Furman drops first home game of the season to Samford

Josh Sharkey scored 17 of his game-high tying 21 points in the first half, while also recording 12 assists for his second-straight double-double, as Samford posted a 75-73 Southern Conference win over Furman Saturday night at Timmons Arena.

With the win, Samford improved to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the Southern Conference, while Furman fell to 16-5 overall and 5-4 in the Southern Conference. The Paladins have now dropped three out of their last four.

Furman held a 71-61 lead following a Matt Rafferty layup with 4:21 remaining, however, it would be the Paladins' final field goal of the game, as the Bulldogs closed on a 14-2 run to take the win. Key in the stretch run was the play of forward Robert Allen, who scored six of the 14 points on two crucial three-pointers, including hitting the game-winner with five seconds remaining from the right elbow. 

Furman inbounded the ball quickly to Jordan Lyons, but the ball slipped out of Lyons' hand when he tried to get off the potential game-winning three-pointer just beyond mid-court as time expired. Allen's game-winning three-pointer was set up by a Furman turnover, as the ball was inbounded to Lyons, but he his foot was on the line giving the ball over to Samford.

Only moments earlier, the Paladins had assumed a 73-70 lead with 21 seconds remaining following a pair of Matt Rafferty free throws following an intentional foul by Sharkey on Rafferty following a video review. 

Samford fouled Lyons immediately on the in-bounds pass, putting the junior guard at the free throw line for a 1-and-1. His first shot rimmed in-and-out, and the ball was rebounded by Brandon Austin, who found a streaking DeAndre Thomas streaking up the floor for a layup off the left side, cutting the Furman lead to one (73-72) with 14.2 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, the Paladins had a chance to in-bound the ball, and Rafferty passed to Lyons, but his foot was on the inline, resulting in the Paladins' 15th turnover of the night. Samford would take advantage of the turnover on Allen's game-winning three-pointer with five seconds remaining.

Furman, which trailed 39-32 at the half, started the second half with some of their best basketball of the day, scoring six-straight points out of the locker room, capped by a double-pump slam dunk by Clay Mounce off a Samford turnover, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to one, at 39-38, and prompting a Scott Padgett timeout less than three minutes into the second half. 

An 8-3 run by Samford, which was highlighted by an Austin three-pointer and a Myron Gordon dunk stretched the Bulldogs' lead back to six, at 47-41, with 14:26 left. With 8:48 left, Furman would take its first lead since 2-0 when Rafferty was scored and was fouled, converting the three-point play the old-fashioned, as Furman took a 58-57 lead. 

The Paladins would eventually increase that lead to 10 (71-61) a little over four minutes later, however, the Paladins would see Samford respond down the stretch with a 14-2 run to win in dramatic fashion. 

In the opening half of play, Samford came out and took the game to the Paladins taking a 39-32 lead on the strength of those 17 first-half points from Sharkey. Furman point guards Alex Hunter and Tre Clark picked up three first-half fouls, disrupting the Paladins rhythm on offense, as well as severely affecting the ability to consistently defend Sharkey. 

"It hurt us, but that's on us. There weren't any schematic changes we made at halftime to our ball-screen coverages," Furman head coach Bob Richey said. "It's not what we do, it's how we do it. In the first half, we were just a half-step slow. We didn't have active hands and only had 10 deflections by halftime," he added.

For the game, Samford shot the ball at a 44.8% (26-of-58) and connected on 40% (10-of-25) from three-point range. Furman shot the ball at a 42.9% (27-of-63) and 25.8% (8-for-31) from three-point range. 

Furman hit its first five of six second half three-pointers to take a 63-57 following a Lyons triple with 7:59 remaining, prompting a Samford timeout and sending the 2,300 in attendance cheering on the Paladins into a frenzy. However, Furman would go on to miss its final nine three-pointers to close the game. 

Samford held advantages in points off turnovers (18-11) and bench points (8-5). Furman held advantages in points in the paint (38-30), second chance points (13-4), rebounds (39-31) and fast-break points (11-10). Furman turned the ball over 15 times, while Samford committed 13 miscues. The two teams had 17 assists apiece.

Sharkey, who was sensational in the overtime loss at Wofford Thursday night, scoring 19 points and dishing out a school-record 16 assists, was equally as outstanding against Furman. His 21 points came on 7-of-19 shooting from the field, which included going 1-for-6 from three-point range. 

He was joined in double figures by Allen, who had 14 points and nine boards, while Gordon and Austin chipped in with 12 points apiece.

Rafferty at it again for Furman, turning in yet another performance that have seemingly become expected of him this season for the Paladins. He finished with a game-high tying 21 points to go with nine rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. 

For the game, Rafferty connected on 7-of-14 from the field, including 0-for-1 from three-point range. Rafferty was one of four Paladins in double figures, as he was joined by Noah Gurley (15 pts), Mounce (13 pts), and despite being saddled with foul trouble most of the afternoon, Hunter chipped in 11 points.  Hunter also added six rebounds, four assists and had just one turnover in 31 minutes of floor action.

The game was a struggle offensively for junior guard Jordan Lyons, however, Furman head coach Bob Richey was quick to point out the job Lyons did defensively to get the Paladins back into the contest. Quite simply, Lyons put Furman in position to win the game with his performance on the defensive end of the floor. Lyons finished with eight points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-7 from three-point range. The Peachtree City, GA native also dished out three assists and had a steal. 

"We're not back in that game if Jordan doesn't come out and play the defense he played in the second half," Richey said. 

"We couldn't guard Sharkey in the first half. Nobody could. Jordan's intensity and his defense, along with Matt Rafferty and some other guys, that's what turned that game around."We didn't have the right collective mentality defensively tonight and that's on me, but he did and I was proud of him for that. There's a multitude of reasons why we didn't get this done."

Furman and Samford return to action Thursday night, with the Paladins heading to Charleston to face The Citadel at McAlister Field House to face the Bulldogs in a 7 p.m. contest, while Samford hosts East Tennessee State in a 7:30 p.m. EST contest at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham.

Storm extinguishes sizzling Samford with second game-winner in less than a week

Storm Murphy hits game-winner/photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics

Despite shooting a blistering 66.7% for the game and getting a career-high 31 points from Samford guard Brandon Austin, it was Storm Murphy and Wofford that walked away with a thrilling, 107-106, Southern Conference win in overtime to remain unbeaten in Southern Conference play.

