Furman ends UNC Greensboro's eight-game winning streak

Following Furman’s 59-54 loss at Wofford in mid-January, Terrier head coach Mike Young said something simple, yet profound.

“This is a good basketball team, believe me. Not one of the other three has had had to go to play at East Tennessee State, at UNC Greensboro, and had to come to us yet except Furman,” Young said after the Furman game on Jan. 19.

Head coach Bob Richey echoed a similar sentiment to that of Young had hinted at following conference losses to UNCG, ETSU and Wofford on the road in the first time through conference play, urging his young team to not get down on itself, despite the media questioning just how good Furman was following the minor swoon last month.

You’ll find that good coaches in this profession can provide far greater perspective about the broader picture of a college basketball season than sometimes the hyper-focused, in-the-moment media can.

“I told our team that this team was going to turn in favor and that we just had to wait for it when people were starting to get down on us after a couple of losses,” Richey said.

“I think this group’s physicality and toughness has been questioned by a couple of people,” Richey added. “You don’t hold teams that are that good offensively under 60 without being physical and tough.”

Furman (21-5, 10-4 SoCon) needed to make another statement at Timmons Arena against another good opponent similar to Saturday’s win over ETSU. After all, the UNCG (22-4, 11-2 SoCon) Spartans had claimed four-straight against the Paladins. The Paladins did it with another strong defensive effort, downing UNCG, 67-57, Thursday night at Timmons Arena.

No doubt, it wasn’t easy for Furman to pick up its 50th win at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, including its 30th against SoCon competition. UNCG had accounted for two of Furman’s home losses to SoCon span over the past three seasons.

“Coach Richey did a great job of telling us and getting it in our minds that anything that happened in the past is irrelevant and that we have to do is focus on tonight and focus on the task at hand,” junior guard Jordan Lyons said.

Lyons and senior forward Matt Rafferty carried the offensive load for the Paladins in the first half, scoring 24 of the team’s 27 opening-half points, as the Paladins managed to take a 27-25 lead into the locker room.

It was a big half of basketball for the junior guard from Peachtree City, GA, as he scored 15 of his 22 points in the opening half of play, while the second half belonged to Rafferty, who 15 of his 24 in the second half. Rafferty added 10 boards for his 12th double-double of the season, and also recorded five steals. All told, Lyons and Rafferty accounted for 48 of Furman’s 67 points.

Clinging to just a two-point halftime lead, there was the feeling that at some point, the Paladins were going to have to weather a run by UNCG in the second half.

The Spartans showed their championship mettle with just over 12 minutes remaining, and Furman holding on to a 36-34 lead. It would spark an 8-0 run by UNCG, with a pair of three-pointers by sophomore guard Isaiah Miller, and a steal and a layup by Francis Alonso, suddenly staking the Spartans to a 42-36 lead, and prompting a Bob Richey timeout with 11:52 remaining.

Furman’s response was direct and to the point. Get Matt Rafferty touches. The timeout by Richey was meant to get the pace back to the way Furman wanted it, and more importantly, get Rafferty touches.

“There were also four, five or six trips where Matt didn’t touch it. So in the timeout, it was, ‘take care of the basketball and make sure our big fella gets it.’ I think we did that from that point forward and played a much cleaner game,” Richey said.

Rafferty answered Richey’s instructions off the timeout, connecting on a left elbow triple, cutting the Spartans’ lead in half, at 42-39, with 11:25 left.

Back-to-back misses on a layup by Kyrin Galloway and a three-pointer led to four more Rafferty points off layups, and all the sudden it was UNCG’s Wes Miller forced to take a timeout and Furman had a 43-42 lead with 9:52 remaining.

It was the turning point of the game. Furman would never relinquish its lead from that point forward in the contest. In, the Paladins would increase their to nine, at 57-48, following a Noah Gurley three-pointer with 4:10 left, and it was all part of a 21-14 run by the Paladins.

UNCG would have one charge left in it, however. Following a layup by Gurley, the Paladins led 59-50 with 3:13 left. A Demetrius Troy three-pointer and a Miller layup following a pair of Furman empty possessions got it back to a four-point deficit, at 59-55, with 2:15 left. Furman scored the next five points over the next 1:30 of game action to put the game away.

Richey’s club has now reeled off five-straight, and is trending upwards. The Paladins are starting to capture some of that attention they lost in the mid-major and national sports media. The Paladins were a bit of an afterthought for some after losses to ETSU (79-56), UNC Greensboro (89-79), and Wofford (59-54).

In truth, the Southern Conference’s top four teams were 82-19 coming into tonight’s games, which is comparable to the top four in any conference throughout the nation.

The Spartans, which had won eight-straight coming into tonight’s clash, were facing their toughest portion of the conference slate with their upstate swing to face a pair of 20-win teams.

