Furman Records Fifth 100-point Game of the Season
With the win, Furman improved to 15-7 overall and 6-3 in Southern Conference action, while Western Carolina drops to 9-12 overall and 4-4 in league play.
The Paladins were led in the contest by Devin Sibley, who recorded his ninth 20-point effort this season, finished with 23 points to lead five Paladins in double figures in the win. Sibley finished the contest by connecting on 7-of-12 shots from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point land, and was also 6-for-8 from the charity stripe. Additionally, Sibley added seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
Sibley was joined in double figures by John Davis III (18 pts), Matt Rafferty (13 pts), Clay Mounce (11 pts) and Daniel Fowler (10 pts). Sibley's performance came on the heels of a six-point effort against UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night. Sibley scored 16 of his 23 points in the opening half.
For Mounce, a redshirt freshman from Mt. Airy, N.C., posted a career-high for points, with a couple of highlight-reel dunks off alley-oops, displaying his athleticism. Mounce also added seven rebounds in his most impressive performance as a Paladin. Geoff Beans just missed double figures, posting nine points off the bench for the Paladins.
https://twitter.com/FurmanHoops/status/957369212153942017
Furman scored a season-high 58 points in the opening half of play on 57.6% shooting from the field in the opening frame to take a 30-point (58-28) lead to the halftime break. Sibley and Davis scored 24 of Furman's first 33 points in the game, and the Paladins scored the game's first 13 points to stake the Paladins to a big early lead, and Furman never looked back.
In the second half, the Paladin lead would grow to as many as 39 points with 2:33 remaining (98-59) following a Brady Schuck layup. About the only drama left to be determined in the contest was whether or not Furman would record 100 points for a fifth time on the season, and it came from one of the most unlikliest of players--Seve Severoff--who connected on the second shot of a two-shot foul with 34 ticks left on the clock to give the Paladins 100 points.
For the game, the Paladins connected on 51.6% (32-of-62) from the field, including an impressive 41.7% (13-of-36) from three-point range, while limiting Western Carolina to just 34.5 % (20-of-58) from the field, and just 17.4% (4-of-23) from three-point range in the win.
The Paladins also shot the ball at an impressive clip from the charity stripe, connecting on 75% () of its shots from the charity stripe.
Western Carolina was led in scoring by freshman guard Matt Halvorsen, who posted 15 points, while Ashley Williams finished with 10 points to finish out the double figure scorers for the Catamounts.
Furman held advantages in fast-break points (21-10), points off turnovers (12-5), while Western Carolina held advantages in bench points (48-29) and points in the paint (32-28). Both teams had 12 points in the second-chance points statistical category. The Paladins recorded 21 assists on 32 made baskets. Furman also held a 43-32 advantage on the boards.
Furman jumps back into action Thursday night, traveling to Mercer to face the Bears in a 7 p.m. tip-off set for Hawkins Arena. Western Carolina returns to the hardwood Monday night, when the Catamounts battle Wofford in a 7 p.m. clash at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg.
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| Desonta Bradford vs. Wofford/Photo courtesy of ETSU athletics |
East Tennessee State Pulls Away From Wofford Late; Remains Perfect in SoCon Play
East Tennessee State claimed a 75-62 win over Wofford before a sellout crowd in Southern Conference action Saturday night at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
With its 12th-straight win, the Bucs improved to 18-4 overall and 9-0 in Southern Conference play, while Wofford dropped to 15-6 overall and 6-2 in league play. It marked Wofford's first Southern Conference loss at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The win for ETSU was its 16th in its last 17 games, and marks the longest winning streak for the Bucs since the 2003-04 season, when the Bucs claimed 16-straight wins in a season which saw the Bucs claim the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bucs placed four platyers in double figutes, led by Desonta Bradford's 17 points. Bradford finished the contest 7-of-10 shots from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range in the win over the Terriers. Bradford, a senior from Humboldt, Tenn, also went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe, and added seven rebounds, three assists and a steal to his overall stat line.
Bradford was joined in double figures by Jalan McCloud (16 pts), while Devontavius Payne and Belgrade, Serbia native Mladen Armus added 11 points apiece.
Defense was once again the order of the day for Steve Forbes' Bucs, which held the Terriers to 37% shooting from the field for the game. Meanwhile, the Bucs were able to connect on 52.9% of their shots from the field for the game to claim the important Southern Conference win.
The Bucs took a 38-32 lead into the halftime locker room on the strength of a big run midway through the opening half of play. With Wofford leading the contest 12-9, the Bucs responded with a 19-7 run to race to a nine-point, 28-19, lead following a triple from Payne with six minutes remaining in the opening frame.