Samford scored on a jumper by point guard Josh Sharkey, taking a 106-105 lead with four seconds left, however, the ball was quickly in-bounded to Murphy and he quickly dribbled into the forecourt, pulling up for a left elbow, fade-a-away jumper from about 17-feet as time expired, and the ball hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.

Murphy, who didn't even know if he would play due to illness, was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from long range to finish with 11 points, and was one of five Terriers to reach double figures.

It was the second time in less than a week that Storm has rained on another league foe's potential upset aspirations, hitting a triple with 18 seconds remaining Saturday night in helping the Terriers to a 59-54 win over league arch-rival Furman inside the friendly confines of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Murphy's jumper to win the game was only part of the drama in the contest, however, as the Terriers trailed by six (93-87) with 44 seconds remaining following a pair of Robert Allen foul shots. However, that set the stage for senior guard Fletcher Magee to shoot the Terriers back into the game.

Following a timeout, Wofford got its first of two triples to close out the game and send the game to overtime courtesy of Nathan Hoover, who made it a 93-90 following a wide-open three from the corner with 30 seconds left.

Following a Chevez Goodwin block on the other end on a driving layup attempt by Sharkey, Wofford had the chance to tie the game on the final possession. Magee and the Terriers made the most of it. The senior from Orlando found himself uncharacteristically wide open from the top of the key with eight seconds remaining, tying the game, 93-93, and ultimately sending the game ot overtime.

Wofford, which claimed its seventh-straight win, improved to 16-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the SoCon, while Samford dropped to 12-9 overall and 2-6 in league play.

Game Leaders:

--Samford's Josh Sharkey had quite the outing for the Bulldogs, completing the contest with 19 points and a school-record 16 assists. Brandon Austin scored a career-high 31 points for the Bulldogs. Robert Allen (19 pts), Ruben Guerrero (16 pts) and Myron Gordon (14 pts) closed out the Samford Bulldogs in double figures.

--Wofford was paced by a 31-point peformance from Fletcher Magee. Magee finished going 11-of-24 from the field and 7-for-19 from three-point range. He was also 2-for-2 from the line. Magee was one of five Terriers in double figures, as he was joined by Nathan Hoover (23 pts), Cameron Jackson (19 pts, 9 assists, 8 rebs),  Keve Aluma (12 pts) and Storm Murphy (11 pts).

Dogging it from Three-point range. 

Both Wofford and Samford combined to sizzle the nets at 55% from three-point range for the contest, connecting on 28-of-51 attempts. The Terriers finished the night knocking down 17-of-36 shots from long range, while the Bulldogs were 11-for-15 from three-point land.


Samford's struggles in Spartanburg:

Based on some recent heartbreakers in Spartanburg, it might be a good time for Scott Padgett to start checking under his hotel pillow for voodoo dolls. Samford has not come away from Spartanburg with a league win since 2012. Below are a look at some of the recent results. Who will ever forget that four-overtime game in 2017?

Samford vs. Wofford in Spartanburg since 2012
2012-  (W) 66-61
2013-  Did Not Play Wofford in Spartanburg
2014-  (L) 77-58
2015-  (L) 72-62
2016 - (L) 69-64 

2017 - (L) 131-127 (4OT) 

2018 - (L) 93-89 

2019 - (L) 107-106 (OT)


Paladins Get Back To Winning Ways:

Furman junior guard Jordan Lyons

Furman had four players in double figures, including the 10th double-double of the season from Matt Rafferty, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, as the Paladins picked up a 73-58 Southern Conference win over Chattanooga Thursday night at Timmons Arena.

With the win, the Paladins improved to 16-4 overall and 5-3 in Southern Conference play, while the Mocs fell to 10-11 overall and 5-3 in league action. Furman also remained perfect at home, improving to 10-0 on the home hardwood this season.

Furman is the lone unbeaten remaining on its home floor in the SoCon this season, and improved to 48-8 overall and 28-3 against SoCon foes since the start of the 2015-16 season. The win was also Furman's fourth-straight against Chattanooga.

Rafferty and fellow senior Andrew Brown enjoyed a milestone night, as the two now have 81 wins in their career at Furman, accounting for the winningest senior class in school history, surpassing the 1979-80 class, which compiled an 80-37 record over a four-year span. Rafferty and Brown have now compiled a mark of 81-42 record over their four years in the Purple and White.

"When you talk about Matt and Andrew those two are obsessed with 'whatever it takes to win a game' that's what I'm here to do," head coach Bob Richey said. "There's just a huge desire to compete and to win at all costs with whatever their role entails. It's all about 'we've got to win,' and they're going to be able to say nobody has ever won more games," Richey added.

Rafferty finished the night connecting on 7-of-11 shots from the field, including going 1-of-1 from long range, and also dished out six assists and recorded six steals.

Furman was led in scoring by junior guard Jordan Lyons, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point land. Lyons also dished out a pair of assists. He was joined in double figures by Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley, who added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Paladins.

The Paladins would take a 31-23 lead to halftime locker room after Furman broke open what had been previously been a close game late in the frame. Leading by five, at 22-17, with 9:21 remaining in the opening half, the Paladins used a 9-2 run over the next five minutes, taking a 31-19 lead on a Jalen Slawson triple.

"That's crazy. Ten minutes and to have four steals!," said senior forward Matt Rafferty on Slawson's performance. "We stat everything including ball deflections and he had a crazy amount of those today and I think he had eight in the first half which is phenomenal."

"He's probably had his best week of practice and he's been in the gym a lot more and something clicked and he's really focused now and we're all proud of him," Rafferty added.

Slawson's triple came in combination with one of his four steals on the other end, and he was was rewarded for running the floor, as Clay Mounce found Slawson on a perfect feed up the floor, and Slawson did the rest by scoring his only points of the night. All told, Slawson played 10 minutes, recorded four steals, a block and three points.

Chattanooga finished the half with the final four points, with the final bucket coming from Maurice Commander with three seconds to play in the half, providing the final eight point margin (31-23) as the two teams entered the halftime locker room.

In the second half, it looked as the Mocs might get back into the game following a four-point play by Thomas Smallwood, as the center hit a three from the top of the key and was fouled by Rafferty with 12:47 left, and following the free throw, Furman's lead had been cut to seven, at 47-40.

From there, however, Furman would stretch its lead back out to double-digits on buckets by Hunter and Gurley, pushing the Paladins' lead back to 11 with 11:47 remaining, at 51-40. The Mocs would cut the margin inside double digits three times the rest of the way, doing so for the final time on a jumper by Jerry Johnson Jr. with 6:17 remaining, making it a 63-54.