Add to that the defending champions, who are chasing SoCon unbeaten Wofford down the stretch for top spot in the SoCon, and there was a slight bit of pressure coming into games against red-hot Furman and Wofford.

Despite some uncharacteristic turnovers, which were forced by Furman’s stout defensive effort, the Spartans were able to keep the game in front of them at crucial times.

This game was far different than the ETSU last Saturday for the Paladins, which saw the Paladins shoot percentage drop from 64%, last Saturday in a win over ETSU to just 43.1% Thursday night. This was a grinder. It was a phyiscal war.

UNCG had been 14-0 this when holding foes to less than 45% shooting from the field coming into the showdown in Greenville, but emerged 14-1. Meanwhile, Furman limited the Spartans to just 35.5% shooting from the floor.

The uptick for Furman on the defensive end has been noticeable over the past month. Over the past eight games, Furman is allowing just 59.8 PPG, holding four of those opponents to less than 60 points during that span, and all but one foe to less than 70 points.

Furman’s defensive performance Thursday night could be summed up by the play of redshirt freshman forward Noah Gurley, who posted just seven points, but finished with a career-high five blocks and four boards to highlight the Paladins’ defensive effort.

Furman had just five players score in the contest. Gurley’s progression as a defender and shot-blocker has noticeable.

“I’ve been trying to focus more on not fouling and just trying to let guys try and score over my length and I find that’s very effective and that’s one of the focuses that coaches have been working on with me lately,” redshirt freshman forward Noah Gurley said.

Miller, who had a career-high 25 points against the Paladins in the first meeting, was held scoreless in the opening half and finished with 16 points. Miller was one of four players in double figures in the loss. Furman’s defensive effort also limited Alonso, who averaged better than 17 ppg coming into the contest, to just 10 Thursday night.

The past couple of games the Paladins have done a nice job of turning opponent miscues into points, posting a 27-18 advantage off 16 ETSU turnovers on Saturday, and finished Thursday night with a 15-12 edge off an uncharacteristic 17 UNCG miscues.

The Spartans came in with the best assist/turnover ratio in the Southern Conference and one of the best in the nation, and the 17 forced turnovers by the Paladins were a season-high for UNCG.

Meanwhile, Furman, which saw a season-high 22 turnovers turned into 26 UNCG points in the loss to the Spartans last month, turned it over just 13 times Thursday night, surrendering just 12 points.

In years past, this league has been won with defense. I think about the John Kresse-led College of Charleston team of 1998-99, which gave up just 59.2 PPG to rank eighth nationally, or the 2017-18 Wes Miller-led UNCG team that surrendered just 62.5 PPG to rank fifth nationally in points allowed. If the Paladins continue their current trend on the defensive end, they’ll be right there in Asheville with a chance to make their first NCAA Tournament in 39 years.

Following Saturday’s game vs. VMI slated for 4 p.m. at Timmons Arena, Furman will have a week off to prepare for its showdown with Wofford on Feb. 23., as the Paladins look to continue their payback tour against the other top three teams in the SoCon.

UNCG will head just up the road to face Wofford Saturday night for a 7 p.m. contest in Spartanburg. With UNCG’s loss to Furman coupled with Wofford’s 95-84 win over VMI, the Terriers have now opened up a two-game lead in the SoCon standings in the chase for the regular-season league title chase.

Bucs Blitzed by Furman

Furman redshirt sophomore Clay Mounce

Furman made a statement. Maybe a statement the Paladins have been trying to make since a 76-68 overtime win over defending national champion Villanova. Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena, it was definitive, as the Paladins knocked off East Tennessee State, 91-61.

It was the biggest win by the Paladins in series history. Furman, which has not lost back-to-back home games since Feb. of 2015, was not interested in making it a home losing streak.

After all, the Paladins are now 49-9 at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, and 29-4 against SoCon foes in the friendly confines during that same span.

With the win, Furman improved to 20-5 overall and 9-4 in Southern Conference play. The loss drops ETSU to 19-7 overall and 9-4 in SoCon action. The Paladins and Bucs are now tied for third in the SoCon standings.

The win is Furman’s fourth-straight, and the Paladins became the fastest team to reach the 20-win mark since the 1952-53 season. The win helped avenge a 79-56 loss by the Paladins to the Bucs in Johnson City back on Dec. 29.

It all started with two seniors--Matt Rafferty and Andrew Brown--as the two roomates played like veterans all night, combining to score 36 points, and were two of five players in double figures Saturday night.

Rafferty finished the night doing what Rafferty does, as he finished with 19 points, three rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded three steals. With those three steals, Rafferty now has 67 this season, which set a new school single-season record at Furman, breaking the previous mark of 64 in a season set by Guillherme Da Luz in the 2001-02 season.

