Furman Dominates The Citadel

Furman Records School-Record 31 Assists in Win Over The Citadel

Furman Takes on Rival The Citadel at Timmons Arena

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Furman recorded a school-record 31 assists, and Devin Sibley scored 26 points, while Jordan Lyons added 20 off the bench, as the Paladins demolished The Citadel, 107-67, in Southern Conference action Thursday night at Timmons Arena. 

With the win, Furman claimed its 18th Southern Conference win in its past 19 games at Timmons Arena, improving to 11-4 overall and 2-0 in league play. The Citadel dropped 5-9 overall and 0-2 in Southern Conference play.

The Paladins reached the century mark for the fourth time this season, and the Paladins 107 points marked a season-high.for points in a game, and the 107 points is the most points scored in a SoCon game by the Paladins, matching its 107-point output on Feb. 18, 1980 in a league win over VMI, knocking off the Keydets 107-75 in Greenville.

The Paladins trailed 30-29 with 6:19 remaining in the half, the Paladins embarked on another huge run to end the half. Furman took control of the basketball game from that point, embarking on a 17-0 to take a 47-29 lead, and the Paladins ended the half of a 50-19 run to take 56-33 lead into the halftime locker room. The Paladins trailed 14-6 early on in the contest. 

Sibley finished off his eighth 20-point game this season by connecting on 10-of-16 shots from the field, including going 4-for-6 from three-point land, and was 2-for-5 from the charity stripe. Sibley made it a double-double performance by adding 10 rebounds and also contributed five assists. Lyons posted a season-high 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three-point land to go along with a perfect 5-for-5 performance from the free throw line. 

Along with Sibley, another player that flirted with a triple-double in the win was junior forward Matt Rafferty, who posted 10 points, 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Andrew Brown and Daniel Fowler finished out the five double-digit scorers for the Paladins with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Brown added six assists and three boards, while Fowler added three assists and a couple of steals. 

While the Paladins posted a season-high 107 points, Furman also blistered the nets to the tune of 54.9% from the field, recording what was its seventh 50% or better field goal percentage for a game in its last eight outings. Coincidentally enough, the Paladins have also won eight of their past nine games, including having won back-to-back SoCon games since a 66-61 setback at No. 20 Tennessee just prior to the Christmas Break. The only win in the eight that has seen the Paladins shoot less than 50% in a victory came in a 64-50 win over Tennessee Tech at Timmons Arena back on Dec.2. The Paladins connected on just 34.4% of its shots in that home win last month. 

The Paladins also connected on 15 or more three-pointers for a game for the second-straight game. After connecting on 16-of-31 three-pointers in the 87-57 road win at VMI last Saturday, the Paladins connected on 17-of-40 attempts from three-point range, matching a school-record for three-point field goals made against a NCAA Division I foe. In the past two games, the Paladins have connected on 33-of-71 three-point field goal attempts. Ninety-nine of Furman's 194 points in the past two games have come from three-point field goals. 

Furman held huge advantages in points in the paint (44-20), points off turnovers (26-6) and fast break points (33-13). The Paladins also held advantages in bench points (46-45) and second-chance points (15-9), while holding a 45-36 edge on the backboards. The Citadel committed 18 turnovers in the loss, while Furman had 17. 

The Citadel, which was held to just 36.5% from the field for the game and its second-lowest scoring output of the season (67 pts), was led in scoring by Quayson Williams' 15 points and two steals, while Kaelon Harris chipped in with 10 points and four assists. The Bulldogs connected on 36.4% (12-of-33) from three-point range for the game. 

Both teams return to action this weekend, with Furman set to host Mercer Saturday at approximately 4:30, while The Citadel will be at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for a battle with Wofford, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.