However, Furman would extend its lead back out to double digits taking its largest lead of the night at 15 points on a pair of Mounce foul shots, which gave the Paladins a 71-56 lead with 1:46 remaining.

Johnson Jr. ended up leading the Mocs and was the only Chattanooga player to finish the contest in double figures, posting 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including going 1-of-5 from three-point range.

All 13 of Johnson's points came in the second half. Kevin Easley, who was the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week and averaged a team-leading 15.1 PPG coming into the contest, was held to just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field, and 1-of-4 from three-point land.

The Paladins ended the night by holding advantages in shooting percentage (53.7%-40.0%), points off turnovers (15-5), second-chance points (10-9), fast-break points (7-0), and assists (17-10). Chattanooga claimed advantages in points in the paint (32-28) and bench points (19-10). The two teams each had 30 rebounds. Furman forced Chattanooga into 14 miscues, while the Mocs caused 11 Paladin mishaps.

The Paladins outscored Chattanooga 33-15 from the perimter. Furman shot 44% (11-of-25) from long range, while holding the Mocs to just 23.8% (5-of-21) from long range.

Records Watch:

With his performance Thursday night, Jordan Lyons now has 71 three-point field goals on the season. He needs just 19 more three-pointers this season to break Furman's single-season mark of 88 set by Anthony Thomas back in the 2001-02 season.

The Other Games:

UNC Greensboro held The Citadel, which had entered the game as the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 92.1 PPG, to a season-low 60 points en route to an 83-60 win at the Greensboro Coliseum Thursday night. The Spartans were led by Kaleb Hunter's 21 points, and he posted 17 of those points in the opening half. UNCG improved to 18-3 overall and 7-1 in the SoCon, while The Citadel dropped its eighth-straight contest, falling to 9-10 overall and 1-7 in league play. The Bulldogs were led by Matt Frierson's 15 points, while Zane Najdawi added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Mercer made easy work of VMI Thursday night, posting an 88-68 SoCon win over the Keydets Thursday night at Hawkins Arena. Ross Cummings, Ethan Stair and Jaylen Stowe combined to score 58 of the Bears' 88 points in the win, with Cummings leading the way with 24 points, while Stair and Stowe added 18 and 17 points, respectively, in the win. VMI got 17 points from Bubba Parham to lead the way for Dan Earl's Keydets, while fellow backcourt mate Garrett Gilkeson chipped in with 15. The win saw Mercer improve to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in SoCon action, while VMI fell to 7-13 overall and 1-7 in the SoCon.

Power Rankings Following Thursday night:

1. Wofford (16-4, 8-0 SoCon)
2. UNCG (18-3, 7-1 SoCon)
3A. ETSU (16-5, 6-2 SoCon)
3B. Furman (16-4, 5-3 SoCon)
5. Chattanooga (10-11, 5-3 SoCon)
6. Mercer (8-12, 3-5 SoCon)
7. Samford (12-9 overall, 2-6 SoCon)
8. Western Carolina (5-16, 2-6 SoCon)
9. VMI (7-13, 1-7 SoCon)
10. The Citadel (9-10, 1-7 SoCon)

Saturday's slate:

VMI at The Citadel, 1 p.m.
Samford at Furman, 4:30 p.m.
Mercer at UNCG, 5 p.m.
East Tennessee State at Western Carolina, 7 p.m.
Chattanooga at Wofford, 7 p.m.

Wofford remains perfect in SoCon with tight win over Furman

Recap: Wofford 59, Furman 54

Storm Murphy hit a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining, giving Wofford a 57-54 lead, and the Terriers were able to hold off pesky Furman for a 59-54 Southern Conference win Saturday night before a sellout crowd at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

With the win, Wofford remained perfect in the Southern Conference, improving to 7-0 and improved to 15-4 overall in SoCon play. Furman dropped its second-straight, falling to 15-4 overall and 4-3 in league play.

The game was one that was not for the faint of heart. Both teams had had a week off to prepare for each other, and it was obvious from the grinder of a Southern Conference war that ensued Saturday night in Spartanburg in the first of two installments between the I-85 rivals this season.

The game was equivalent to a Southern Conference war in a season that has seen so much success for the top half of the league. The battle between the Terriers and Paladins saw 15 lead changes and eight ties. The biggest advantage for either club the entire night was a whopping five points, which just happened to be the final margin of victory for Wofford. 

Someone must have told Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Matt Rafferty Furman hadn't won in Spartanburg since 2011, as he put the Paladins on his back offensively down the stretch. Rafferty scored the final 11 points of the game for the Paladins, and gave Furman the lead on an easy layup after collecting a loose ball in the lane following a Cameron Jackson block on a Clay Mounce dunk attempt with 1:02 remaining, giving the Paladins a 54-52 lead. 

Rafferty posted a game-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point land. Rafferty also went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, added eight boards, two assists, two steals and a block. He was one of three Paladins in double figures, and was joined by senior guard Andrew Brown and junior guard Jordan Lyons, who added 10 points apiece. 

“Rafferty is so good,” Wofford head coach Mike Young said. “He sniffs out so many things. I catch myself considering what action we’re going to run and how we can get Rafferty out of the way.”

“That was a heck of a ballgame. Back and forth. Hard-fought. Nobody was going to give an inch,” Young added.

After a Wofford timeout, Terrier veteran head coach Mike Young drew up an action for Jackson, and he would show his veteran leadership. He faked a pass left, spun into an open lane and slammed it home emphatically, tying the contest, 54-54, and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. 

Following a Jordan Lyons missed three-pointer on the other end for the Paladins, Jackson coralled the rebound for the Terriers and timeout was taken. Young once again drew up the right play, and it wasn't Fletcher Magee, who led the Terriers with 22 points, but was sophomore point guard Storm Murphy. 

"I am telling you now, he [Storm Murphy] and Fletch [Fletcher Magee], Hoover [Nathan Hoover] and Trayvyon Hollowell lead our team in shots before and after practice and he's confident and you see it. Storm Murphy wins as many of them as [nods towards Fletcher Magee in the background] that guy," Young said of his trust in Murphy on the game-winning shot. "He can shoot the fire out of it and he's a confident little cuss," he added. 

Murphy finished with just six points. He scored Wofford's first three-pointer of the game and its last. The last came on a beautiful screen set on Lyons by Jackson, freeing up Murphy, a 46.3% shooter from three-point range coming into the game, for the game-winner. Jackson added a layup at the buzzer on the final play of the game when the result was already academic. 

