while Belmont drops to 1-1. The Paladins claimed three of the four meetings between the two each of the past four years. Belmont claimed a 95-89 win over the Paladins back in the 2021-22 season, however, the Paladins responded with three-straight wins over the past three seasons, which include an 89-74 win in 2022-23, a 99-76 win in 2023-24, and the most recent result being Furman's 76-74-win Friday night. 

For the second time in the past three years, the Paladins were without head coach Bob Richey, who missed the game due the birth of his fourth child and second in the past three years. Jax Berner Richey was born on Jan. 3, 2022, and the Paladins would be on the wrong end of a 76-67 loss at VMI under former top assistant Jeremy Growe.

Coach Richey stayed in Greenville to be with his wife Jessica and await the birth of his second daughter, as Francie Elizabeth Richey was given quite the Birthday present by Smith on a game-winning three, which similar to the game-winning triple by JP Pegues against Virginia in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. 

Associate head coach Chad Warner, who counts 13 years and 228 wins of head coaching experience at both Shorter and Flagler before joining the Furman coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2022-23 season, would effectively lead the Paladins to the huge road win against its first real competition of the 2024-25 season. Warner used substitution patterns wisely, as he effectively led the Paladins by playing 11 players, with nearly all having contributed a key play in the contest at some point.

Smith missed the first game of the season against Columbia International due to a broken finger but showed little signs of that in his first game of his final season in a Furman uniform. The Volunteer State native grew up about 15 minutes away from the Belmont campus in La Vergne, Tenn., and finished the night with a team-high 21 points and ended up connecting on 7-of-14 shots from the field, including going 5-for-8 from three-point land. The senior guard also added five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in what was a complete opening performance to 2024-25. 

He was one of three Paladins in double figures in the win, as he would be joined by both Nick Anderson (17 pts) and Garrett Hien (15 pts) were both impressive shooting the basketball as well and were both instrumental to the Paladins' cause in Friday night's road win. 

Fifteen of Anderson's 17 points came in the opening half of play, as he connected on five of Furman's 11 first-half triples and finished the contest knocking down 6-for-9 shots from the field and was 5-for-7 from three-point land. Hien also did a majority of his damage from downtown, connecting on 3-for-6 from three-point range. All told, Hien finished the night going 6-for-11 from the field and added six rebounds.

In his second game as a Paladin, Eddrin Bronson finished just outside the double figures scoring column, finishing the evening with eight points and one assist. 

Though he didn't score, sophomore center Cooper Bowser was especially important to the Furman cause, adding a team-high 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. 

Furman finished the game connecting on 47.5% (28-of-59) from the field and shot 45.7% (16-of-35) from long range and connected on 80% (4-for-5) from the charity stripe. 

After scoring 16 points against Furman as a member of the Liberty Flames last season in what was an 88-74 win over the Paladins, Brody Peebles proved to be a thorn in the side of the Paladins once again this season as a member of the Belmont Bruins. Peebles scored a game-high 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field.

Former Paladin Carter Whitt logged his first action as a Belmont Bruin Friday night and turned in a good performance in what was his first game of his final season of college basketball. The graduate transfer finished the game with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-3 effort from three-point land. Whitt also added two rebounds and two assists in the losing effort.

The Bruins finished the contest connecting on a solid 54.2% (32-of-59) from the field but shot only 31.3% (5-of-16) from three-point range.  

Furman finished the contest with advantage in total rebounds (34-27), assists (18-14), second-chance points (13-7), bench points (23-14), fast-break scoring (6-4), and points off turnovers (14-10). As you might expect for a team that ended the night by connecting on 16 triples, the Paladins were outpaced 54-18 in the points in the paint category by the Bruins. The Paladins turned the ball over 16 times, while the Bruins committed 10 miscues. 

How It Happened:

Furman led for most of the night, and for a second-straight game to start the 2024-25 season, the Paladins got off to an outstanding start shooting the basketball, connecting on 11-of-21 first-half three-pointers (52.4%) to take what was a 42-34 lead to the halftime locker room. 