A Trevor Stumpe three-pointer for the Terriers would cut ETSU's lead to three, at 30-27, just two minutes later, however, the Bucs would double that lead over the final four minutes by out-scoring the Terriers 8-5, capped by a Bradford jumper with just under two minutes left. Wofford would score the final points of the half on a Fletcher Magee jumper to set the Wofford deficit at six heading to the intermission.
In the second half, the Terriers trimmed the ETSU lead to four early in the frame, however, it would be as close as Wofford would get the remainder of the game. Clinging to a 59-54 lead with 7:20 remaining, the Bucs would break open the game with a 10-2 spurt, powered by a pair of Bradford triples and a jumper from the senior, as well as a layup by senior center Peter Jurkin, stretching the ETSU lead to 69-56 with 3:50 remaining. The lead by the Bucs would never dip below double digits the remainder of the game.
The Terriers, who played without forward and second-leading scorer Cameron Jackson, were paced by a game-high 21 points from Fletcher Magee. Magee connected on 6-of-17 shots from the field and was 5-for-13 from three-point range in the loss. He also connected on 4-of-6 shots from the charity stripe. The only other Terrier in double figures in the contest was center Matthew Pegram, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and was 2-for-2 from the line.
ETSU returns to action Monday night with a trip to McAlister Field House to face The Citadel, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The Terriers will host Western Carolina Monday night at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
--The last Southern Conference team to coamplete the season unbeaten was Davidson in 2008, completing the league slate a perfect 20-0. The Steph Curry-led Wildcats advanced all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion Kansas. Eleven teams in the 97-year history of the Southern Conference have gone wire-to-wire from regular-season play to going unblemished in the tournament. With ETSU's 9-0 start, the Bucs are halfway to that goal of becoming the 12th.
--With his 23 points Saturday in a win over Western Carolina, preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Devin Sibley needs just five points to break into the top 10 in Furman history in scoring. He needs just five points Thursday night at Mercer to surpass former Furman great George Singleton (1981-84), who finished his career with 1,690 points. Sibley's 23-point effort against
--ETSU's 12-straight wins marks the third-longest winning streak in NCAA Division I hoops. It also marks the longest winning streak by a Southern Conference team since Davidson won 17-straight in its final season as a league member in 2013-14.
--Though Wofford suffered a 75-62 home setback to league-leading East Tennessee State on Saturday night at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, junior guard Fletcher Magee registered his thirteenth 20-point game of the season, which leads the SoCon.
--Injuries have played a big role for key players in the Southern Conference this season, with Samford center Wyatt Walker, Wofford center Cameron Jackson and Mercer guard Ria'n Holland all missing in action right now as key components for their respective teams. Holland will return in a couple of weeks, while Jackson is day-to-day. Walker's status is still unknown. Furman has missed Devin Sibley in two games this season due to injury, including a win over Samford a little over a week ago. Sibley dislocated a finger in the one-point loss to East Tennessee State a couple of weeks ago. He scored just six points in a 71-61 road loss in his first game back before turning around and having a big game the next time out in a 100-66 win over Western Carolina. No team has been ravaged as much by injuries than Samford this season, who have had the likes of veterans Christen Cunningham, Alex Peters Alex Thompson and Walker miss a combined 40 games for the Bulldogs this season.
--ETSU, UNCG and Furman all tied for the regular-season title in 2016-17. Those three teams have been ultra successful in the SoCon since the start of the 2015-16 season. ETSU has posted a 37-8 record in SoCon play since the start of the 2015-16 season, while Furman is 31-14 and UNCG has posted a 31-13 conference mark since the start of the 2015-16 season. The top five Southern Conference teams in the standings this season are a combined 32-10 in league play this season, while the bottom five teams are a combined 11-33 in SoCon action.
--The Citadel's 76-74 win over Mercer this past weekend marked the first win over the Bears for the Bulldogs since Mercer re-joined prior to the 2014-15 season, and marked the first win for the Bulldogs over the Bears since 1927. The Bulldogs out-scored the Bears 51-41 in the second half.
--Desonta Bradford has been "big-game Bradford" for the Bucs this season, especially down the stretch. The senior from Humboldt, Tenn helped the Bucs to a clutch road win with a floater in the lane with 4.5 seconds left, as ETSU held off league rival Furman, 62-61, back on Jan. 18. In the final nine minutes of a 13-point win at Wofford, Bradford helped the Bucs break the game open. Leading just five points with nine to play, Bradford scored eight of his team-high 17 points during a decisive 10-2 run down the stretch to hand the Terriers their first SoCon loss in their new facility.
