With the win, Furman improves to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in Southern Conference action. Wofford fell to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in league play. The win pulls Furman into a tie for third with the Terriers in the Southern Conference standings.
Furman was led in the contest by John Davis III, who posted 13 points, while Daniel Fowler added 12 points, three steals, two assists and two rebounds in the win. Davis finished the contest by connecting on connecting on 5-of-9 shots from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range. Davis also added a pair of steals, two rebounds and dished out three assists. Matt Rafferty just missed a double-double, with nine points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
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| Furman won its third-straight game over Wofford at Timmons Arena/Photo by John Hooper |
Furman held Wofford to just 35.2% shooting from the field and the 52 points by the Terriers matched a season-low, which South Carolina also managed to do in the season-opener in the debut at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium back in early November.
The 21 first-half points by the Terriers were also a season-low, eclipsing the previous season-low mark of 22 points in an opening half, which came in a loss at Texas Tech earlier this season.
The Terriers got off to a fast start, and a tip-in by Matthew Pegram gave the Terriers an early 11-2 lead, prompting a Bob Richey timeout at the 16:46 mark.
From there, Furman mounted an 18-0 run to take control of the game, with the run having been started by a John Davis III three-pointer at the 15:53 mark and ended with a Devin Sibley layup at the 9:31 mark to give the Paladins an 18-11 lead. After scoring 11 points in the first 3:14 of the game, the Terriers managed just 10 points over the final 16:46 of the frame, and trailed 39-21 at the break.
In the opening frame, Furman got an injection of adrenaline from its bench, and in particular, redshirt sophomore and redshirt freshman Clay Mounce, who combined for four thunderous dunks, a pair of blocks and 12 first-half points to ignite the Furman crowd.
In the second half, Furman's lead would grow its lead to as much as 31 points in the second half, at 71-40, following a steal by Jordan Lyons and a layup by Alex Hunter with 5:23 left. The game was academic at that point.
Defense was the name of the game, and a combination of Andrew Brown, Daniel Fowler and Alex Hunter limited prolific Wofford scoring threat Fletcher Magee to just 10 points, including just 1-of-4 from three-point land.
Wofford was led in the contest by a pair of players in double-figure scorers, as Fletcher Magee and Nathan Hoover posted 10 points apiece in the loss.
Furman claimed advantages in points in the paint (32-20), second-chance points (13-2), points off turnovers (13-9), second-chance points (13-2), points off turnovers (13-9) and bench points (29-20). Wofford did out-pace Furman in fast-break points (13-12). After getting out-rebounded by 21 (38-17) in Wednesday night's 80-67 home loss to UNC Greensboro, Furman claimed a 35-28 edge on the boards in the win over the Terriers.
Furman finished the contest shooting 46% (29-of-63) from the field for the game, including 13-for-32 (40.6%) from three-point point range, while also connecting on 55.6% (5-for-9) from the free throw line. Furman recorded 18 assists on 29 made baskets. Nine different Paladins contributed assists in the opening half of play. Davis and Andrew Brown contributed three assists apiece to lead the Paladins in that category in the contest.
Wofford finished the night connecting on just 35.2% (19-of-54) and were just 7-for-23 from three-point range (30.4%). Wofford finished the contest shooting 70% from the free throw line (7-of-10).
Furman returns to action Thursday night, when it hosts Chattanooga Thursday night at Timmons Arena, with tip-off time set for 7 p.m. Wofford will be on the road at Western Carolina Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Ramsey Center between the Terriers and Catamounts.
Bob Richey Press Conference Post-Wofford:
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| ETSU earns record-tying 16th-straight win at VMI/Photo courtesy of ETSU athletics |
Jalan McCloud scored a game-high 20 points, and East Tennessee broke open what had been a close game in the second half to claim a school record-tying 16th-consecutive game, as the Bucs downed VMI, 70-56, in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall.
With the win, the Bucs improved to 22-4 overall and 13-0 in Southern Conference action, while VMI fell to 7-17 overall and 2-11 in league play. The 16-game winning streak now ties the nation's longest winning streak after both Virginia and St. Mary's suffered defeats this past Saturday. The only other team that has won 16-straight games is Cincinnati, matching the Bucs' 16-game winning streak by defeating Southern Methodist University on Sunday.The 16th-straight wins by the Bucs matches the school-record 16-straight wins accomplished by the 2003-04 ETSU team.
