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| Furman junior forward Jalen Slawson posted 11 points and was one of four Paladins in double figures |
Opportunities don’t come that often for mid-major programs like Furman and East Tennessee State, but when they do, and the game is before a national television audience, it’s important to take advantage of the moment. It’s not only a moment for the current players, but for all those that game before.
“Since we got back from Citadel, Coach Richey was telling us this game wasn’t for us. This game was to show everybody watching us on ESPNU for the first time what our brand of basketball is about. This game was for Jordan Lyons, Matt Rafferty, Daniel Fowler and all those guys that came before us. I think we showed a great brand of Furman basketball,” Mike Bothwell said.
It was Bothwell who made the most of the opportunity, as he scored a career-high 32 points, and Furman moved into sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference, with a 78-66, win over East Tennessee State Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
With the win, the Paladins improved to 10-3 overall and remained unbeaten in Southern Conference play, at 4-0, while ETSU dropped to 6-5 overall and 2-1 in league action following the loss.
The win marked the 19th-straight at Timmons Arena, and was also the 70th in the facility since the start of the 2015-16 season, as Furman improved to 70-11 in the facility over that span. Additionally, it was also Furman’s 70th Southern Conference win since the start of that same season, which is second to only ETSU’s 73 league wins during that same span.
It was the typical intensity you get when the Paladins and Bucs meet on the college basketball hardwood, and for about 35 minutes on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena, neither team could find much separation from the other.
The game featured 11 ties and 16 lead changes before Furman was able create some cushion between it and the Bucs over the final 10 minutes. From that point, the Paladins never let ETSU take more than a three-point lead the rest of the way.
With 10:02 remaining, ETSU point guard David Sloan connected on 1-of-2 foul shots to give the Bucs a 58-57 lead. However, it would prove to be the Bucs’ final lead of the game, as Bothwell scored 13 of 21 points for the Paladins over the final 10 minutes, as the Paladins closed on a 21-8 run to finish with the 12-point win.
“We talk about kills, which is getting three-consecutive stops on the defense end, and we didn’t have any of those in the first half, but in the final 10 minutes of the game tonight we ended up getting three,” head coach Bob Richey said.
The Bucs, who were without leading scorer LeDarrius Brewer, got the most of his supporting cast, which included players like Vonnie Patterson and Damari Monsanto--who were two of the three members of a Bucs team that won 30 games and a SoCon Tournament title a year ago--were a significant part of an 8-0 run, which included a steal and dunk from Vonnie Patterson, giving the Bucs 52-47 lead with 12:17 remaining.
Clay Mounce stepped up and made maybe the biggest shot of the night for the Paladins from the left corner, bringing the Paladins within two points, at 52-50, with 12:03 left.
Alex Hunter had another one of bigger shots of the night, and on a night when Noah Gurley was 0-of-8 from the field and held scoreless, it was not only Bothwell’s career night that helped compensate for that lack of offense, but also Mounce, Jalen Slawson and Hunter.
Hunter’s triple from the left elbow that helped the Paladins open up a seven-point, 71-64, lead with 3:49 left. Bothwell’s triple with 1:26 remaining all but made the game academic, giving the Paladins a 76-66 lead. Bothwell added a layup with 10 seconds remaining to set the final margin, as he scored the final seven points on his career night for the Paladins.
Furman took a 37-35 lead into the halftime locker room, as the opening half featured 12 lead changes and nine ties, as Mike Bothwell connected on a left elbow three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining in the half. Bothwell was tied with game-high honors along with ETSU’s Serrel Smith, as both had 10 points at the break.
The junior from Cleveland Heights, OH, connected on 11-of-19 shots from the field, including going 2-for-8 from three-point range in the win. Bothwell also added five rebounds, two assists, and a steal. It was Bothwell’s sixth game of 20 or more points this season.
Bothwell was one of four Paladins in double figures in the contest, as he was joined by Hunter (15 pts), Mounce (14 pts), and Slawson (11 pts). Mounce ended up leading the Paladins with nine rebounds, as he narrowly missed a double-double. Gurley did not score, but dished out a career-high six assists, as the Paladins finished with 16 assists. Gurley also led the Paladins with two steals.
Furman shot 51.8% (29-of-56) from the field and 30.8% (8-of-26) from three-point land. The Paladins shot a blistering 62.5% (15-of-24) in the second half. The Paladins ended the night holding advantages in points in the paint (40-28), second-chance points (18-8), total rebounds (35-30) and assists (16-12).
The Bucs ended up with five finishing in double figures, with three players ending the afternoon with 13 points. Smith, Patterson and Sloan all finished the contest with 13 for the Bucs, while Ty Brewer added 12 and Monsanto finished with 11.
ETSU ended the contest by connecting on 45.6% (26-of-57), but struggled shooting the ball from three-point land, connecting on just 20.0% (4-of-20) from three-point land.
The Bucs finished the contest by holding advantages in points off turnovers (21-15), bench points (15-6), and fast-break points (4-2).
The Paladins may have only gotten six points from its bench, but it was the little things that Furman did, particularly guys like Joe Anderson and Marcus Foster off the Furman bench. Foster’s activity on the defensive end was intense, and he had an important assist to Garrett Hien in the second half, while Joe Anderson had slashing driving layup in the opening half of play that helped the Paladins keep pace with a game-ready ETSU club.
“We’ve challenged those guys (the bench) a little bit and shown them some things that outside sources have said about them just because we want them to understand to be ready to play and come with an edge about them,” Richey said.
Furman and ETSU will be back in action next week, as both will face the same opponent. ETSU will host VMI in a Monday night contest slated for a 7 p.m. contest, while Furman will be on the road on Wednesday night to face the Keydets in a 7 p.m. contest against the Keydets at Cameron Hall.
Postgame Radio Interview With Bob Richey
https://soundcloud.com/dan-scott-772024809/richey-after-etsu-win
Media Postgame Game Interview With Mike Bothwell/Bob Richey
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