The Paladins actually took a 30-28 lead into the halftime locker room, but it was the Terriers to seem some momentum to the break following a Hollowell banked in triple at the buzzer. That had dampened the mini 5-0 run by the Paladins, which came via a Brown triple and a Rafferty layup. 

The start of the second half saw the Paladins struggle to score, posting just four points in the first 8:17 of the second half, and the Paladins found themselves trailing the contest, and Magee helped give the Terriers a 37-34 lead following a fade-a-way jumper with 12:45 to play. 

The Paladins started to get things going from that point forward, although the Terriers would match their largest lead of the night moments later, following a Magee three-point play the old-fashioned play, as the senior's free throw gave the Terriers a 40-35 lead with 11:15 remaining. 

To their its, Furman never folded and never gave into a boisterous crowd of 3,400 inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, and when gut-check time came, the Paladins responded through its two seniors, as Rafferty and Brown put in layups to get the Paladins with a point, at 40-39, with 10:12 left. 

Then, with 7:22 remaining, Rafferty got the ball at the right elbow and was left open for three, he hesitated and the squared up the shot and knocked it down and giving the Paladins the 46-43 lead. 

But Magee had an answer of his own. He got the ball at the right elbow off a screen, shot a fade-a-way three, made it and was fouled in the process. After the made free throw, Magee had given the Terriers a 47-46 lead with the rare four-point play with 6:52 remaining. A minute later, a pair of Nathan Hoover free throws increased Wofford's lead back to three, at 49-46. 

Two Rafferty layups gave Furman the one-point lead, 50-49, with 3:43 remaining. Another Magee three--his fourth of the night--helped the Terriers regain a two-point lead with 3:25 remaining. Two more Rafferty foul shots and a Rafferty layup gave Furman a 54-52 lead with 1:02 to play, setting the stage for the thrilling final sixty seconds of action. 

"They [Wofford] made the play down the stretch and we [Furman] didn't, but man it was a heck of a college basketball game. Storm made a big shot. You've got to give him his credit," Furman head coach Bob Richey said. 

Wofford held slight advantages in shooting percentage (38.9%-35.1%), bench points (12-10) and total rebounds (35-31). The Paladins edged the Terriers in total assists (12-11), points in the paint (24-22), points off turnovers (14-4), second chance points (17-11) and fast break points (6-2).

Wofford and Furman both return to action Thursday night, with the Paladins hosting Chattanooga at Timmons Arena with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Wofford will play host to Samford in a 7 p.m., as the Terriers look to remain un-beaten in SoCon play.

UNCG takes down hot-shooting Furman

Furman senior forward Matt Rafferty

If you haven’t figured out the SoCon race is going to be a war this season, you have been served fair warning.

The top four teams in the SoCon...Furman, UNCG, Wofford and East Tennessee State are going at it against each other this season. Home court, so far, has been a fortress save UNCG’s hiccup to Wofford Thursday night, making Saturday’s game on the home floor against the Paladins somewhat of a must-win, or at least in the regular-season title chase.

Sophomore guard Isaiah Miller would make sure the Spartans didn’t fall too far behind in the standings, however, following a 29-point loss on the home floor last time out, which snapped UNCG’s 17-game winning streak inside the friendly confines.
Miller scored a career-high 25 points, as UNC Greensboro held off Furman, 89-79, in a Southern Conference battle Saturday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. That allowed the Spartans to win their fourth-straight game in the series against Furman.

With the win, UNCG 15-3 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Conference, while Furman dropped to 15-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.

Miller, a sophomore guard from Covington, GA, was sensational throughout the game, finishing the contest going 10-for-19 from the field, including 4-for-8 from three-point land. In addition, Miller also added five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Miller was one of four Spartans in double figures in the contest, as Francis Alonso (16 pts), Eric Hamilton (15 pts), and Demetrius Troy (10 pts).

Furman, despite shooting the ball at a 52.9% clip (27-of-51) and, connected on 55.6% (10-of-18) from three-point land in the contest, however, Furman turned it over 21 times, which led to getting outscored to a 26-11 advantage for UNCG in points off turnovers.

The Paladins were led by another outstanding night from Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Matt Rafferty, as the senior forward posted 22 points, 10 boards, dished out five assists and recorded two steals to lead the Paladins. He was one of three Paladins in double figures in the contest.

Rafferty finished 6-for-10 from the field and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Joining Rafferty in double figures Saturday night was Jordan Lyons with 16 points, while senior guard Andrew Brown added 14.

Tre Clark’s dunk off a run-out on a long pass from Brown with 9:13 remaining in the contest. The Spartans responded with a 12-2 run to take 73-61 lead following a Kaleb Hunter three-pointer with 5:19 remaining.

The Paladins cut to five on two occasions in the final two minutes, with the last time coming after an Alex Hunter layup driving layup, which cut UNCG’s lead to 81-76 with 1:13 remaining.

Six-straight made free throws on the heels of a turnover, two missed shots and a UNCG blocked shot spelled the end of an otherwise solid shooting night for Furman, with the Spartans assuming an 87-76 lead on the second shot of a two-shot foul from Hamilton with 25 seconds remaining. UNCG would maintain that double-digit lead to close out their 15th win overall and fourth win in league play.

The Paladins were red-hot in the opening half of play as well, connecting on 58.3% (14-for-24) from the field and 75.0% (6-for-8) from three-point land, however, 11 first-half turnovers, including five offensive fouls, led to a 15-4 UNCG advantage in points off turnovers, and a 41-37 halftime lead for the Spartans.

“They’re a tremendous offensive team and well they’re a tremendous team,“ said UNCG head coach Wes Miller. “On the offensive end they’re just a tremendous team and there’s a reason they were in the Top 25 just two weeks ago. If you aren’t active defensively with your hands and with your play, you can’t guard them even if you’re in the right position,” Miller added.

The truth of this basketball game is Miller could have even been talking about his own team, which shot the ball at a 51.6% clip (32-of-62) for the game, showing some of that championship form on both ends of the floor to gut out a tough Southern Conference victory.

The Spartans were able to affect the game with their defense, and for the first time since early in the season, James Dickey looked like he was back to his old form prior to his foot injury, and his four blocks were the most in a single game for the junior reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year since the season opener against North Carolina A&T, when he swatted away seven shots.

For head coach Bob Richey and Furman, it’s back to the drawing board for his young team, which will now have a week off to prepare for its big game at Wofford next Saturday.