McCloud finished the contest as one of a pair of Buccaneer players in double figures, and the senior graduate transfer from Texas Southern finished the contest connecting on 7-of-13 shots from the field, including going 2-for-5 from three-point range and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Joining McCloud in double figures for the Bucs in the win was Devontavius Payne, who came off the bench to contribute 11 points.
The Bucs were in a tight battle for the opening half, heading into the locker room with just a one-point edge (34-33), The game featured all eight lead changes, with each of those lead changes coming in the first half.
McCloud came out on fire in the second half, helping will the Bucs to take control of the contest by scoring the first 13 points in the second half, helping ETSU open up a little breathing room, with a 47-41 lead with 12 minutes remaining.
Additionally, ETSU maintained its strong play on the defensive end of the floor, holding the Keydets to just 34.4% shooting from the field for the game, while the Bucs connected on 41.8% of its shots for the game.
VMI was led in the game by Garrett Gilkerson's 14 points, while Jordan Ratliffe and Greg Parham posted 12 and 11 points, respectively, to round out the double-digit scorers for the Bucs.
ETSU puts its nation-leading 16-game winning streak on the line when it travels to league rival UNC Greensboro for a huge Monday night Southern Conference clash. Tip-off for Monday night's game at the Greensboro Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. VMI returns to the SoCon hardwood Thursday night for a road trip to Macon, GA to face the Mercer Bears. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.
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| Isaiah Miller has big performance against Western/Photo Courtesy Greensboro News and Record |
UNC Greensboro Returns To Fleming Gym to Earn Season Sweep of Western Carolina
UNC Greensboro returned to Fleming Gym, which was its former home for hoops, to get a 65-58 Southern Conference victory over Western Carolina this past Saturday afternoon.
The win saw the Spartans improve to 19-6 overall and 10-2 in Southern Conference play, while Western Carolina, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped by the Spartans, dropped to 12-14 overall and 7-6 in league action.
UNCG stifiled Western Carolina defensively all afternoon, including holding the Catamounts to a season-low 48 points. The Spartans held the Catamounts to just 32.1% (17-of-53) from the field, and were even better defending the Catamounts from three-point range, limiting the visitors to just 23.8% (5-for-21) from three-point range.
The win was the third-straight for the Spartans, and was the eighth in the past nine games. With a win over ETSU Monday night, UNCG could establish another program-first since joining the Division I ranks, as the Spartans could string together consecutive 20-win seasons since joining the Division I ranks in 1995-96. The Spartans are now 13-1 at home this season, which ties a school-record. The 19 wins are sixth overall in program history.
Jordy Kuiper led four Spartans in double figures, posting 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 shooting from three-point land. Kuiper was also 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. James Dickey (11 pts), Isaiah Miller (10 pts) and Demetrius Troy (10 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Spartans. Miller added six assists and four steals to his overall stat line. Miller, perhaps most impressively, did not commit a turnover in 21 minutes of game action off the UNCG bench.
The Spartans shot the ball at a 41.5% (22-of-53) clip from the field for the game, but like Western Carolina, struggled shooting the ball from beyond the arc, connecting on just 26.1% (6-of-23) from three-point land.
Like it did against in each half Furman last time out, the Spartans got off to a quick start, running out to a 12-4 lead in the game's opening three minutes. Dickey started strong scoring six points during the early stretch, while Troy contributed a pair of buckets, as the duo accounted for 10 of the Spartans' first 12 points in that opening spurt. The Catamounts eventually cut the Spartan lead to three (18-15) following a jumper by Marcus Thomas with just under 10 minutes to play in the opening frame, and the Catamounts would manage to stay close the remainder of the half, with just a five-point deficit (31-26) at the break.
After Western Carolina got within three once again early in the second half, at 34-31, following another Thomas jumper with 17:29 remaining. However, an 8-2 run by the Spartans midway through the half got the lead back to double-digits, at 47-36, following a Miller Isaiah Miller layup with 11:02 remaining.
The Catamounts would not see the deficit dip below eight points the rest of the way, and UNCG's largest lead of the afternoon of 17 points would also prove to be the winning margin, as the Spartans took the 65-48 win in front of 1,983 packed into Fleming Gym.
Western Carolina had just one player finish in double figures, with Marc Gosselin leading all scorers with 15 points. Gosselin connected on 6-of-10 shots from the field, including 1-of-2 from three-point land and was 2-for-2 two from the line. Gosselin just missed a double-double, posting nine boards and had three assists to complete his overall stat line.
