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| Devin Sibley led Furman with 17 points in loss at Wofford |
With the win, Wofford improves to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in Southern Conference, while Furman falls to 13-5 overall and 4-1 in league play.Furman held a 62-57 lead following a layup by Matt Rafferty with 7:48 remaining. The Terriers would would score 14 unanswered points to take a 71-62 lead following a Fletcher Magee layup. It marked the 13th win in the past 15 meetings with Furman for the Terriers, including the seventh-straight win over the Paladins in Spartanburg.
Devin Sibley answered with a three for Furman to briefly stop the bleeding and cut the Furman deficit to six points, at 71-65, however, the Terriers came back down the floor and knocked down a three-pointer courtesy of sophomore guard Nathan Hoover to extend the Wofford lead back to nine, 74-65, with 2:51 to play.
The see-saw affair continued, as the Paladins came down the floor and answered with another three, with Andrew Brown knocking down a long-range shot, to take the Paladin deficit back to six, at 74-68, with 2:30 remaining in the contest.
After Furman forced a Wofford turnover, the Paladins would get within four win senior guard Daniel Fowler drove to the basket and was fouled. He went to the line for a pair of free throws, converting both charity shots to make it a 74-70 Paladin deficit with 1:50 remaining.
Wofford would score the final five points of the game, however, all of which came off free throws, as the Terriers converted 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch to preserve the win.
On the strength of 60% shooting from the field, the Terriers were able to take a 41-38 lead into the halftime locker room. Both teams, in fact, shot the ball extremely well in the opening half, as Furman posted a 50% shooting clip in the opening half of play. It was a fairly clean first half, with a combined 10 fouls called on both teams, and neither reached the 1-and-1 shooting bonus in the opening frame.
Wofford connected on 7-of-13 shots from three-point land in the opening frame, and were led by Trevor Stumpe, Cameron Jackson and Fletcher Magee, who combined for 33 of Wofford's 41 first-half points to help the Terriers to a narrow three-point halftime lead.
Stumpe connected on 5-of-6 shots from the field, including 3-for-4 from long range, while Magee finished the half 3-of-7 shots from the field and was 2-for-5 from three. Jackson, who like Magee, also scored 10 first-half points, connected on four of his first six shots from the field and was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
The Terriers scored the first seven points of the game and led 12-3 following a Magee three with 15:51 left in the half, however, Furman responded with a 10-5 run over the next four minutes, cutting the Terrier lead to 17-13 following a Fowler layup with 11:54 remaining in the first.
Furman would assume its first lead (24-22) of the game following a Jordan Lyons triple with 7:50 to play in the first half. Furman would hold two more brief opening frame leads following layups by Matt Rafferty and John Davis III, however, the Terriers closed the half strong, out-scoring the Paladins 15-10 in the final 6:33 of the half to take the three-point edge to the locker room.
All told, after Furman led 62-57 with 7:48 left, Wofford went on a 22-8 run to close the game over the final seven minutes and change.
Wofford placed four players in double figures, including two players, which tied for game-high honors, as both Cameron Jackson and Trevor Stumpe posted 20 points apiece. For Stumpe, he set a new career-high, with his 20-point effort eclipsing his previous career-high of 19 points in a win over The Citadel last week. Stumpe did most of his damage in the opening half of play, posting 13 of his 20 points in the opening frame.
The sophomore from Plainfield, Ill., finished the game by connecting on 7-of-10 shots from the field, including going 4-for-6 from three-point land. He was also a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe and added five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block to the Terrier cause.
Meanwhile, Jackson matched his first-half total by getting 10 points in the second half to finish off his second 20-point effort of the season, For Jackson, it was his third-straight 20-point scoring performance against the Paladins for Jackson, having scored 20 and 24 points in two games against Furman last season.
In the win over the Paladins, Jackson connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. Additionally, Jackson added two assists, two blocks and four steals. The senior now how has 35 steals on the season to lead the SoCon.
Finishing out Wofford's double-figure scorers were Magee and Hoover, who added 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Furman had a pair of players finish in double figures, with Sibley pacing the Paladins with 17 points, while Lyons added 14. Sibley, who came into the contest averaging 15.6 PPG, finished 7-of-15 shots from the field and 1-for-7 from three-point land in the loss. Sibley was also 2-for-5 from the charity stripe. Sibley added two assists and two steals to his overall stat line.