"When you’ve played for four years, it’s pretty easy to predict where the ball’s going to go or what plays are going to be run, especially if you start to know the systems,” senior forward Matt Rafferty said. “Getting hands on passes, rolls and post-ups, turning the ball over and getting out and running. I think it helps our team a lot.” The single-season steals record for Rafferty was indicative of the type of defense played the entire evening, coming up with 35 ball deflections--a stat the coaching staff charts meticulously.

Brown was simply on fire all afternoon,and connected on all six of his shots from the field and all five of his three-pointers, finishing with 17 points. Brown also recorded a steal.

Brown and Rafferty were joined in double figures by Clay Mounce (15 pts), Jordan Lyons (14 pts), and Alex Hunter (11 pts). Hunter continues to be the model of consistency at the point for the Paladins, as he dished out five assists and also recorded a pair of steals without registering a turnover in 30 minutes of floor time. All Lyons’ 14 points came in the second half.

"It was one of those nights where the ball just kept going in. It’s fun when that happens and it hasn’t happened a lot for me this year,” senior guard Andrew Brown said. “Credit to my teammates like Raff, who just kept finding me. Whenever I was open, the ball was in my hands.”

Furman rushed out of the gates quickly, as the Paladins returned to Timmons Arena for the first time since blowing a 10-point lead in the final 4:21 to drop a 75-73 decision to Samford. Three three-pointers by Mounce and a three-point play the old-fashioned way by Rafferty staked Furman to an early 12-4 lead with 16:13 remaining in the half.

The Bucs answered by scoring the next seven points in less than two minutes, cutting the Furman lead to one, using a Patrick Good three-pointer and a pair of layups by Jeromy Rodriguez to make it a 12-11 game with 14:35 remaining in the half. ETSU took its only lead of the game with 11:51 remaining in the first half on a layup by Tray Boyd.

Furman managed to take a 41-32 lead into the halftime locker room, despite the fact that Rafferty was saddled with two early fouls in the opening frame. Brown came off the bench to supplement Mounce and the Paladins’ first-half offense and perimeter scoring, posting 11 of his 17 points in the opening half of play.

In fact, Brown and Mounce combined to score 22 points of the Paladins’ 41 first-half points, as the duo combined to connect on 6-of-7 shots and from beyond the arc. The Paladins shot the ball at a 59.1% (14-of-27) clip in the opening half of play, while ETSU shot an impressive 51.9% (13-for-22) from the field.

ETSU would seemingly come out strong in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring the first four points of the second half, slicing Furman’s lead to five. A Boyd triple cut Furman’s lead to six once again (49-43) with 14:31 to go in the game, however, it was all Furman from there. The Paladins out-scored the Bucs 41-18 over the remainder of the game to provide the substantial winning margin.

Over the past seven games, the Paladins have allowed 70 or more points just once, which came in that aforementioned home loss vs. Samford, and are allowing just 60.2 PPG over that same span. The 61 points scored by the Bucs was their second-lowest total scoring output this season, as Illinois, which held the Bucs to 55, was the only game where ETSU was held to a lower point total over 40 minutes of basketball.

For the game, Furman shot a season-high 64% (32-for-50) from the field, while ETSU ended the contest connecting on 47.1% (24-for-51) from the field. The Paladins also held advantages in points in the paint (38-36), points off turnovers (27-18), fast break points (8-6), and bench points (23-22).

ETSU out-rebounded Furman, 26-23, and held a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points. The Paladins recorded 15 assists on 32 made baskets, while ETSU had just seven assists on 24 made buckets. Furman forced ETSU into 16 turnovers, while the Bucs forced the Paladins into 13 miscues. The Bucs connected on just 2-of-14 three-point attempts for the game, which converts to 14.3%.

ETSU was led by Rodriguez, who scored a game-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Tray Boyd was the only other ETSU player in double figures, finishing with 13 points.

"That was fun. Proud of our group. Proud of our team. Proud of our program and we’re playing as hard as we have played all year on the defensive end and they’ve just bought into it,” said head coach Bob Richey. “We obviously had to make some adjustments to the game plan after what they

[ETSU] did to us up in Johnson City and I thought we stuck to the game plan and all of our guys were connected for the most part,” Richey added.

Furman will be back in action Thursday night, welcoming UNC Greensboro to Timmons Arena for a 7 p.m. tip. ETSU is back in action Thursday, hosting The Citadel, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at Freedom Hall.

Thriller in Johnson City highlights Thursday night's SoCon action

Wofford senior foward Cam Jackson/Photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics

Wofford keeps at-large hopes alive with tough road win

In what was arguably the Southern Conference game of the year, the game that had been much anticipated for both fanbases since the SoCon schedules came out last summer, lived up to its billing, as Wofford remained perfect in the Southern Conference, with a thrilling, 78-76, win over East Tennessee State in Johnson City. 