With a season-high 21 turnovers, which is uncharacteristic for the normally composed Paladins, it will give something for head coach Bob Richey to prepare for and work on during the week ahead prior to squaring off with their I-85 rival.

It’s something that Richey admits UNCG was able to do with great effectiveness, which was put Furman in uncomfortable situations with forcing the tempo.

That’s the thing about the SoCon. Teams find unique ways to push other teams’ buttons. Mercer does it different than The Citadel and UNCG does it different than the previous two, with a 1-2-2 press reminiscent of some of those Murry Bartow ETSU clubs in the mid-2000s before the Bucs left the league for the Atlantic Sun.

“It’s there pressure and they tried to speed us up and when people pressure you they are trying to get you to play faster than you want to play.” Furman head coach Bob Richey said.

“Unfortunately today they had success doing that and so we’ve got to be better there and that’s one of our achilles heels and going back to some of these guys that haven’t been in these situations before and five underclassmen of our eight that are playing out there and that’s one of those deals where you’ve got to learn to just stay composed. The pressure is only pressure if you let it pressure you,” Richey added.

UNCG returns to action Thursday night with a trip to face Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center, with tip-off slated for 1 p.m. Furman will take on league unbeaten Wofford at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium next Saturday in Spartanburg. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Furman Thumps VMI in Lexington

LEXINGTON, VA--Furman held VMI to 37% shooting and the SoCon’s leading scorer Bubba Parham to just six points, as the Paladins defeated the Keydets going away, 89-57, in Southern Conference action Thursday night at Cameron Hall.

With the win, Furman improves to 15-2 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Conference, while VMI fell to 6-10 overall and 0-4 in league action. The win marked Furman's seventh-straight triumph over the Keydets in the series.

The Paladins had five in double figures, led by Jordan Lyons, who led the Paladins with 21 points, connecting on 7-of-15 from the field and 4-for-11 from three-point range. Lyons was also 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Lyons also added two rebounds, two assists and a steal

Joining Lyons were Clay Mounce (16 pts), Tre Clark (13 pts), Andrew Brown (11 pts) and Matt Rafferty (10 pts). For Mounce, it was his second-straight game in double figures, as he also posted 13 points and 15 boards Saturday. He also contributed a team-high tying six boards tonight. Rafferty also had six boards, five assists and three steals.

Clark's 13 points are a new career-high, eclipsing the 11 points he scored in a win over Charleston Southern earlier this season. He led the Paladin charge off the bench, and his 13 points marked his third double-figure scoring effort this season.

Furman used a 17-6 run to close the opening half to take control of the basketball, with the run buoyed by Jordan Lyons, who scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the opening half, as the Paladins took a 38-24 to the halftime locker room.

With Furman clinging to a 21-18 lead with 4:12 remaining in the half following a Jake Stephens layup for the Keydets. Clark responded with the a dunk of the right side to start the run, giving the Paladins a 23-18 lead. The run would end with a top of the key jumper from Lyons, as the Paladins saw their lead balloon to 17, at 38-21, with just 52 seconds remaining in the half. A Connor Arnold banked in three from the top of the key on the ensuing possessionn set the halftime deficit at 14 for the Keydets.

A 7-0 run to begin the second half would see Furman's lead balloon to 45-24, and the run dating back to the closing minutes of the first half,  became a 24-6 spurt by the Paladins, as Rafferty notched two of his 10 points with a wide-open layup.

Furman redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce

Furman never looked back from that strong start to the second half, shooting 52.2% from the field in the second half, as the Paladins connected on 16-of-30 from the field in the second half alone, and that included connecting on 8-for-19 from (42.1%) three-point range. All told, the Paladins finished the contest shooting the ball at a 45.3% (29-of-64) clip for the game, while connecting on 15 triples, shooting a sizzling 44.1% (15-of-34) from long range for the game.

Meanwhile, the Paladins put the clamps down defensively on the Keydets for much of the night, holding the Keydets to just 36.8% (21-of-57) for the game, and just 22.7% (5-for-22) from three-point range.

VMI sophomore guard and reigning SoCon co-Freshman of the Yeaar Bubba Parham, who came into the contest leading the SoCon in scoring average, at 21.9 PPG, was held to just six points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from long range. Parham's six-point performance was his lowest of the 2018-19 season thus far.  It eclipsed his previous season-low of seven points in a loss to Longwood.

VMI ended the night having been led by sophomore wing guard Myles Lewis, who posted 11 points, while fellow classmate Garrett Gilkeson closed out the Keydets in double figures with 10 points, while adding a team-high seven boards.

The Paladins held advantages in points off turnovers (20-10), fast break points (11-8), bench points (34-26), shooting percentage (45.3%-36.8%) and assists (21-10). The Paladins forced 18 VMI turnovers, while committing 11 miscues of their own. The two teams were even on the boards (37-37) and in points in the paint (28-28).

Furman returns to action Saturday with a key contest at UNC Greensboro, with tip-off set for 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum, while VMI will host Wofford at Cameron Hall in a 1 p.m. SoCon clash at Cameron Hall Saturday afternoon.

UNC Greensboro Braces For Two Huge SoCon Clashes on its Home Floor

Wofford's senior forward Cameron Jackson

Monumental week in the SoCon for UNCG

UNCG faces two of its most pivotal tests of the season in less than a 48-hour period, hosting league title contenders Wofford and Furman in back-to-back league games in Southern Conference games on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. 

It least early in the 2018-19 Southern Conference regular-season race, the Thursday and Saturday matchups will likely serve as major bookmarks in the league race when we reflect on the SoCon regular-season. After all, national college basketball analyst Andy Katz called the SoCon one of the best mid-major conferences in college basketball, and also called the SoCon regular-season title chase one of the most exciting in all of college basketball. That should ramp up the atmosphere at the Greensboro Coliseum this weekend--two games many Spartan fans probably already had circled on their pocket schedule back during the summer. 

The defending Southern Conference champions will enter Thursday night's game sporting the nation's sixth-longest homecourt winning streak, as the Spartans have reeled off 17-straight wins at the Greensboro Coliseum. 

The Spartans, who are currently tied with Furman for the league's best overall record, at 14-2, have gotten off to a 3-0 start in league play with wins over VMI (71-68), Chattanooga (85-72) and Samford (83-75) and have won seven-straight games coming into the contest. It's the SoCon's longest winning streak.