:Lyons finished the night connecting on 5-of-11 shots from the field and was 3-for-9 from three-point range. He went 1-for-2 from the line, and the sophomore guard from Peachtree City, GA added a two assists, two rebounds and two steals to finish out the contest.
Furman posted just 10 assists 26 made field goals, while Wofford finished the contest with 17 assists on 50 made field goals. For the game, the Terriers connected on 52% (26-of-50) of their shots from the field, while holding the Paladins to 43% (26-for-60) from the field for the game.
Furman held advantages in points in the paint (32-24), points off turnovers (18-13) and bench points (29-16), while Wofford claimed narrow slight edges in fast break points (12-10) and second-chance points (9-3). The Terriers held a huge advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Furman by 13 (39-26), and forced 16 Paladin turnovers. Wofford committed 17 miscues in the contest. The Terriers out-scored the Paladins 16-9 at the charity stripe, with Wofford converting 16-of-19 attempts (84.2%), while Furman converted on 9-of-14 charity shots (64.3%) from the line.
Furman returns to the hardwood Thursday night with another Southern Conference showdown, facing league leader and red-hot East Tennessee State in the friendly confines of Timmons Arena, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Wofford will be on the road in Birmingham, AL., on Thursday night to face Samford at the Pete Hanna Center. Tip-off for that contest is set for 8 p.m EST.
East Tennessee State Continues To Roll
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| ETSU Senior Guard Desonta Bradford/Photo Courtesy of the Johnson City Press |
East Tennessee State maintained a firm grip on the top spot in my latest Southern Conference power rankings, while coupled with Furman's loss at Wofford Saturday, remain the only unblemished team in the Southern Conference after demolishing VMI, 89-48, in front of 4,218 fans at Freedom Hall in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday evening.
With the win, the Bucs improved to 14-4 overall and 5-0 in SoCon play. VMI dropped to 5-10 overall and 0-4 in league action. ETSU won its 12th game in its last 13 outings, and the win over the Keydets also marked the Bucs' eighth-straight victory for the Bucs.
Though the Bucs got off to a slow start shooting the basketball, the defensive intensity didn't let up all afternoon, as the Bucs limited to season lows for points (49) and shooting percentage (26%) en route to the lopsided win.
In the process of Saturday's win, senior guard Desonta Bradford became the 41st player in ETSU history to reach 1,000 points for his Buccaneer career. He finished the contest with 14 points and was one of four Bucs in double figures in the win. Devontavius Payne and David Burrell led the way for ETSU in scoring with 17 points apiece, while Bo Hodges added 16 off the bench. In addition to his 14 points, Bradford also dished out six assists, added six rebounds, two steals and and blocked a shot.
VMI was led by freshman phenom Bubba Parham's 16 points, while fellow backcourt mate Austin Vereen added 10.
The Bucs dished out 22 assists and recorded 10 steals in the win over the Keydets.
ETSU will back in action Thursday night, traveling to Timmons Arena to play Furman in another monster Southern Conference clash. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Greenville. VMI won't have much time to rest after Saturday's lopsided loss in Johnson City, traveling to Western Carolina Monday night to face the Catamounts. Tip-off for that matchup is set for 7 p.m. at the Ramsey Center.
The Citadel Outlasts Chattanooga in SoCon Game of the Day
The Citadel picked up its first win of the conference season Saturday, as the Bulldogs downed Chattanooga, 110-101 in overtime at McAlister Field House.
The game featured a pair of big performances from juniors Zane Najdawi and Matt Frierson, who combined for 68 points, including two new career highs for both players. Najdawi posted a season high-water mark for a Southern Conference player this season, finishing with 37 points on a near flawless 15-for-17 performance from the field, including 1-for-1 from three-point range in the win.
Najdawi's career-high 37 points eclipsed the previous season high for scoring in a single game by a SoCon player by exactly both one point. The junior's new career-high was one more than Francis Alonso (UNCG) and Fletcher Magee (Wofford), who were both tied for the season's best scoring game, with both posting 36-point efforts earlier this season.