The game had it all, and it would be Wofford's two big guns--senior guard Fletcher Magee and senior forward Cameron Jackson--that seemingly responded to each haymaker and potential knockout punch the Bucs could throw at them Thursday night before sold out crowd of 5,911 fans at Freedom Hall.  The duo combined to score 52 of the Terriers' 78 points in the contest. 

The win saw the Terriers improve to 20-4 overall for the season, while improving their Southern Conference mark to 12-0. ETSU fell to 19-6 overall and 9-3 in league action. The loss likely took ETSU out of the SoCon regular-season race, with just six games in conference play remaining. 

The regular-season championship will now likely be decided on Feb. 16, when Wofford hosts UNC Greensboro at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers have now won 11 games in a row. The win also gave Wofford the rare regular-season sweep of East Tennessee State, as the Terriers claimed a 79-62 win over the Bucs back on Dec. 1 in Spartanburg. 

The last time the Terriers swept ETSU in the regular-season was 2015, defeating the Bucs 72-64 in Spartanburg and 74-64 in Johnson City. The 2014-15 season, of course, marks the last time the Terriers went dancing. Maybe that's a good omen for head coach Mike Young and his Wofford Terriers. 

Magee posted 32 points came on 9-of-20 shooting from the field, including going 7-for-15 from three-point range. Magee was also 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. With his performance from three-point land, Magee moved into third place all-time in NCAA Division I basketball history, and now has knocked down 452 three-pointers. 

Jackson added 20 points on 7-for-12 from the field, and went 6-of-12 from the charity stripe, while also adding eight rebounds and four assists to the Terrier cause. 

The game was nip-and-tuck most of the way, with neither team holding more than a six-point lead the entire night. The Bucs took a narrow 38-37 lead into the halftime locker room. 

ETSU led for much of the opening frame, and extended that into the second half, and Wofford wouldn't assume its first lead since the 13:07 mark in the first half until a Nathan Hoover three from the corner, which was followed up by a Jackson layup, which gave Wofford a 51-50 lead with 8:31 remaining in the game. 

The lead would change hands four times over the next seven minutes, and it would be an electrifying dunk by Bo Hodges off an alley-oop that would tie the game, 60-60, with 1:46 left in regulation. A pair of Magee foul shots gave Wofford a 62-60 lead with 1:22 remaining. After Jeromy Rodriguez connected on 1-of-2 foul shots on the other end, a Keve Aluma layup gave the Terriers a 64-61 lead with just 37 seconds remaining.

That set the stage for Hodges. His three pointer from the left elbow with 22 seconds remaining tied the game, 64-64, and after a missed jumper by Magee with two seconds remaining, the game headed for overtime. 

In the extra session, most ETSU might have had some flashbacks. Flashbacks? Yes flashbacks to the 2017-18 season and Furman. Devin Sibley hit a three-pointer and was fouled with 1:25 remaining in the regular-season finale, completing the rare four-point play to help Furman to a 79-76 road win.

Now cue Magee. Like Sibley last season, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year provided the ultimate dagger, as with just eight seconds remaining and the game tied, 73-73, Magee connected on a three-pointer from the right elbow and was fouled. He connected on the free throw to give Wofford a two-possession lead, at 77-73. That play came on the heels of another three-pointer for the senior marksmen, and he would score the final seven points of the night for Wofford, which was of little surprise. 

Following a Patrick Good triple with two seconds left, Magee was fouled following a long pass down court with 1.1 seconds remaining. He converted 1-of-2 foul shots to give Wofford the 78-76 lead, and ultimately, the win. Jackson rebounded the second missed free throw by Magee and time expired on a memorable game and win for Wofford basketball.

The Bucs were led in the contest by Good's 18 points, while Rodriguez continued his strong play this season with 15 points and 17 boards. Bo Hodges and Mladen Armus rounded out the double-figure scorers with 15 and 12 points, respectively. 

Paladins grind one out in Cullowhee

Matt Rafferty scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while also tying the school’s single-season steals record, as Furman defeated Western Carolina, 64-45, in Southern Conference action Thursday night at the Liston B. Ramsey Center. 

With the win, Furman improved to 19-5 overall and 8-4 in Southern Conference action, while Western Carolina dropped to 6-19 and 3-9 in Southern Conference. For the Paladins, it was their ninth true road win of the season. 

Rafferty finished the night connecting on 6-of-10 shots from the field and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. 

In addition to his scoring night, the senior from Hinsdale, Ill, also added two assists,a block and a steal. Rafferty’s one steal gave him 64 for the season, which tied Guillherme Da Luz’s 64 thefts during the 2001-02 season for the school-record for single-season steals. With one steal vs. East Tennessee State Saturday, Rafferty will be the single-season record holder.