In the season opener against Columbia International, the Paladins were also excellent from long-range, heading into the locker room with a 58-15 lead over the visiting Rams as a result of a 12-of-17 shooting performance from long range. 

The first two games of the 2024-25 season have seen Furman shoot lights out from downtown in the two opening halves of games against Belmont and Columbia International. In the first two first halves of 2024-25, the Paladins are shooting 60.5% (23-of-38) from long range in 2024-25. By contrast, the Paladins have combined to connect on only six second-half three-pointers, connecting on 6-for-19 (31.8%) in the two second halves to start the 2024-25 season. 

Midway through the second half, however, the Bruins would erase Furman's lead and take their first lead of the night on a Brigham Rogers dunk off a nice backdoor cut, as he was fed a beautiful pass by Tyler Lundblade, giving Belmont a 56-55 lead with 10:13 remaining.

The Bruins would grow their lead to as much as six on two occasions over the next five minutes, with a Carter Whitt tear-drop running one-handed jumper giving Belmont its initial six-point edge (67-61) with 5:48 left, and a Sam Orme layup with 4:57 left giving the Bruins their final six-point lead of the evening, at 69-63. 

Two of Furman's most important buckets of the night came on its next two possessions, with Eddrin Bronson registering Furman's lone dunk of the night and first off his career on a nice drive off the baseline after being fed a good pass by Tom House with 4:41 remaining. 

Following an Aidan Noyes miss and a House rebound, the Florida State transfer would record his second-straight important assist, finding Davis Molnar in the paint, who converted a baby hook in the paint and was fouled in the process by Belmont's Drew Scharnowski. Molnar finished off the three-point play the old-fashioned way to trim Belmont's lead to a single point, at 69-68, with 4:07 remaining. 

House continued his strong stretch, and following a Brody Peebles missed three and rebound by Cooper Bowser, House took a pass from PJay Smith Jr. and knocked down a left elbow three to help Furman regain the lead, at 71-69, completing what had been an 8-0 run with exactly four minutes remaining.

Peebles would then score five-straight for Belmont to help put the Bruins back into the lead when he converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way following Bowser's fourth foul of the night. Bowser blocked a key shot by Belmont's Jonathan Pierre with two minutes left, but eventually Peebles would increase on a short jumper with 50 seconds left, giving the Bruins a 74-71 lead. 

After a 30-second timeout, Warner drew up a nice play for a PJay Smith Jr. layup to get the Paladins within a point, at 74-73, with 22 seconds remaining. After Bowser committed his fifth foul on Belmont's Isaiah Walker, it put the Bruins in the bonus and sent Walker to the line for a one-and-one with 15 seconds remaining. Walker missed the front end and the ball was rebounded by Garrett Hien. Belmont had a foul to give, and Walker would foul Hien with seven seconds left. 

The Paladins inbounded the ball just in front of their bench and a beautifully-designed ball-action off the inbounds play would lead to Smith's game-winning triple from straightaway. 

The ball was inbounded by Smith to Nick Anderson and following an excellent screen from House at the nail,  despite being well-guarded by Belmont's Jonathan Pierre, House's screen created just enough room for Smith to get off his shot and the career 40% three-point shooter would connect on what proved to be the game-winning triple to give the Paladins a 76-74 lead with 2.3 seconds left. 

The Paladins played good defense on Belmont's long inbounds pass, as the Paladin bench erupted in celebration when the final buzzer sounded in reaction to the huge early road win. Win No. 200 for the Paladins over the past nine seasons was definitely a memorable one. 

Furman improved to 200-98 since the start of the 2015-16 season and will return home Monday night with a key test against Jacksonville (1-1) in the SoCon-ASUN challenge, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. EST at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Check back to SoConHoopsreport.com for a full preview of that clash on Monday.

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