Additionally, Najdawi finished 6-for-7 from the charity stripe, and added six boards, three assists, and three blocks to his overall stat-line to finish out the contest.
Meanwhile, Frierson posted 31 points, doing a large majority of his damage from three-point range in the contest, going 9-for-18 from three-point range, and finished his scoring line by connecting on 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in the win. Frierson's nine three-point field goals made also ranked as a new season high for a SoCon player, also eclipsing Alonso and Magee, who both had eight made three-point field goals in games earlier this season.
The only other Bulldog player in double figures in the contest was Kaelon Harris, who finished with 14 points.
Chattanooga got a combined 50 points from backcourt mates Makale Foreman (30 pts) and Nat Dixon (20 pts), as both posted impressive scoring performances in a losing effort. Foreman went 11-for-15 from the field, while making 6-of-10 shots from beyond the arc, while Dixon scored 20 or more points in a game for a third-consecutive game.
Chattanooga led by as many as 15 points in the opening half of play, and went to the break holding a 53-41 lead on the strength of 11 first-half triples. However, the Bulldogs would respond in the second half, first fighting back to with a point, at 60-59, following a Leandro Allende three-pointer and a Najdawi layup with 14:40 left.
The Mocs would eventually take that lead back to double digits, going on a 15-4 run over the next 3:23 of game action, giving the Mocs a 74-63 lead with 11:17 remaining.
The Citadel wouldn't go away though, and after a 12-4 run of its own, got back within a possession of the Mocs following a Harris triple with eight minutes left. The Citadel would stay within striking distance from there, however, it wouldn't be until a little over four minutes left in the game until the Bulldogs assumed their first lead since midway through the first half following a three-point play the old-fashioned way from freshman guard Rob Johnson, giving the Bulldogs an 80-78 lead.
The Bulldogs would eventually stretch the lead to five, after a pair of free throws, a three-pointer and a dunk from Najdawi to cap an extended run of 24-8 in an eight minute span.The Bulldogs held an 87-82 lead following Najdawi's dunk with three minutes to play.
The game would enter the extra frame tied, 93-93, following a pair of Rodney Chatman charity shots with nine seconds left. The Bulldogs out-scored Chattanooga 17-8 in the extra session to record its the program's first overtime win at former SoCon member Appalachian State in 2009, defeating the Mountaineers 78-73 at the Holmes Center on Feb. 12, 2009.
The Bulldogs return to SoCon action Thursday night, with a trip to the Gate City to face one of the SoCon's preseason favorites and last year's SoCon runner-up UNC Greensboro. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. Chattanooga returns to action tonight (Mon night), continuing on the road to face Mercer at Hawkins Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Macon.
Mercer Gets Back on the Winning Track; UNC Greensboro Grinds One Out vs. Western
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| Mercer senior forward Stephon Jelks/Photo Courtesy of Cam Gaskins (WXGA News) |
Like the events that took place in Johnson City Saturday, Mercer left little doubt about Saturday evening's final outcome when it hosted Jekyll-and-Hyde Samford at Hawkins Arena.
The Bears garnered their first SoCon win of the 2017-18 season in blowout fashion, as the coaches' pick to win the league rolled up Wyatt Walker-less Samford, 81-50, in SoCon action Saturday evening at Hawkins Arena.
With the win, the Bulldogs snapped what had become a three-game skid to open league play, improving to 8-9 overall and 1-3 in SoCon play. Samford dropped to 7-11 overall and 3-2 in league action.The victory marked Mercer's ninth-straight win against the Bulldogs.
Bob Hoffman's club was strong on both ends of the floor in getting the win over the Bulldogs, holding Samford to just 32.1% on the defensive end, while shooting a solid 48.5% on the offensive end to post their second 30+point win over a Division I opponent this season. The other came in an 89-56 win over Kennesaw State just prior to conference play.
Ria'n Holland got back on track with 23 points, and was one of three Bears players in double figures, as Stephon Jelks and Demetre Rivers finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively, to finish out the double-digit scorers for the Bears. Jelks added 11 rebounds to record his third double-double (first in league play) of the season.