It also marked Rafferty’s 11th double-double of the season, which is second-most in the Southern Conference this season. Furman’s defense has been noticeably improved during its past five games, holding opponents to just 59.4 PPG over that stretch.  

One of Thursday night’s goals for the Paladins collectively as a defensive unit was to make sure Carlos Dotson, who posted 27 points and 14 boards against Furman in the first meeting between the two teams back in December, was to make sure a game like that didn’t happen again for the talented junior college transfer.

“We kinda modeled what we wanted to do against him after the first half at our place,“ senior forward Matt Rafferty said. “He didn’t have a great first half there [in the game at Furman] and then we started letting the ball get into him in the second half and that’s when he really started cooking.”

“So today was all about limiting his touches and shrinking the floor when he got it in there .He’s a great offensive rebounder, but others helped me and Noah on the boards by crashing down. Our guards also did a great job shutting down their shooters,” Rafferty added.

Dotson finished the contest with just seven points, but did counter with 14 rebounds, including six offensive boards, showing his overall strength as a rebounder. Furman also forced Dotson into committing five turnovers. 

The Paladins were able to force 22 Western Carolina turnovers, and held the Catamounts to just 31.4% shooting from the field, and in doing so, polished off another win heading into Saturday’s showdown with East Tennessee State. 

Furman set the defensive tone from the outside, and it was Rafferty on the offensive end, posting eight of Furman’s first 11 points of the game, and helping the Paladins to an early 11-2 lead following a layup on a fast break, forcing Western Carolina head coach Mark Prosser to take a timeout with 12:08 remaining in the opening half. 

Noah Gurley, a redshirt freshman forward, who finished with a team-leading 14 points, added a triple moments later to stretch Furman’s early advantage to 14-2 with 10:44 remaining in the opening frame.  

From there, Furman never looked back, taking as much as a 15-point lead in the opening half before eventually taking a 26-13 lead into the halftime locker room. 

The 13 points in a half were the lowest point total for the Catamounts in a half this season, and were the lowest total a SoCon opponent has scored in a half vs. Furman in a half in 40 years. The Paladins also held the Catamounts to just 19.2% from the field and just 14.3% from beyond the arc.

The second half would see the Paladins grow their lead to as many as 25 points, before settling for the 19-point road triumph. 

Gurley finished the night by connecting on 5-of-10 shots from the field, including a pair of thunderous dunks, with one coming in traffic as he drove straight down the middle of the lane in the opening half. 

The redshirt freshman from Fayetteville, GA, was also 2-of-5 from three-point range and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe, while also adding four rebounds, two blocks and an assist. 

Joining Gurley and Rafferty in double figures for the Paladins was point guard Alex Hunter, who finished with 10 points.

Western Carolina was led in scoring by Marcus Thomas, who finished with a game-high 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. The only other Catamount to reach double figures in the contest was talented freshman guard Kameron Gibson, who posted 10 points.

The Paladins will back in action Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. before a sold-out crowd, when the Paladins square off against East Tennessee State (19-6, 9-3 SoCon) at Timmons Arena. The Bucs claimed a 79-56 win over Furman back on Dec. 29, and are coming off a heartbreaking, 78-76, overtime loss to Wofford in Johnson City. Western Carolina will be on the road at Wofford, facing the Terriers at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.

Quotables from Western Carolina:

Mark Prosser on his first year at WCU:

"There have been some exciting things that have happened along the way and I mean it's a lot of fun. We work at a really great institution with a great administration and athletic department so they make it fun to come to work every day. We have good kids that do very well academically and they come in and give effort every day. The ups and downs of any season are hard. We're going through some transistion and learning a brand new style of play offensively and defensively. You know any win at the Division I level is hard and understanding how to win and that's something we have to expect from one another on a day-to-day basis because winning is hard. "

Onno Steger on his recent SoCon Player of the Week honor

"The player of the week honor is pretty special and I have been working my butt off and I am seeing its paying off and I think Carlos Dotson put it really well earlier in the season when he said you'd rather trade in your personal accolades for team accolades and I would much rather win games than get those personal awards."

Other SoCon Action Thursday Night:

UNC Greensboro improved to 21-3 overall and 10-1 in the SoCon with a 75-67 win over the Samford Bulldogs at the Greensboro Coliseum Thursday night. It's the best start for the Spartans in school history through 24 games. The 10 Southern Conference wins for the Spartans marks the third season in a row which UNCG has accomplished the feat. 

The Spartans held the Bulldogs to just 38% shooting for the game en route to the season sweep of Samford, and sophomore guard Isaiah Miller led four Spartans in double figures with 22 points, three steals, an assist and a block. Miller was joined in double figures Kyrin Galloway (13 pts), Kaleb Hunter (12 pts) and Demetrius Troy (11 pts).