UNCG returns to action Monday night for a monster Southern Conference matchup with East Tennessee State at the Greensboro Coliseum, with tip-off for that contest slated for 7 p.m. Western Carolina will be back in action Thursday night when Wofford comes to the Ramsey Center for a 7:30 clash with the Catamounts.
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| Zane Najdawi records second-straight 30-point effort of the season/photo courtesy of the Charleston Post and Courier |
It seems like during SoCon play at least, Duggar Baucom's Citadel Bulldogs basketball team has been one that has been involved in great games in league play this season, and the same held true when Baucom's Bulldogs took on Scott Padgett's Samford Bulldogs at the Pete Hanna Center Saturday night.
With the win, Samford improved to 9-18 overall and 5-9 in SoCon play, while The Citadel fell to 9-16 overall and 4-9 in league play.
With the win, Samford improved to 9-18 overall and 5-9 in SoCon play, while The Citadel fell to 9-16 overall and 4-9 in league play.
Samford would go on to a 116-103 Southern Conference win in what was its highest scoring performance of the season. Samford's Bulldogs placed six players in double figures, led by Alex Thompson, who had 24 points, while Demetrius Denzel-Dyson chipped in 20 points, as the Bulldogs snapped what had been a three-game losing streak. For The Citadel, it was the second-straight loss. Denzel-Dyson is now within 12 points of 1,000 points for his career.
Thompson finished the night connected on 10-of-11 shots from the field, including going 1-of-1 from three-point land and was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. He narrowly missed a double-double, as he also contributed nine boards. Thompson also had two assists and and a steal to complete his stat line.
Thompson and Denzel-Dyson were joined in double digits in the contest by Eric Adams (17 pts, 9 rebs), Justin Coleman (16 pts, 13 assists), Josh Sharkey (12 pts, 7 assists) and Kevin Nolan (12 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Bulldogs. Coleman's 13 assists tied the school record for a second time this season.
Thompson and Denzel-Dyson were joined in double digits in the contest by Eric Adams (17 pts, 9 rebs), Justin Coleman (16 pts, 13 assists), Josh Sharkey (12 pts, 7 assists) and Kevin Nolan (12 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Bulldogs. Coleman's 13 assists tied the school record for a second time this season.
Samford scored a season-high 62 points in the opening half and shot a a sizzling 67.8% (40-of-59) from the field for the game en route to the win. Samford shot 64% (16-of-25) from beyond the arc in the contest.
The Citadel was led by Zane Najdawi, who recorded his second 30-point effort of the season, as he posted 33 points 12-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe. Najdawi was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe, leading four other Citadel players in double figures in the loss. Najdawi also posted five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal. The junior from Midlothian, VA., was joined in double figures by Quayson Williams (19 pts), Matt Frierson (18 pts) and Frankie Johnson (13 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for The Citadel's version of the Bulldogs.
The two teams combined to connect on 34-of-69 from three-point field goals in the contest, with The Citadel finishing 18-of-44 (40.9%) from three-point range.
Samford returns to the SoCon hardwood Monday night, when it hosts Mercer at the Pete Hanna Center for an 8 p.m. EST tip-off. The Bulldogs will be looking to avenge one of its worst losses of the season--an 81-50 setback on Jan. 13. The Citadel returns to the hardwood on Thursday night, when the Bulldogs will host UNC Greensboro in a tip-off slated for 7 p.m. at McAlister Field House.
Finally, Mercer was able to complete the season-sweep and collect its second-straight win, as the Bears collected a 74-65 Southern Conference win on the road at Chattanooga Saturday night in the unfriendly surroundings of McKenzie Arena.
With the win, Mercer improved to 12-13 overall and 5-7 in Southern Conference play, while Chattanooga fell to 9-18 overall and 3-11 in league play.
Mercer was led in the contest by Desmond Ringer's 17 points and seven boards in the contest, and he was one of five Mercer starters to score in double figures en route to the key road win. Ringer finished the contest going 8-of-9 from the field, and was 1-of-1 from the free throw line. He also had one steal.
Ringer was joined in double digits by Ross Cummings (16 pts), Jordan Strawberry (13 pts), Demetre Rivers (13 pts) and Stephon Jelks (12 pts). The Bears were especially impressive shooting the ball from three-point range in the Roundhouse, connecting on 11-of-17 (64.7%) long-range shots. The Bears also shot a blistering 65.1% (28-of-43) for the game, and were 17-for-19 (89.5%) from the free throw line.