Wofford, on the other hand, comes into the clash with an 11-4 record and sit atop the league standings by a half-game over the Spartans, at 4-0. The Terriers have SoCon wins over Mercer (78-74), The Citadel (112-81), Western Carolina (74-54) and East Tennessee State (79-62). The Terriers come in having won three-straight. 

Both the Spartans and Terriers were picked No. 1 and No. 2 in the preseason Southern Conference media and coaches polls, respectively.

Last Season:

The Spartans claimed all three meetings over the Terriers last season, which included a 56-55 SoCon semifinal game win in what was the game of the 2018 Southern Conference Tournament. 

Wofford had the best opportunity to end the Spartans NCAA Tournament hopes altogehter. Better than any team UNCG faced in the 2018 SoCon Tournament in Asheville. 

The game came down to Francis Alonso doing what he has done to Wofford time and time again: hitting clutch shots. The junior from Malaga, Spain had ice water in his veins. Although he finished 5-for-15 from the field — including 3-for-10 from three-point range — and 13 points, his third triple of the night with 20 seconds left that proved to be Wofford’s dagger, and eventually proved the game-winner.

“All I have to say is it was a really tough game. But I have to say my teammates were the ones that gave me confidence at all times,” said junior guard Francis Alonso. “Even though I wasn’t shooting the ball well, when you have great teammates that have your back, you feel at the end of a possession, shots are going to go in. I knew I was feeling good. I’ve been working a lot this summer and I’m really happy we pulled it off.”

Trailing 56-55 following a Mike Young timeout with 13 ticks remaining, the Terriers set up a play off a hand-off from Cameron Jackson in the corner, and SoCon Player of the Year Fletcher Magee's wide-open shot from the right corner was short, but he followed his own shot, tossing up a second shot from about 15 which was long.

That was when Murphy ran down the ball, and after pump-faking a UNCG defender, let a shot go from the right elbow that was short and clanged off front iron as the buzzer sounded. That would allow the Spartans to make their second-straight championship game. Elation for Wes Miller and his Spartans, but sadness and heartbreak for Mike Young and his Terriers. 

The other two regular-season meetings were also hard-fought battles, with UNCG capturing a 71-67 win over the Terriers in Greensboro on the final game of 2017, and then the Spartans were able to hold off Wofford for a 77-67 win in their first-ever trip to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. 

The Spartans had to overcome a 47-33 halftime deficit to win a thriller when these two teams met last December in Greensboro Coliseum. Magee scored all of his 21 points in the opening half of play as the Terriers shot the ball at a blistering 60.7% clip from the field in the opening half of play, however, the Spartans got 26 points from Alonso--18 in the second half--and held the Terriers to just 30.8% in the second half, which included holding Magee scoreless, en rout to getting the 71-67 win. 

If last season's three matchups are any indicator of these season's contest, it should be a great basketball game in the Coliseum Thursday night. 

Magee for Three-istory:

If you missed it on Saturday night, Fletcher Magee went about doing what Fletcher Magee does, which is hitting threes. His final one, which was huge in a 78-74 win over Mercer, allowed the senior guard to surpass former SoCon and Davidson legend Stephen Curry (2006-09), who was the SoCon record-holder with 414 threes. His final triple of his five on the night vs Mercer with just under 40 seconds remaining game gave Magee the record, as he now has 415-career threes. Magee is also the career-active leader in the SoCon for points scored, with 2,096.

Two Matchups Four Players:

Francis Alonso vs. Fletcher Magee or James Dickey vs. Cameron Jackson? Which matchup figures to determine this matchup? It's likely the defense of Dickey vs. the offensive efficiency of Jackson.

Jackson is off to the best start to a season in his career at Wofford. The senior from Winchester, VA currently ranks eighth in the conference in scoring (15.2 PPG), sixth in rebounding (7.8 RPG) and third in field goal percentage (59.3%). 

Dickey, who was the SoCon's Defensive Player of the Year last year, recently returned from a foot injury and is currently averaging 7.3 PPG and 7.6 RPG. He has started all 10 games he's seen action in for the Spartans this season. He will need to step up big if UNCG hopes to pick where they left off against the Terriers last season. 

Magee comes in ranking third in the SoCon in scoring, at (18.1 PPG), and leads the league with 64 made three-pointers (64). Alonso currently ranks second in the SoCon in scoring average (18.4 PPG) and tied for sixth in the SoCon in three pointers made (46). Magee and Alonso are two of the top free throw shooters in all of college basketball, with Magee having connected on 94% (47-of-50) this season, while Alonso is connecting on 90% (75-of-83) of his shots from the stripe.

Also of note is Isaiah Miller for UNCG and Storm Murphy. The two sophomores were a part of the SoCon All-Freshman team last year, and neither has suffered a sophomore slump. Miller comes in averaging 14.3 PPG and leads the SoCon in steals, averaging 2.8 thefts per game. Meanwhile, Murphy enters the contest averaging 8.8 PPG and ranks second in three-point field goal percentage, at 46.2% (24-of-52).

Saturday's Showdown

Furman comes to town Saturday and its a team, that like Wofford, will be in contention for the Southern Conference title all season. The Spartans have won three-straight games against the Paladins, including getting a 71-61 win at the Coliseum last season and an 80-67 win at Furman last season.

The Paladins, who like UNCG, are also 14-2, but have also suffered a Southern Conference loss last week at East Tennessee State. 

Should the Spartans get past Wofford, the game offers an opportunity for the Paladins to either gain a huge road win and help even things up in the SoCon race, or for UNCG, it would offer the chance to hang another conference setback on the Paladins, which could prove to be big in the regular-season race. The Paladins and Spartans are both off to their best starts to a season in their program's histories. Furman plays at VMI Thursday night. 

Furman uses big second half to down The Citadel

Furman and The Citadel just before tipping off the SoCon's oldest basketball rivalry Saturday at Timmons Arena

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Senior forward Matt Rafferty posted his eighth double-double of the season, and scored a career-high 28 points, while grabbing 12 rebounds, as Furman claimed a 101-85 win over The Citadel in Southern Conference action in front of a season-high 2,462 fans Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

With the win, Furman improved to 14-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Conference, while The Citadel dropped to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in league play. It was Furman's 12th-consecutive home win and ninth-straight home win against SoCon competition. Furman improved to 47-8 overall and 27-3 against league foes on the home hardwood since the start of the 2015-16 season.

Rafferty finished the contest by going 11-of-15 from the field and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the win. In addition to the points and rebounded he posted three steals, blocked one shot and had one assist. Rafferty jhas now scored in double figures in 15 out of 16 games to start the season for the Paladins, and his eighth double-double is tied for the most in the SoCon this season along with ETSU's Jeromy Rodriguez.