Samford, which fell to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in SoCon action, was led by point guard Josh Sharkey, who scored a game-high 24 points and added seven assists, but also turned it over 11 times. Sharkey was joined in double figures by freshman forward Robert Allen, who continued his strong play of late, with a double-double of 16 points and 14 boards, while Deandre Thomas rounded out the Bulldogs in double figures with 11.

UNCG returns to action Saturday at Chattanooga, with tipoff time slated for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. Samford will be in Lexington, VA to face Samford for a 1 p.m. game with the Keydets at Cameron Hall Saturday afternoon.

The final game of the night to recap is Chattanooga and VMI, which was also an exciting affair. While most had their eyes trained on what was happening in Johnson City, they might have missed the Mocs' thrilling 71-70 win at VMI Thursday night. 

That win saw Lamont Paris' club get to 11 wins on the season, which officially eclipsed last year's 10-win campaign. It also helped the Mocs improve to 6-6 in SoCon action, taking a firm grip on fifth place in the league standings, which at this point, would guarantee Chattanooga an opening-round bye in the SoCon Tournament next month in Asheville. Meanwhile, VMI fell to 7-16 overall and 1-10 in SoCon action. 

Thomas Smallwood led four Mocs in double figures with 16 points, including connecting on all four of his three-point attempts, while David Jean-Baptiste, Ramon Vila and Donovann Toatley all added 11 points to the UTC cause.

SoCon leading scorer Bubba Parham paced four Keydets in double figures with 21 points. Myles Lewis (15 pts), Sarju Patel (14 pts) and Jake Stephens (12 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Keydets.

Updated Power Rankings Following Thursday's Action:

1. Wofford (20-4, 12-0 SoCon)

2. UNCG (21-3, 10-1 SoCon)

3. ETSU (19-6, 9-3 SoCon)

4. Furman (19-5, 8-4 SoCon)

5. Samford (14-11, 4-8 SoCon)

6. Chattanooga (11-14, 6-6 SoCon)

7. Mercer (8-15, 3-8 SoCon)

8. Western Carolina (6-19, 3-9 SoCon)\

9. The Citadel (10-12, 2-9 SoCon)

10. VMI (7-16, 1-10 SoCon)

Furman picks up tough road win at Mercer

Furman junior guard Jordan Lyons

For the second straight game, Jordan Lyons led Furman to a road Southern Conference win, finishing with 24 points, as the Paladins completed the season sweep of Mercer with a 74-63 win Saturday night at Hawkins Arena.

With the win, Furman improves to 18-5 overall and 7-4 in Southern Conference play, while Mercer falls to 8-15 overall and 3-8 in league action. The win marked Furman’s eighth true road win of the season.

After being held to just eight points last week in a loss to Samford, Lyons has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back to games for the first time all season.

Following his 20-point effort in a 71-61 win over The Citadel, Lyons posted 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-for-10 from three-point land in the win.

Additionally, the Peach State native added a season-high four assists, two steals and a rebound playing in front of rowdy section of family and friends. All told, it was Lyons’ eighth game with 20 or more points this season.

Furman shot a season-high 57.8% from the field (26-of-45) and shot a blistering 50% (12-for-24) from three-point land. Meanwhile, defensively, the Paladins were stellar, holding the Bears to just 34.8% (24-of-69) from the field for the game, including just 20.8% (5-of-24) from three-point range in the win.

Lyons was joined in double figures by Clay Mounce and Matt Rafferty, who added 16 and 12 points, respectively. Mounce was an impressive 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, as the redshirt sophomore recorded his third-straight game in double figures. Mounce also added four rebounds and a block.

Rafferty, who spent most of the night saddled with foul trouble, made the most of his 27 minutes of court time. The senior from Hinsdale, Ill, did half of his work at the charity stripe, connecting on 6-of-7 from the free throw line and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Additionally, Rafferty added eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.

The Paladins were strong from the outset of the contest, assuming as much as a 15-point lead in the first, at 31-16, following a free throw by freshman forward Jalen Slawson with 4:55 remaining in the first half.

However, Mercer bounced back with a strong five minutes, finishing the half on an 11-3 run to go to the halftime locker room with all the momentum, following a Jaylen Stowe layup to make it a 34-27 contest with 25 seconds remaining in the opening frame, and that would remain the score at the intermission.

Mercer’s strong play would continue into the second half, as the Bears sliced the Furman lead to just one possession, at 43-40, following an Ethan Stair dunk that brought the crowd to its feet and prompted a Bob Rickey timeout with 14:11 remaining in the game. All told, Stair’s dunk was part of a 24-9 run from the Bears spanning two halves to get Mercer back into the game.