The game was close throughout, and despite carrying a 39-29 lead at the intermission, found itself in a dogfight for much of the second half. Chattanooga's talented sophomore guard Rodney Chatman connected on a triple with 9:27 left to pull the Mocs within a bucket, as the Mocs trailed just 59-57. A see-saw battle would ensue from there over the next few minutes until Chattanooga big man Makinde London canned a three-pointer with 4:32 left. Then a Chatman bucket helped the Mocs to their first lead of the contest, at 71-69, less than a minute later.
But Ringer would record a three-point play the old-fashioned way moments later to give the Bears the lead once again, at 73-72, and the Bears never looked back en route to the nine-point road win. The Bears had a 25-17 advantage on the boards.
Chattanooga finished the contest with three players in double figures, led by a game-high 24 points from Chatman. Chatman finished the contest connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the field, including 3-for-7 from three-point land, and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Chatman also posted six assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks to round out another solid night for the talented guard. London finished with 15 points, while Joshua Phillips completed the double-figure scorers for the Mocs with 14 points.
Mercer returns to action Monday night when it travels to Samford for a key league matchup at the Pete Hanna Center, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST. Chattanooga will be on the road at Furman in a 7 p.m. clash set for Timmons Arena on Thursday night.
Updated Power Rankings Following Feb. 10 games:
The Citadel was led by Zane Najdawi, who recorded his second 30-point effort of the season, as he posted 33 points 12-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe. Najdawi was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe, leading four other Citadel players in double figures in the loss. Najdawi also posted five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal. The junior from Midlothian, VA., was joined in double figures by Quayson Williams (19 pts), Matt Frierson (18 pts) and Frankie Johnson (13 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for The Citadel's version of the Bulldogs.
The two teams combined to connect on 34-of-69 from three-point field goals in the contest, with The Citadel finishing 18-of-44 (40.9%) from three-point range.
Samford returns to the SoCon hardwood Monday night, when it hosts Mercer at the Pete Hanna Center for an 8 p.m. EST tip-off. The Bulldogs will be looking to avenge one of its worst losses of the season--an 81-50 setback on Jan. 13. The Citadel returns to the hardwood on Thursday night, when the Bulldogs will host UNC Greensboro in a tip-off slated for 7 p.m. at McAlister Field House.
Finally, Mercer was able to complete the season-sweep and collect its second-straight win, as the Bears collected a 74-65 Southern Conference win on the road at Chattanooga Saturday night in the unfriendly surroundings of McKenzie Arena.
With the win, Mercer improved to 12-13 overall and 5-7 in Southern Conference play, while Chattanooga fell to 9-18 overall and 3-11 in league play.
Mercer was led in the contest by Desmond Ringer's 17 points and seven boards in the contest, and he was one of five Mercer starters to score in double figures en route to the key road win. Ringer finished the contest going 8-of-9 from the field, and was 1-of-1 from the free throw line. He also had one steal.
Ringer was joined in double digits by Ross Cummings (16 pts), Jordan Strawberry (13 pts), Demetre Rivers (13 pts) and Stephon Jelks (12 pts). The Bears were especially impressive shooting the ball from three-point range in the Roundhouse, connecting on 11-of-17 (64.7%) long-range shots. The Bears also shot a blistering 65.1% (28-of-43) for the game, and were 17-for-19 (89.5%) from the free throw line.
The game was close throughout, and despite carrying a 39-29 lead at the intermission, found itself in a dogfight for much of the second half. Chattanooga's talented sophomore guard Rodney Chatman connected on a triple with 9:27 left to pull the Mocs within a bucket, as the Mocs trailed just 59-57. A see-saw battle would ensue from there over the next few minutes until Chattanooga big man Makinde London canned a three-pointer with 4:32 left. Then a Chatman bucket helped the Mocs to their first lead of the contest, at 71-69, less than a minute later.
But Ringer would record a three-point play the old-fashioned way moments later to give the Bears the lead once again, at 73-72, and the Bears never looked back en route to the nine-point road win. The Bears had a 25-17 advantage on the boards.
Chattanooga finished the contest with three players in double figures, led by a game-high 24 points from Chatman. Chatman finished the contest connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the field, including 3-for-7 from three-point land, and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Chatman also posted six assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks to round out another solid night for the talented guard. London finished with 15 points, while Joshua Phillips completed the double-figure scorers for the Mocs with 14 points.
Mercer returns to action Monday night when it travels to Samford for a key league matchup at the Pete Hanna Center, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST. Chattanooga will be on the road at Furman in a 7 p.m. clash set for Timmons Arena on Thursday night.
Updated Power Rankings Following Feb. 10 games:
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