Rafferty was joined in double figures by four other Paladins. Junior guard Jordan Lyons added 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-for-10 from three-point range, while Clay Mounce joined Rafferty with a double-double performance of 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while Noah Gurley and Alex Hunter chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the win. Hunter dished out three assists and had three boards, while Gurley posted eight boards and two assists in addition to his scoring performance.

Furman's starting frontcourt trio of Mounce, Gurley and Rafferty combined for 58 points and 33 rebounds in Saturday's win. Redshirt sophomore guard Tre Clark turned in a solid performance, posting six points, nine boards, five offensive rebounds, four steals and two assists in the win.

The Citadel's Zane Najdawi knocked down a  right elbow three-pointer to cut Furman's lead to just two points, at 72-70, with 9:04 remaining. The Paladins responded with a Rafferty layup on the other end, which was the beginning of what turned out to be a 25-5 run over a 6:48 span to take a 97-75 lead, with a pair of Jordan Lyons free throws giving Furman its largest lead of the night, at 22 points, with 2:18 remaining.

The Citadel came out and brought the game to Furman in the opening 20 minutes of action, as the Bulldogs shot 50% (18-for-36) from the field in the opening half to take a 46-43 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Bulldogs were buoyed by the play of forward Kaiden Rice, who was making his second-career start, as he scored 12 of his 18 points in the opening half, including the first six, with two quick three-pointers to give the Bulldogs a quick 6-0 lead right out of the gate.There were 10 lead changes alone in the opening half of play.

Furman held huge advantages in rebounding (53-28), points in the paint (48-34) and second chance points (25-8). In fact, the Paladins had more second-half offensive rebounds (11) than the Bulldogs had second-half total rebounds (10). A lot of that had to do with Furman's unsung hero in the game, Clark who, as mentioned above, led the Paladins with offensive boards. The Paladins out-rebounded the Bulldogs 30-10 in the second-half.

Furman's ability defensively was of note, especially in the second half, making the necessary defensive adjustments to slow The Citadel's talented point guard Lew Stallworth, and take talented sharp-shooting guard Matt Frierson completely out of the game. It was Lyons that would draw the assignment of locking down Frierson, while Clark was put in the game to slow Stallworth midway through the second half.

Frierson came into the week leading the nation in three-pointers made-per-game, and had a league-leading 62 triples on the season. Lyons and Furman's collective defensive effort against the senior guard limited him to just 1-for-5 shooting from long-range and a season-low three points. Frierson had been The Citadel's second-leading scorer coming into the contest, averaging 16.5 PPG.

Stallworth was The Citadel's leading scorer coming into the contest with the Paladins, averaging 17.6 PPG. He would finish the game with a team-leading 23 points, but was significantly slowed down the stretch in the contest by Clark. Stallworth, who ranks 10th nationally in assists-per-game, added six helpers and also finished with four boards.

"It's one of those things where I thought Jordan Lyons played one of his best defensive games of the year and I thought he took the challenge," head coach Bob Richey said. "I thought he did a great job Thursday on [Marcus] Cohen and he was dealing more with a ball-handler and attacker and Alex [Hunter] was the one that got the [Ross] Cummings matchup and we didn't didn't know with the quick turnaround in the games like can Alex [Hunter] chase around a guy again so we asked Jordan [Lyons] to do it and we asked him to do it in full confidence and we knew he could and I thought he took a lot of ownership to it and I really thought he took a lot of pride in it," he added.

Clark was noticeably a factor all night for the Paladins, particularly in the areas of offensive rebounds and being a defensive menace, leading the Paladins in both categories.

"Tre Clark...Not sure I have seen...I was trying to add up my years of doing this and I have done this for 13 years now feels like three and I am not sure I have seen someone grow in six months the way he has and I just want to make sure everyone is clear on that and I brought him in Monday and asked him to play backup point [guard] and he goes out there and hits two threes right and everybody in the off-season was like can Tre Clark shoot and he's shooting in the 40s still and goes 2-for-4 today. He defends Stallworth. He handles the ball against the press. His growth. His demeanor. His confidence...what he means to this program right now...unbelievable," Richey said.

Joining Stallworth in double figures for the Bulldogs was sophomore forward Alex Reed, who posted 20 points, while Rice added 18 on 6-for-15 from the field and 5-for-13 from three-point range. All-SoCon forward Zane Najdawi added a double-double, with 11 points and 10 boards.

Furman held advantages in shooting percentage (46.8%-46.4%), fast break points (17-11) and bench points (13-10). The Citadel held slight advantages in points off turnovers (19-18) and assists (16-13). The two teams combined to attempt 81 three-pointers in the contest, with the Paladins connecting on 13-of-38 (34.2%) from long range, while the Bulldogs were 14-of-43 (32.6%) from three-point range to finish the contest.

Furman returns to action Thursday for the first of three-straight road games, taking on VMI next Thursday night at Cameron Hall, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. in Lexington, VA. The Bulldogs return home Thursday night to host red-hot East Tennessee State at McAlister Field House, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. in Charleston.

Saturday's SoCon Results:
Wofford 78, Mercer 74
UNCG 71, VMI 68
ETSU 96, Chattnooga 70
Western Carolina 76, Samford 69
Furman 101, The Citadel 85

Power Rankings:
1. UNCG 14-2, 3-0 SoCon
2. Wofford 12-4, 4-0 SoCon
3. ETSU 13-4, 3-1 SoCon
4. Furman 14-2, 3-1 SoCon
5. Samford 11-6, 1-3 SoCon
6. The Citadel 9-5, 1-2 SoCon
7. Mercer 5-10, 0-3 SoCon
8. Chattanooga 7-10, 2-2 SoCon
9. Western Carolina 4-13, 1-3 SoCon
10. VMI 5-10, 0-3 SoCon

Next Week's slate (Jan. 10 and Jan. 12)
Thursday, Jan. 10
Furman at VMI 7 p.m.
ETSU at The Citadel 7 p.m.
Western Carolina at Mercer 7 p.m.
Wofford at UNCG 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 12
Western Carolina at The Citadel, 1 p.m.
Wofford at VMI, 1 p.m.
ETSU at Mercer, 4:30 p.m.
Furman at UNCG, 5 p.m.
Samford at Chattanooga, 4:30 p.m.


*--Check Mid-major madness Thursday for a full preview of Wofford at UNCG.

