Furman Survives Scare Against Mercer to Remain
Furman closed out the game on a 24-12 run, with Daniel Fowler scoring 11 of his team-high 21 points during the stretch, closing out a hard-fought, 74-71, win over Mercer in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday evening at Timmons Arena.
With the win, Furman improved to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in Southern Conference play, while Mercer dropped to 7-8 overall and 0-2 in league play.
Fowler's 21 points in the win over Mercer--a team that recruited him but never offered him--is a high-water mark for the Kennesaw, GA native this season. Fowler finished the contest connecting on 6-of-11 shots from the field, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the chartiy stripe to finish out the win. In addition to what the Peach State did scoring-wise, he also provided four assists, four rebounds and two crucial steals to help lead the Paladins to the win.
Trailing 59-50 with 8:43 remaining, the Paladins embarked on an 11-0 run to take control of the basketball game, starting with a Matt Rafferty layup to cut the Mercer lead to seven. Following a Stephon Jelks turnover the next time down the floor, Rafferty was fouled by Jelks and calmly went to the stripe to stroke home two foul shots to cut the Bears' lead to 59-54 with just under eight minutes remaining.
Furman senior point guard John Davis III recorded one of Furman's 10 steals on the night on Mercer's ensuing possession, which led to a Devin Sibley layup after a crucial offensive rebound following an Andrew Brown missed three-pointer. Brown rebounded his own miss following a tip-out by Fowler, and the ball would eventually find its way to Sibley for the layup off the assist from Brown.
Demetre Rivers missed a layup for the Bears on the next possession, and then on the Paladins' offensive trip down the floor following a Rafferty rebound, Fowler would connect on one of his three triples to tie the game, 59-59, with 6:18 remaining.
Following a missed layup by freshman point guard Marcus Cohen for Mercer, Furman would take its first lead since a 37-36 halftime edge when Fowler was fouled by Rivers going to the basket. Fowler knocked down both charity shots with 5:44 left to give the Paladins a 61-59 lead with 5:44 remaining.
A layup by Cohen on the next trip down the floor finally ended what was nearly a four minute scoring drought the next time down the floor, tying the game, 61-61, with 4:49 remaining. However, Fowler would bring the crowd to its feet and solidify the momentum for the Paladins when he flushed a one-handed jam off the right side to help Furman re-take the lead on the ensuing possession.
After Mercer tied it on Desmond Ringer layup, Furman would extend its lead to as much as five (68-63) with a layup by Sibley with 1:21 remaining. Sibley was fouled on the layup attempt going to the basket, but failed to convert the three-point play the old fashioned was, as he missed the foul shot. Furman would sink six of its final seven free throws in the final 47 seconds to close out the win.
Fowler scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half. The Paladins went to the locker room holding a narrow 37-36 lead to the half despite getting out-rebounded by six (18-12), however, out-shot the Bears 50%-45.8% in the opening half of play.
Fowler was one of five Paladins in double figures, as he was joined by Lyons and Rafferty, who added 12 points apiece, while Sibley and Davis contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Lyons, who recorded his third-straight game in double-figures and posted a career-high 20 points last time out against The Citadel. Lyons connected on 3-of-7 shots from the field, including going 2-of-6 from three-point land. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the win. Lyons also added an assist and a steal to the Furman cause.
In addition to Rafferty's 12 points, he added seven boards, two assists and three steals. The junior from Hinesdale, Ill., connected on 4-of-7 shots from the field and like Lyons, was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
Mercer's Desmond Ringer led all scorers with 22 points, connecting on 7-of-8 shots from the field, and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He also was one of three Bears to record seven rebounds in the contest.
Ringer was joined in double figures by Cohen (14 pts), Rivers (12 pts) and Ria'n Holland (11 pts). The 14 points by the freshman Cohen marked a career-high. Cohen saw most of the action at point guard in the contest after Jordan Strawberry saw only four minutes of game action after getting the start Saturday against the Paladins.
For the game, Furman connected on 48.1% (25-for-52) of its shots from the field, while Mercer finished the game making good on 50.9% (27-for-53) from the field in the contest.
However, despite entering the game with an individual--Holland--leading the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage at 58.2%, the Paladins held the Bears to just 3-for-17 shooting from three-point range, including blanking the aforementioned Holland, who was 0-for-6.
The Paladins, who had entered the contest have connected on 33 of their last 71 three-point attempts over a two-game span coming into the contest against the Bears, were held to just 8-for-28 (28.6%) from long-range in the win over the Bears.