Off the timeout, Furman answered the bell to extend the lead back to eight following two Rafferty free throws, and a key three-pointer from Noah Gurley off a penetrate and kick out from Lyons, extending Furman’s lead back to eight, at 48-40, with 13:11 left.

It was perhaps the most crucial sixth second portion of the basketball game for Furman, and the Paladins’ response looked much more like what we witnessed early in the season in non-conference wins over Villanova and Loyola Chicago.

The Paladins were much more crisp on both ends of the floor, and were beginning to dictate the game defensively from this point forward in the second half.

“We have each others’ back,"  head coach Bob Richey said. “I mean that’s been the whole mantra of this team and that’s one thing I stressed to them about this weekend’s road swing. “

“I thought we got away last Saturday from playing for each other and this week it’s all been about ball movement and making sure I am helping others have success and defensively I’ve got my teammates back and offensively I am going to trust and move and that the ball’s going to come back to me and the ball’s going to find energy and that’s what we’ve done this weekend.”

“We’ve been committed that it starts with defense and we’ve gotten back in transition and we’ve had each others’ back in rotations and offensively we just moved it.”

Furman would see the Bears continue to hang around over the next few minutes, however, Mercer could never get back within a one possession basketball game the remainder of the game. Furman answered the bell each time.

Mercer had a chance to perhaps close the game on the Paladins with just under 8:30 remaining, following an Alex Hunter missed three-pointer and Furman holding a 56-49 lead.

However, a missed three-pointer by freshman forward Luke Hamilton was answered with a transition three-pointer from Andrew Brown on a nice find by Rafferty to put Furman back up by double digits, 59-49, with 8:02 left. Furman would grow that lead to as much as 17 points, at 66-49, over the next 3:16 of game clock following a Lyons triple with just under five minutes left.

All told, it was a crucial 10- 0 run for the Paladins, and that allowed Furman to close out the win in a tough environment with relative ease. The Bears were never able to close the gap inside double figures over the remaining five minutes.

“They [Furman] were really good and shot the ball extremely well. We got it down to three and missed scoring on our next four opportunities. They shot 58 percent and they do a really good job of executing their stuff,“ Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman said.

One positive that came out of the game for the Bears was the strong play of junior guard Ross Cummings, who finished the game with his 14th-straight double-figure scoring performance, posting 16 points, with 14 points coming in the opening half.

“He’s been amazing,“ Hoffman said of Cummings. “He probably plays too many minutes and we just can’t sub him because you never know when he might get open for a three."

“He’s playing at such a high level right now and our guys have done a tremendous job of running plays and getting nice stuff for him and we keep trying to experiement and figure out new things. He is a blessing to coach and we’re blessed to have him,” Hoffman added.

Cummings finished the contest scoring 16 points on 5-of-13 from the field, including going 3-for-10 from long range. He scored nine of the first 17 points for the Bears to open the game. Cummings also added five boards and an assist.

As good as Lyons was on the offensive end of the floor, it was his defense on Cummings, particularly in the second half, that ended up being a defining point in the Furman win.

“Cummings is a really good player,” Jordan Lyons said. “Once he gets going, he can be a problem.”

“The thing about guarding a prolific scorer like him is it’s never just a 1-on-1 matchup. It’s a whole team collective effort guarding. I think the way all five of us defended him in the second half was a big contributor to how we were able to extend the lead.”

Furman returns to the floor Thursday night, completing a three-game road trip with contest at the Ramsey Center against Western Carolina with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. Mercer returns to action next Saturday when it hosts The Citadel in a 4 p.m. contest at Hawkins Arena.

Furman and Wofford get road wins

Furman Holds Off The Citadel For Season Sweep

Jordan Lyons led three players in double figures, as Furman picked up a 71-61 Southern Conference victory over The Citadel Thursday night at McAlister Field House.

With the win, the Paladins collected the season sweep over the Bulldogs and improved to 17-5 overall and 6-4 in Southern Conference play, while The Citadel fell to 10-11 overall and 2-8 in league action. The road win by Furman marked its seventh true win of the season.

Lyons, who was held to just eight points last time out in the loss to Samford, scored his 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-10 from three-point range in the win and was also 1-for-2 from the line. Additionally, the junior guard from Peachtree City, GA, finished with two steals, two assists and a block.

Lyons was joined in double figures for the Paladins by sophomore point guard Alex Hunter and redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce, who added 17 points apiece. Hunter and Mounce both dished out five assists apiece, and Mounce also had six rebounds and two steals.

Senior forward and Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Matt Rafferty was held below double figures for just the second time all season, and the first time in SoCon play, but he was clutch in other areas in the win. The senior from Hinsdale, Ill, finished the night with eight points, a team-leading 10 rebounds, dished out four assists, and had three steals and a block.