Furman Grinds Out Win Over Mercer

Furman redshirt freshman forward Noah Gurley

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Senior forward Matt Rafferty led four Furman players in double figures and notched his 1,000th-career point in the process, as the Paladins snapped a two-game losing streak, with a 71-58 Southern Conference win over Mercer Thursday night at Timmons Arena.

With the win, Furman improved to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference action, while Mercer dropped to 5-9 overall and 0-2 in Southern Confernce play.

"I'm really proud of Matt [Rafferty]. One thousand points, especially considering his injuries, it's incredible," Furman head coach Bob Richey said. "But what I told the team, that's (1,000 points) very minimal compared to everything that he's done for this program. I love the fact that he's scored 1,000 points, but the way that he's impacted this program, you can't even start to put words on it. You can't even come close."

In his team-leading scoring performance, Rafferty reached his 1,000th-point of his career on his second basket of the night. He became the 44th player in program history to reach the milestone, and now has 1,016 points in his career.

The senior from Hinsdale, Ill., finished with 19 points going 6-of-9 from the field and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Rafferty also dished out a pair of assists and had three steals. Rafferty is currently second in the SoCon with seven double-doubles, as he added 10 rebounds to the Paladin cause, and it was his 14th game in double figures in 15 to start the 2018-19 campaign.

Joining Rafferty in double digits in the contest were Noah Gurley and Jordan Lyons, who added 11 points apiece, while point guard Alex Hunter added 10 points. Additionally, sophomore forward Clay Mounce added six points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

The game was not a thing of beauty much of the night, with both teams looking sloppy at times, and Mercer struggled to get into any offensive rhythm the entire night, suffering just their second loss by double digits this season and finishing the night connecting on just 36.2% (21-for-58) for the game, and just 21.1% (4-for-19) shooting from three-point range.

After shooting the ball at below a 40% clip in the previous two outings, the Paladins rebounded to shoot 46.3% (25-of-54) from the field in the win.

Furman and Mercer would play a tight first half, with Furman leading from the outset, but had trouble creating much separation on the scoreboard from the Bears. It would be Gurley that would ignite the Paladins late in the half. Furman found itself tied with Mercer, 19-19, following a Cory Kilby triple with 5:29 remaining in the opening half.

However, the Paladins were able to close the half with a 19-7 run, with eight of those points coming from Gurley, while he also added an emphatic block on the defensive to help the Paladins take a 35-26 lead into the halftime locker room. Gurley paced the Paladins with nine first-half points.

In the second half, the Paladins would get a lift from Tre Clark off the bench. Clark drove the lane and posted an emphatic two-handed dunk over Mercer's Jaylen Stowe, helping ignite a 16-3 Furman run to increase the Paladin advantage to eight, at 42-34, with 13:56 left in the contest. The run concluded with a pair of Rafferty free throws, extending the Furman advantage to 19, at 56-37, with 6:54 left.

The Bears would not go away easily, however, slicing Furman's lead to just seven, following an Ethan Stair three-pointer from straight-a-way to make it a 65-58 game with 2:25 left. Stair's three-pointer was part of a 21-7 run to get the Bears back in the game late. A pair of Mounce free throws would increase Furman's lead back to double-digits moments later, as the Paladins scored the final six points of the contest to close out their 13th win of the season.

The Paladins completed the yeoman-like win having to grind out a win, which is something they have yet to had to do in any of the 12 other victories amassed this season.

On a night when the senior from Hinsdale, Ill reached a personal milestone, he talked about the adjustments Furman made collectively as a team in getting the hard-fought win over the Bears, including knowing that limiting Mercer sharp-shooting junior guard Ross Cummings, who came into the game leading the Bears in scoring average, at 14.8 PPG. The Paladins limited Cummings to 10 points on 3-for-8 from the field and just 1-for-5 from three-point land.

"It all started tonight on the defensive end. We got some stops and got out in transition a little bit, they got a few offensive rebounds that kind of kept them in the game in the first half. We got off to a bigger lead in the second half and tried to handle their pressure. A few things didn't go our way there, but we bounced back and ended the game strong. [Ross] Cummings is a great player and Alex Hunter and Tre Clark did a great job defending him," said senior forward Matt Rafferty.

"It took everyone out there. We had a few things to adjust that we knew would hurt them a little bit  and one of them was shuttiung [Ross] Cummings down and he's one of the best players in the league," he added.

Following the two losses to LSU and East Tennessee State, the Paladins got back to the basics and started getting back to who they were as a basketball team, according to head coach Bob Richey.

"We asked some guys tonight to do some things for the betterment of the program. That was all to make sure we could get position on length and size where we wanted it," Richey said. "We had to get Noah out there a little bit more and get Clay at the three more. I thought the team handled that in a really mature way tonight and it was really good to see."

The Paladins went with Noah Gurley returning to the starting lineup Thursday night for the first time since the Charleston Southern game back on Dec. 11 at Timmons Arena. Senior guard Andrew Brown has started the past three games for the Paladins. Brown would now adjust to being Furman's top player coming in off the bench, and he will give the Paladins an immediate three-point threat coming off the bench. 

Richey also made a point to show how the team has been building confidence through its first adversity of the season following a 12-0 start, as the team is still relatively young. 

"It's just like anything in life, when you go through that adversity, you have to get back to who you are and I thought for the most part we did that tonight," Richey said. "[Mercer] is usually a slower tempo game and to get the margin to 19 and the way we did it systematically.It wasn't like we were on fire [offensively]. "I just felt that we were much more connected on defense tonight," the head coach added. 

The Paladins finished out the win by holding advantages in points in the paint (28-24), fast-break points (17-8), total rebounds (37-36), assists (16-7), free throw percentage (64.7%-57.1%) and overall shooting percentage (46.3%-36.2%). Furman also out-scored the Bears 30-12 from beyond the arc, as the Paladins connected on 35.7% (10-of-28) from three-point range. The teams were deadlocked in both points off turnovers (16-16) and second-chance points (10-10), while the Bears held the advantage in bench points (20-14).

Mercer had three players in double figures, with Djordje Dimitrijevic and Stair tying for team-high honors with 15 points apiece, while the aforementioned Cummings added 10. Kilby led the Bears on the glass with six boards. 

Furman returns to action Saturday evening, hosting The Citadel with a 4 p.m. tip-off against the Bulldogs at Timmons Arena. Mercer will be just up the road at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium at Wofford to face the Terriers. Tip-off for that contest is slated for 7 p.m.