Samford was led in the contest by two players in double figures, with Triston Chambers posting a team-high 11 points, while Alabama transfer point guard Justin Coleman added 10 points.
The absence of Walker continues to be a problem for Samford, as Mercer won the battle of the boards by a 43-26 margin, and held a 36-16 edge in points in the points in the paint category. Despite the substantial margin on the boards, the Bears held a modest 12-8 advantage in second-chance points, however.
Mercer returns to action Monday night, hosting Chattanooga at Hawkins Arena, with tip-off set for 7 p.m., while Samford will be back at the Pete Hanna Center Thursday night to host Wofford in a key league battle, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST.
Finally, UNC Greensboro was able to rebound from a 68-58 road loss at East Tennessee State Thursday night to get back in the winning column with a 66-55 win over Western Carolina on the road at the Ramsey Center in Southern Conference action Saturday night.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in the SoCon, while Western Carolina fell to 7-10 overall and 3-2 in league action.
The Spartans were powered by a career-high 24 points from senior swingman Marvin Smith, Jr., as he connected on 9-of-5 shots from the field, including three shots from beyond the arc in his career-high scoring effort. He was one of two Spartans in double figures, with leading scorer and junior guard Francis Alonso chipping in with 20 points. Smith just missed a double-double performance, however, led the Spartans with nine boards in the win.
The key to the game was the performance on the backboards by UNCG, out-rebounding the Catamounts, 36-19 in the contest, which led to a 17-5 edge in second-chance points. The Spartans also registered a 30-16 advantage in the points-in-the-paint category and a 20-11 discrepancy in points off turnovers.
The Spartans broke open the game in the second half, with runs of 16-6 to open the frame, and then after Western Carolina got within three (44-41), posted another 9-2 run to re-take the lead by double digits (53-43) and basically never looked back the rest of the way en route to the 11--point win. The game was tied, 24-24, at the half.
The Catamounts were led in the contest by another strong performance from junior forward Mike Amius, who finished with 19 points, while senior guard Deriece Parks chipped in with 12 points to round out the double-figure scorers for Western.
The Catamounts return to action this evening (Mon. night) when they host VMI at 7 p.m. at the Ramsey Center, while the Spartans return to the SoCon hardwood Thursday night, returning home to the friendly confines of the Greensboro Coliseum to face The Citadel in a tip time also set for 7 p.m.
Stay tuned to the blog for brief previews of tonight's two games (Chattanooga at Mercer; VMI at Western Carolina) coming up later this afternoon.
Updated Power Rankings After Jan. 13 Results:
1. East Tennessee State 14-4, 5-0 SoCon
2. Wofford 12-5, 3-1 SoCon
3. UNC Greensboro 12-5, 3-1 SoCon
4. Furman 13-5, 4-1 SoCon
5. Western Carolina 7-10, 3-2 SoCon
6. Mercer 8-9, 1-3 SoCon
7. Samford 7-11, 3-2 SoCon
8. The Citadel 6-11, 1-4 SoCon
9. Chattanooga 6-12, 0-5 SoCon
10. VMI 5-10, 0-4 SoCon
Saturday's Top Peformers:
Trevor Stumpe (Wofford)--Career-high 20 points in a win vs. Furman
Cameron Jackson (Wofford)--20 points in a win vs Furman/third-straight 20+performance vs Furman
Devin Sibley (Furman)--17 points in a loss at Wofford
Jordan Lyons (Furman)--14 points in a loss at Wofford
Zane Najdawi (The Citadel)--Career-high 37 points in a win over Chattanooga
Matt Frierson (The Citadel)--Career-high 31 points in a win over Chattanooga
Makale Forman (UTC)--Career-high 30 points in a loss at The Citadel
Nat Dixon (UTC)--Scored 20 points in a loss at The Citadel/Third-straight 20-point game for Dixon
Marvin Smith Jr (UNCG)--Scored a career-high 24 points in road win at Western Carolina
Ria'n Holland (Mercer)--Registered 23 points in win over Samford
Stephon Jelks (Mercer)--Posted fourth double-double of the season in win over Samford (13pts, 11 rebs)
Desonta Bradford (ETSU), with his 14-point, six assist winning performance against VMI, eclipsed 1,000 point mark for his career.
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