Updated Power Rankings Following Jan. 27 Results:
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| The Citadel gets first win over Mercer since 1927/Photo courtesy of Charleston Post and Courier |
The Citadel Produces Upset of the Day in Macon
The Citadel produced the upset of the day in Southern Conference play, as the Bulldogs downed Mercer, 76-74, in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
With the win, The Citadel improved to 7-13 overall and 2-6 in Southern Conference play, while Mercer fell to 10-12 overall and 3-6 in league action. The win marked the Bulldogs' first over Mercer since 1927. The win broke a 13-game, 91-year streak against the Bears.
The Bulldogs trailed 33-25 at the break and the Bears extended their lead to as much as 10 points (40-30) early in the second half, however, Duggar Baucom's club mounted a 23-1 run to take a 12-point lead, at 53-41, following a Frankie Johnson three-pointer with 10:41 remaining in the game. Mercer freshman point guard Marcus Cohen ended The Citadel run by connecting on a jumper a little less than a minute later to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 10.
The Bulldogs' lead would grow to as much as 16 points (61-45) following a Zane Najdawi triple with 8:10 left, however, Mercer would come storming back. Over the next six minutes of game action, the Bears mounted a 16-4 run to cut The Citadel's lead to 65-62 with 2:13 remaining after a pair of made free throws by Jordan Strawberry.
But The Citadel didn't fold under pressure. The Bulldogs would use another key Johnson three and a pair of free throws from Kaelon Harris charity shots to stretch the Bulldogs' lead back to eight, at 70-62, with 1:16 remaining.
The Bulldogs' lead would grow to double digits, at 74-64, with 16 seconds remaining following a pair of Quayson Williams foul shots, however, just like the UNC Greensboro game, Mercer attempted a furious rally. The Bears, however, relying on The Citadel missing foul shots, would run out of time and a Strawberry three-pointer with one second left would set the final deficit at two for the Bears, as the Bears closed on a 10-2 run, but ran out of time, relinquishing their first setback to the Bulldogs since joining the SoCon prior to the 2014-15 season.
The Citadel was led in the contest by junior guard Matt Frierson, who posted 14 points, and was one of four Bulldog players to score in double figures. Frierson finished the contest going 4-of-9 from three-point range and was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to finish off his team-high 14-point scoring performance. Additionally, Frierson added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. He was joined in double figures by Zane Najdawi (13 pts), Kaelon Harris (13 pts) and Quayson Williams (13 pts).
Mercer got a game-high 22 points from Jordan Strawberry, who connected on 5-of-13 shots from the field, including 3-for-8 from three-point range. The senior guard also connected on 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, and also added four boards, three assists and a steal to his stat line. He was one of three Mercer players in double figures, as he was joined by Ross Cummings (16 pts) and Marcus Cohen (10 pts).
After struggling shooting the ball in the opening half of play, the Bulldogs shot the ball at a blistering 60.7% in the second half to finish the game with an overall shooting clip of 46.3%. The Citadel also shot the ball well from the charity stripe, hitting 12-of-14 foul shots to finish the game at 85.7% clip.
The Citadel returns to action Monday night, hosting SoCon leader East Tennessee State in a 7 p.m. showdown at McAlister Field House. Mercer returns to action Thursday, hosting Furman in a 7 p.m. showdown at Hawkins Arena.
Vereen's Basket With Six Seconds Remaining Helps VMI to an Important SoCon Road Win
Junior forward Austin Vereen dropped in a backdoor layup with six seconds left, helping VMI to a 70-69 Southern Conference road win over Chattanooga Saturday night at McKenzie Arena.
With the win, the Keydets eclipsed last season's win total of six, as VMI improved to 7-15 overall and 2-7 in Southern Conference play, while Chattanooga fell 7-15 overall and 1-8 in league action. The win marked VMI's second-straight win in the Scenic City over the Mocs.
The Keydets got a game-high 26 points from Bubba Parham, while he also dished out seven assists en route to helping the Keydets to their first SoCon road win of the 2017-18 season. Both the 26 points and seven assists were new career highs for the true freshman.
Chattanooga's Rodney Chatman put the Mocs up 69-67 with a pair of free throws with 28 seconds remaining. On the other end, VMI's Tyler Creammer converted 1-of-2 from the stripe to get the Keydets within a point, at 69-68, with 17 seconds remaining.
