Furman Tops VMI on Senior NIght at Timmons Arena

Andrew Brown scored 15 points and led four Paladins in double figures, as Furman knocked off VMI, 76-54, in Southern Conference action on Senior Night Tuesday evening at Timmons Arena.

With the win, Furman improves to 20-9 overall and 11-5 in Southern Conference play, while VMI dropped to 8-19 overall and 3-13 in league play. The win gave Furman its first back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1978-79 and 1979-80 campaigns when the Paladins won 20 and 23 games, respectively.  The win gives the Paladins the season sweep of the Keydets. The Paladins have now won 23 of their last 26 Southern Conference games in the friendly confines of Timmons Arena.

The Paladins celebrated the careers of four seniors in getting its fourth-straight win. Daniel Fowler, Devin Sibley, Geoff Beans and John Davis III all played t

Furman guard Devin Sibley was one of four seniors recognized on Senior Night this past
Tuesday Night at Timmons Arena/John Hooper

heir final regular-season home game in front of the home folks, as the quartet has posted a 73-59 and is tied for the second-most wins with three other senior classes in Furman basketball history. The four seniors have helped the Paladins register 62 wins since the start of the 2015-16 season.

Brown finished the night by connecting on 5-of-6 shots from the field, including going 3-for-4 from downtown in the win. Brown also went 2-for-3 from the free throw line to go with three rebounds, three steals and dished out a pair of assists. Jordan Lyons and Fowler added 12 points, while Sibley finished with 10 points and a team-leading nine boards.

Furman found itself down by as many as nine points (16-7) early, following a three-pointer by Bubba Parham with 12:35 remaining in the opening half of play. Furman would get rolling from that point, as a Clay Mounce layup with 2:44 remaining in the half gave Furman a 32-19 lead, capping a 27-3 run. VMI scored the final seven points of the opening 20 minutes, capped by a Keith Smith jumper with 34 seconds left, getting the Keydets within eight, at 34-26, at the half.

The Paladins opened the second half with a 20-5 run to open up a commanding, 54-31, lead following an Alex Hunter free throw to cap a three-point play the old fashioned way with 13:26 remaining in the game.  The Paladins would never look back in gaining their 20th win of the season.

Furman finished the contest connecting on 51.8% (29-of-56) of its shots from the field, including connecting on 42.3% (11-of-26) from three-point land. Meanwhile, Furman's defense was once again stingy, holding VMI to just 31.1% (19-of-61) shooting from the field and 34.6% (9-of-26) from three-point range. 

The Paladins owned advantages in points in the paint (34-16), points off turnovers (25-4), fast-break points (20-0) and bench points (38-30). VMI edged the Paladins in second-chance points (12-11). Furman held a 39-35 edge on the backboards, and used 18 assists to compliment 29 buckets. The Keydets finished with 12 assists on 19 made baskets. Furman connected on 7-of-10 (70%) from the free throw line, while the Keydets finished going 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the charity stripe. Furman forced 14 VMI turnovers, while committing 13 miscues of its own.

The Keydets finished with just one player in double figures, with guard Jordan Ratliffe coming off the bench to score 10 points. The Marston, N.C., product connected on 4-of-12 shots from the field, and finished 2-for-7 from beyond the arc. Ratliffe added four boards, two assists and a steal to his overall stat line.

Both teams return to action for the final weekend of Southern  Conference play. Furman will be on the road at the Ramsey Center Friday night to tangle with Western Carolina in a tip-off time set for 7 p.m. Meanwhile, VMI returns to Lexington, VA and Cameron Hall Friday night to host Samford in a 7 p.m. contest.