The Bears held advantages in points in the paint (40-26) and fast break points (12-4), while Furman edged the Bears in points off turnovers (14-6) and second chance points (11-10). Both teams had 17 bench points. Mercer had a substantial advantage on the backboards, out-rebounding the Paladins by 13, with a 37-24 margin on the glass.
Furman recorded 15 assists and turned the ball over just eight times in the contest, while Mercer recorded just 10 assists and amassed 16 turnovers.
Furman looks to improve to 4-0 in Southern Conference play for the first time since the 1986-87 season when it travels to Chattanooga Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. contest at McKenzie Arena. Mercer will look to bounce back from consecutive losses to open conference play when it travels to Cullowhee to face Western Carolina in another 7 p.m. tip time.
Recapping and Noting Other Action Around The SoCon From Jan. 6:
In other action around the Southern Conference, UNC Greensboro survived a scare on the road at VMI to remain unbeaten in league play. With the 63-61 road win at VMI's Cameron Hall on Saturday afternoon, the Spartans improved to 2-0 in Southern Conference play for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
The win improved UNCG to 11-4 overall, while VMI fell to 5-9 overall and 0-3 in Southern Conference action.
Unlike its first two Southern Conference games against Furman and Wofford, the Keydets were able to make things really interesting in the second half, storming back from a 14-point deficit (43-29) with 16:55 remaining following a James Dickey layup.
However, from that point the Keydets would storm back into the contest, embarking on a 28-12 run over the next 12:38 of game action to give VMI its first lead of the game, at 57-55, after a pair of Fred Iruafemi free throws with 4:17 remaining.
One of the biggest plays in the latter part of the second half run for VMI was a four-point play by VMI's Austin Vereen, sparking the Keydets late run to eventually take the lead twice. With the game tied 61-61 with 22.5 seconds remaining following a pair of Vereen charity shots, UNCG's Francis Alonso was fouled on a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining. Alonso knocked down two of three free throws, giving the Spartans the 63-61 lead.
VMI had one last desperation shot at the buzzer to try for the upset win, however, Vereen's shot from just inside half court hit the front iron and clanged out.
UNCG's Alonso and VMI's Bubba Parham tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points apiece. For the Spartans, Dickey narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and nine boards. Vereen chipped in with 14 points for the Spartans.
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| Peter Jurkin had a monster day in ETSU's 85-66 win over Chattanooga, recording 15 points, 11 rebs and three blocks/photo courtesy of ETSU athletics |
East Tennessee State notched its third-straight win over Chattanooga, with a 85-66 win at McKenzie Arena Saturday night. The Bucs opened the game with a 13-1 run and never looked back en route to the 19-point win.
The win marks ETSU's third-straight by double-digits on the road to open SoCon play, as the Bucs improved to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in SoCon play. Chattanooga endured its fourth-straight loss, dropping to 6-10 overall and 0-3 in SoCon play.
Seven-foot senior center Peter Jurkin registered his first-career double-double, with 15 points and 11 boards to lead four Bucs in double figures in the win. Jurkin also was also once again a huge defensive presence around the basket, finishing with three blocks. He was part of a ETSU defensive effort that limited Chattanooga to just 39.5% shooting from the field for the game.
Additionally, Jurkin was joined in double figures by big man Mladen Armus, who posted his best game as a Buc with 14 points off the bench, while guards Desonta Bradford and Devontavius Payne added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Chattanooga never recovered after ETSU's fast start, trailing by 21 points at the half (48-27) and by as many as 24 points (67-43) in the second half. The Mocs had three finish in double figures, with Nat Dixon leading all scorers with 20 points, while guard Makale Foreman and center Makinde London chipped in with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
The Bucs blistered the nets at a 55.9% clip for the contest. The Bucs return to the hardwood Thursday night, hosting the one of the other three unbeatens in the league, with UNC Greensboro coming to town. The game will be a rematch of the 2017 General Shale Brick Southern Conference championship game. Chattanooga will look to end its losing streak hosting Furman at McKenzie Arena Wednesday night. Both tip times are set for 7 p.m.
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| Wofford freshman guard Storm Murphy posted 17 points and helped lead the Terriers to a 109-92 win over The Citadel in the highest scoring game of the night in SoCon play/Photo Courtesy of Charleston Post and Courier |
Wofford earned its second-straight Southern Conference win over a military school, with a 109-92 victory over The Citadel Saturday evening at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Nathan Hoover led all scorers with 21 points, as the Terriers hit the century mark for the third time this season. The win improved the Terriers to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in SoCon action, while The Citadel dropped to 5-10 overall and 0-3 in league play.