The Keydets decided to apply pressure as soon as Chattanoog inbounded the basketball, and they were rewarded, as the Mocs turned the ball over when Chatman was whistled for traveling with 12.5 seconds to play, giving VMI the ball back and a chance to take the lead and potentially win the game.The Keydets connected on an impressive 10-of-18 three-pointers in the win.
VMI returns to action Monday night, when the Keydets will be in Birmingham to face Samford at the Pete Hanna Center in a tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, UNCG will also be in action Monday evening, traveling to face Chattanooga at McKenzie Arena, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
After head coach Dan Earl drew up a play, VMI executed it to perfection, as the ball was inbounded to Parham who drove down the lane and leaped, as if he was going to shoot the ball and then dropped off a pass to Vereen going back-door, and Vereen did the rest, laying the ball in and giving the Keydets to the one-point, 70-69, lead. The points proved to be enough to help the Keydets to the road win.
In the final game of the evening, UNC Greensboro was on the road to face Samford in yet another key Southern Conference clash. The Spartans set a school-record with a 76.2% from three-point range, as UNCG connected on an amazing 16-of-21 shots from long range en route to a 98-82 Southern Conference win Saturday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 16-5 overall and 7-1 in Southern Conference play, while the Bulldogs fell to 7-15 overall and 3-6 in league play.
Junior guard Francis Alonso led five Spartans in double figures, posting 24 points on 8-of-10 shots from the field, including a near-flawless night from three-point range, hitting 8-of-9 shots from three-point range. Alonso would be joined in double figures in the contest by Marvin Smith, Jr (18 pts), Jordy Kuiper (16 pts), and James Dickey (10 pts).
Kuiper and Smith also led the Spartans on the backboards, grabbing seven boards apiece en route to helping the Spartans to a massive 37-19 edge on the backboards. That massive rebounding edge led to a 15-7 advantage for the Spartans in second-chance points.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Josh Sharkey's career-high 25 points, while Demetrius Denzel-Dyson added 19 and reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week Justin Coleman chipped in with 16 points.
Samford will host visiting VMI Monday night in an 8 p.m. EST tip-off against the Keydets at the Pete Hanna Center, while
SoCon Notes of Interest:
--The last Southern Conference team to coamplete the season unbeaten was Davidson in 2008, completing the league slate a perfect 20-0. The Steph Curry-led Wildcats advanced all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion Kansas. Eleven teams in the 97-year history of the Southern Conference have gone wire-to-wire from regular-season play to going unblemished in the tournament. With ETSU's 9-0 start, the Bucs are halfway to that goal of becoming the 12th.
--With his 23 points Saturday in a win over Western Carolina, preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Devin Sibley needs just five points to break into the top 10 in Furman history in scoring. He needs just five points Thursday night at Mercer to surpass former Furman great George Singleton (1981-84), who finished his career with 1,690 points. Sibley's 23-point effort against
--ETSU's 12-straight wins marks the third-longest winning streak in NCAA Division I hoops. It also marks the longest winning streak by a Southern Conference team since Davidson won 17-straight in its final season as a league member in 2013-14.
--Though Wofford suffered a 75-62 home setback to league-leading East Tennessee State on Saturday night at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, junior guard Fletcher Magee registered his thirteenth 20-point game of the season, which leads the SoCon.
--Injuries have played a big role for key players in the Southern Conference this season, with Samford center Wyatt Walker, Wofford center Cameron Jackson and Mercer guard Ria'n Holland all missing in action right now as key components for their respective teams. Holland will return in a couple of weeks, while Jackson is day-to-day. Walker's status is still unknown. Furman has missed Devin Sibley in two games this season due to injury, including a win over Samford a little over a week ago. Sibley dislocated a finger in the one-point loss to East Tennessee State a couple of weeks ago. He scored just six points in a 71-61 road loss in his first game back before turning around and having a big game the next time out in a 100-66 win over Western Carolina. No team has been ravaged as much by injuries than Samford this season, who have had the likes of veterans Christen Cunningham, Alex Peters Alex Thompson and Walker miss a combined 40 games for the Bulldogs this season.
--ETSU, UNCG and Furman all tied for the regular-season title in 2016-17. Those three teams have been ultra successful in the SoCon since the start of the 2015-16 season. ETSU has posted a 37-8 record in SoCon play since the start of the 2015-16 season, while Furman is 31-14 and UNCG has posted a 31-13 conference mark since the start of the 2015-16 season. The top five Southern Conference teams in the standings this season are a combined 32-10 in league play this season, while the bottom five teams are a combined 11-33 in SoCon action.
