Records: Auburn (8-0); Furman (7-3)
If Furman Indication of how good it could be in the 2019-20 season, the message was heard loud and clear tonight with only eight games on the college basketball docket on Thursday night, as the Paladins went toe-to-toe with 13th-ranked and undefeated Auburn in their 10th game of the seasons.
There were some questions that might have lingered following Furman’s 65-55 loss at South Florida earlier this week—a game which Furman entered as a four-point favorite—but the Paladins extinguished all of those questions in Thursday night’s loss to No. 14 Auburn at least for the immediate. The Paladins looked like a prime SoCon title contender once again this season and proved they could go toe-to-toe with any heavyweight on any floor in the nation Thursday night.
There were some questions that might have lingered following Furman’s 65-55 loss at South Florida earlier this week—a game which Furman entered as a four-point favorite—but the Paladins extinguished all of those questions in Thursday night’s loss to No. 14 Auburn at least for the immediate. The Paladins looked like a prime SoCon title contender once again this season and proved they could go toe-to-toe with any heavyweight on any floor in the nation Thursday night.
Despite holding an eight-point (39-31) lead at the half and as much as a 14-point in the second half, the Tigers would eventually whittle away at the lead down the stretch to force overtime.
The narrative of the contest was spun in two different advantages for the Tigers. Auburn attempted 29 free throws to Furman’s 13, while out-scoring Furman 19-9 at the stripe for the night. Furman was whistled for 27 fouls, while Auburn committed 13. All three of Furman’s big men fouled out, with Jalen Slawson doing so with 9:33 remaining. Gurley would follow with 3:38 left in overtime and Clay Mounce in the final minute of overtime.
Mounce, Gurley and Slawson combined for 35 points, 15 rebounds, five steals and four steals. Furman’s 27 fouls were the most whistled against it all season
The second advantage heavily favoring the Tigers was their superior size. The Tigers owned a 45-25 edge on the backboards, out-scored Furman 48-20 in the paint, and posted a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Tied at 66-66 following J’Von McCormick’s beautiful reverse layup attempt rolling off rim at the buzzer, the Tigers would out-score the Paladins 15-12 in overtime. The Tigers were 4-of-8 from the field and 7-for-9 from the line in the extra session.
What will be interesting to see is if East Tennessee State gets the same “SEC treatment” from officiating when it visits the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Dec. 15. Remember Furman big men Matt Rafferty and Noah Gurley were whistled for three first-half fouls in its trip to LSU last season. Though neither fouled out of the game, it changed the narrative for Furman against LSU’s huge frontcourt.
What to watch for ahead for Furman:
The development of Noah Gurley and Clay Mounce this season has helped Furman maintain its status it held last season, which is from a team that beat two Final Four teams from the previous season. Last night against Auburn, Furman had a chance to take down a third from a previous Final Four run.
Although the Paladins would ultimately fall in overtime, Mounce and Gurley showed the Paladins have staying power.
Through the first 10 games of the season, you could certainly make the argument that Clay Mounce is in the running for Southern Conference Player of the Year. He currently ranks seventh in the league in scoring (14.4 PPG), tied for seventh in rebounding (6.7 RPG), 12th in field goal percentage (53.5%), first in steals (2.6 SPG) and ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (47.2%) and eighth in three-pointers made (2.5/25 three-pointers).
So far this season, Mounce has posted double-digit scoring efforts in 9-of-10 games this season, including a pair of double-doubles.
Gurley has come on of late, posting 21 points, eight boards, two steals and and assist to lead all scorers last night against Auburn.The redshirt sophomore has scored in double-figure games this season, which includes two efforts with 20 or more points, and has now scored in double figures in each of the past three games.
Coming into the season, we wondered how Furman would replace Matt Rafferty. However, Furman keeps on keeping on by replacing its best player from the previous season going all the way back to Stephen Croone’s senior season in 2015-16. Mounce and Gurley have once again stepped up this season.
This duo has to stay out of foul trouble. It’s a must if the Paladins hope to cut down the nets in Asheville. However, that’s easier said than done in SEC country.
Despite the loss of Rafferty, it has forced Furman’s bigs to be more versatile and has forced more collective leadership, which in a way, has made Furman a more complete frontcourt to in 2019-20 than even it was last season. So in a sense, Rafferty even has had a positive effect on those who he left behind after graduation.
Quotable:
"We dealt with foul trouble all night long. We've got to go back and look at that to see what we're doing. The past couple of games we've fouled a little bit more than typical."—Bob Richey
What’s Next:
Furman will be back in action Sunday when it faces USC Upstate at Timmons Arena, with set up for 2 p.m. The Paladins won’t face another power five conference team this season, but have a tough game remaining against Winthrop (Dec. 14.). That blockbuster matchup with the Eagles will take place at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville. It’s the same facility that hosted the 2017 NCAA Tournament first and second rounds. If things go well for the Paladins, look for Furman to enter SoCon play with a 10-3 record.
No comments:
Post a Comment