Furman would break open the game from the outset of the second half, using a 16-2 run to open the second half, building as much as a 19-point lead (50-31) following a Mounce triple with 14:56 remaining in the game.

 The Bulldogs, however, went on a run of their own, whittling the Furman lead inside 10 points, with a 13-2 run of its own, using a Lew Stallworth layup to cut the Paladin advantage to eight, at 52-44, with 9:06 remaining.

The lead for the Paladins would fluctuate between 8-14 points over the next five-and-a-half minutes until a pair of Zane Najdawi free throws with 3:31 remaining cut trimmed The Citadel deficit to its slimmest of the second half, at 67-61.

However, layups by Rafferty and Lyons, along with some strong defense from the duo, which included a Lyons steal and a Rafferty block over the final 3:31, allowed Furman to escape Charleston with the 71-61 Southern Conference win.

The Paladins went to the halftime locker room with a 34-29 lead on the strength of the play from Hunter, who scored 11 of his 17 points in the opening half of play. The Paladins were also stellar defensively, holding the Bulldogs to just 38.5% (10-for-26) and forcing 12 Citadel turnovers in the opening frame.

For the game, Furman held advantages in shooting percentage (45.5%-40.4%), second chance points (11-10), assists (19-7) and fast-break points (14-6). The Bulldogs held advantages in points in the paint (30-24), points off turnovers (20-15), bench points (18-9) and total rebounds (36-29). The Citadel turned the ball over 19 times in the contest, while Furman committed 15 miscues.

Stallworth led three Bulldogs in double figures, posting 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 shooting from the charity stripe. The senior point guard also had six rebounds, dished out five of the team's seven assists, and recorded a steal. He was joined in double figures by both Najdawi (14 pts) and Kaiden Rice (13 pts). Najdawi, a senior center, narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds.

Furman returns to action Saturday afternoon when it travels to Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA, to face Mercer, with tip-off set for 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will prepare to host league-leading Wofford in a 1 p.m. tip-off at McAlister Field House on Saturday afternoon.

Wofford Keeps Rolling

Furman's travel partner Wofford kept things rolling in the right direction in Southern Conference play, improving to 18-4 overall and remained a perfect 10-0 in league play, with a 76-67 win over Mercer Thursday night at Hawkins Arena. The loss saw the Bears fall to 8-14 overall and 3-7 in Southern Conference play.

Wofford finished the month of January a perfect 8-0, and the Terriers have won nine-straight heading into their Southern Conference game Saturday afternoon at The Citadel.

The Terriers were powered by a prolific performance from beyond the arc in both makes (13) and attempts (40) from three-point range in the contest, with sharp-shooting guards Nathan Hoover and Fletcher Magee combining to connect on 10 of the Terriers' 13 triples in the contest.

Magee led the Terriers with 23 points, which included connecting on 5-of-9 from long range, while also finishing 7-of-14 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Hoover went 5-for-8 from downtown, and was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line to finish the contest with 18 points.

Senior center Cameron Jackson finished out the Terriers in double figures, posting 12 points, while grabbing six boards.

Wofford held just a 40-37 lead at the half, but Wofford was able to widen the gap in the second half, as Magee and sophomore point guard Storm Murphy helped the Terriers open the second half in strong fashion, with back-to-back three-pointers and a 6-0 Wofford run, helping the Terriers to extend their lead to nine (46-37) early on in the frame.

Mercer would eventually cut into the Wofford lead in the second half, cutting the deficit to two, at 63-61, following a pair of Djordje Dimitrijevic free throws with 6:35 remaining. On the ensuing trip down the floor, Hoover was fouled attempting a three-pointer, and went to the stripe, calmly converting all three charity shots to stretch the Terriers' lead back to five, at 66-61 with 6:24 left.

Two more free throws by the Bears cut Wofford's lead back to three, setting the stage for a big three from Magee from the left elbow, extending Wofford's lead back to two possessions (69-63) with 3:52 remaining. A Jackson layup and a Magee layup extended Wofford's lead to nine, at 72-63, with 2:49 remaining, as the Bears had three-consecutive empty possessions.

An Ethan Stair jumper trimmed Wofford's lead to seven (72-65) with 2:26 left, but a pair of Keve Aluma free throws stretched the Wofford lead to nine (74-65) with 2:02 remaining. After a Cory Kilby layup with just under two minutes left, the Terriers were able to close out the win with a pair of Storm Murphy free throws with 36 seconds remaining, providing the final score of 76-67.

Mercer was led in the contest by Cory Kilby's 16 points, and he led four Bears players in double figures. He was joined by Ethan Stair (14 pts), Djordje Dimitrijevic (12 pts) and Ross Cummings (11 pts). For Cummings, it was his 13th-straight game in double figures.


Wofford actually opened up a 15-point first-half advantage, at 37-22