It marks the highest scoring total for the Terriers in a game since a 131-127 win in a four-overtime contest against Samford in early February of last season.
Hoover's night was highlighted by a 6-for-12 shooting output from the field, which included an impressive 5-for-8 performance from beyond the arc. Senior post Cameron Jackson added 13 points and 13 boards, while Trevor Stumpe, Storm Murphy and Fletcher Magee also finished in double figures, with 19, 17 and 11 points, respectively.
The Citadel led for a majority of the opening half of play, but one of Hoover's five triples on the night broke a 31-31 tie with 4:08 remaining in the opening half, setting the stage for the Terriers to eventually explode for a 9-1 run to close the half and take a 45-37 lead to the break.
Wofford would never trail in the second half, despite the Bulldogs cutting the margin to as small as four at one point, at 69-65. The Terriers finished the second half with 64 points.
The Citadel was led in scoring by Quayson Williams' 18 points and five steals, while Matt Frierson, Kaelon Harris and Zane Najdawi added 16, 15 and 13 points, respectively.
The Citadel returns to league action Thursday night when it hosts Samford in a 6 p.m. contest at McAlister Field House. Wofford will step out of the league for the final time this season, hosting Ivy League member Harvard Thursday night, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
The final game of the day saw Samford battle Western Carolina at the Pete Hanna Center, and it would be the Bulldogs that would hand the Catamounts with an 85-71 victory over in Southern Conference action on Saturday night.
Samford finished the night with one of its best shooting performances of the season, connecting on 54.2% of its shots from the field in the win. Leading the way was Demetrius Denzel-Dyson, who posted a team-high 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and made good on four triples in 34 minutes of floor time Saturday night.
With the win, Samford improves to 6-10 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference play, while Western Carolina drops to 6-9 overall and 2-1 in league action.
Western Carolina got another stellar night from freshman Matt Halvorsen, who tied Denzel-Dyson for game-high scoring honors by also contributing 21 points for the Catamounts. Halvorsen connected on 6-of-15 shots from the field, with all of his field goals on the evening coming from beyond the arc.
Triston Chambers (15 pts), Eric Adams (13 pts) and Alex Thompson (13 pts) also found their respective ways into the double-figures scoring column for the Bulldogs, while Halvorsen was joined by Mike Amius (13 pts) and Onno Steger (10) points in double figures for the Catamounts in the loss.
Samford jumps back into Southern Conference action Thursday night, with a trip to take on The Citadel. Tip off for that matchup is set for 6 p.m. Western Carolina will be back in Cullowhee on Wednesday night to tangle with Mercer in another key SoCon clash. Tip off for that clash is set for 7 p.m.
Power Rankings Following Jan. 6 SoCon Action:
1. UNCG 11-4, 2-0 SoCon
2. Furman 12-4, 3-0 SoCon
3. ETSU 12-4, 3-0 SoCon
T-3 Wofford 10-5, 2-1 SoCon
5. Mercer 7-8, 0-2 SoCon
6. Samford 6-10, 2-1 SoCon
7. Western Carolina 6-9, 2-1 SoCon
8. Chattanooga 6-10, 0-3 SoCon
9. VMI 5-9, 0-3 SoCon
10. The Citadel 5-10, 0-3 SoCon
Players of the Day:
Daniel Fowler (Furman)--21 points in win over Mercer
Desmond Ringer (Mercer)--tied career-high with 22 points in loss to Furman
Francis Alonso (UNCG)--19 points in road win over VMI
Bubba Parham (VMI)--19 points in loss to UNCG
Peter Jurkin (ETSU)--Recorded first-career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebs in win.
Nat Dixon (Chattanooga)--20 points in loss to ETSU
Nathan Hoover (Wofford)--21 points in win over The Citadel
Cameron Jackson (Wofford)--13 points, career-high 13 rebounds in win over The Citadel
Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (Samford) 21 points in win over Western Carolina
Matt Halvorsen (Western Carolina) 21 points in loss at Samford
Scores For Jan. 6
Furman 74, Mercer 71 (Timmons Arena/Greenville, S.C.)
Wofford 109, The Citadel 92 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium/Spartanburg, S.C.)
East Tennessee State 85, Chattanooga 66 (McKenzie Arena/Chattanooga, Tenn)
UNC Greensboro 63, VMI 61 (Cameron Hall/Lexington, VA)
Samford 85, Western Carolina 71 (Pete Hanna Center/Birmingham, AL)
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