--The Citadel's 76-74 win over Mercer this past weekend marked the first win over the Bears for the Bulldogs since Mercer re-joined prior to the 2014-15 season, and marked the first win for the Bulldogs over the Bears since 1927. The Bulldogs out-scored the Bears 51-41 in the second half.
--Desonta Bradford has been "big-game Bradford" for the Bucs this season, especially down the stretch. The senior from Humboldt, Tenn helped the Bucs to a clutch road win with a floater in the lane with 4.5 seconds left, as ETSU held off league rival Furman, 62-61, back on Jan. 18. In the final nine minutes of a 13-point win at Wofford, Bradford helped the Bucs break the game open. Leading just five points with nine to play, Bradford scored eight of his team-high 17 points during a decisive 10-2 run down the stretch to hand the Terriers their first SoCon loss in their new facility.
Updated Power Rankings Following Jan. 27 Results:
1. ETSU 18-4, 9-0 SoCon
2. UNCG 16-5, 7-1 SoCon
3. Furman 15-7, 6-3 SoCon
4. Wofford 15-6, 6-2 SoCon
5. Mercer 10-12, 3-6 SoCon
6. Samford 7-15, 3-6 SoCon
7. Western Carolina 9-12, 4-4 SoCon
8. VMI 7-13, 2-7 SoCon
9. The Citadel 7-13, 2-6 SoCon
10. Chattanooga 7-15, 1-8 SoCon
First Half All-SoCon Team: (10 players just like the league does it in preseason and postseason)
G-Desonta Bradford (ETSU)
G-Devin Sibley (Furman)
G-Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
G-Francis Alonso (UNCG)
G-Ria'n Holland (Mercer)
C--Zane Najdawi (The Citadel)
G-Justin Coleman (Samford)
G-Jalan McCloud (ETSU)
F-Cameron Jackson (Wofford)
F-James Dickey (UNCG)
First Half Honorable Mention: (10 Players)
G-Daniel Fowler (Furman)
G-Marvin Smith Jr (UNCG)
G-John Davis III (Furman)
G--Rodney Chatman (Chattanooga)
F/C--Makinde London (Chattanooga)
F--Mike Amius (Western Carolina)
F--Stephon Jelks (Mercer)
F-Matt Rafferty (Furman)
C--Peter Jurkin (ETSU)
G--Nat Dixon (Chattanooga)
First Half All-Freshman Team: (Just six)
F--Bo Hodges (ETSU)
G--Tariq Simmons (The Citadel)
G--Matt Halvorsen (Western Carolina)
G-Marcus Cohen (Mercer)
F--James Lewis, Jr. (Chattanooga)
G--Isaiah Miller (UNCG)
First Half Freshman of the Year:
Bubba Parham (VMI)
First Half Coach of the Year:
Steve Forbes (ETSU)'
First Half Sixth Man of the Year:
Devontavius Payne (ETSU)
First Half Player of the Year:
Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
First Half Defensive Player of the Year:
Cam Jackson (Wofford)
G-Desonta Bradford (ETSU)
G-Devin Sibley (Furman)
G-Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
G-Francis Alonso (UNCG)
G-Ria'n Holland (Mercer)
C--Zane Najdawi (The Citadel)
G-Justin Coleman (Samford)
G-Jalan McCloud (ETSU)
F-Cameron Jackson (Wofford)
F-James Dickey (UNCG)
First Half Honorable Mention: (10 Players)
G-Daniel Fowler (Furman)
G-Marvin Smith Jr (UNCG)
G-John Davis III (Furman)
G--Rodney Chatman (Chattanooga)
F/C--Makinde London (Chattanooga)
F--Mike Amius (Western Carolina)
F--Stephon Jelks (Mercer)
F-Matt Rafferty (Furman)
C--Peter Jurkin (ETSU)
G--Nat Dixon (Chattanooga)
First Half All-Freshman Team: (Just six)
F--Bo Hodges (ETSU)
G--Tariq Simmons (The Citadel)
G--Matt Halvorsen (Western Carolina)
G-Marcus Cohen (Mercer)
F--James Lewis, Jr. (Chattanooga)
G--Isaiah Miller (UNCG)
First Half Freshman of the Year:
Bubba Parham (VMI)
First Half Coach of the Year:
Steve Forbes (ETSU)'
First Half Sixth Man of the Year:
Devontavius Payne (ETSU)
First Half Player of the Year:
Fletcher Magee (Wofford)
First Half Defensive Player of the Year:
Cam Jackson (Wofford)
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