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| Furman guard Marcus Foster |
For the second-straight season, Furman's men's basketball team traveled to the coastline of the Palmetto State to play in a basketball tournament, and for a second-straight season, the Paladins went 1-2, with the lone win coming over a team from South Carolina, while one of the two setbacks came to a team from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
One major positive to come out of the three-game tournament was the play of both Carter Whitt and Marcus Foster. Whitt was solid in all three games, with his career-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds helping key Furman's 89-80 win over Coastal Carolina in the second game. All 20 of Whitt's points came in the second half of the game, including going 4-for-7 from three-point land.
Foster became the first Furman player to post back-to-back 30-point performances since 2003, when Karim Souchu posted 32 points in a road win at East Tennessee State (W, 84-71) before posting 31 the next time out in a home win in the regular-season finale against UNC Greensboro (W, 78-74). Foster's 18 points in the tournament finale against Wyoming saw him score a combined 78 points for the entire tournament, setting a new tournament standard for a three-game span.
The trip to the coast in 2023-24 saw a Paladin team that struggled shooting the basketball from long range for the weekend, as the Paladins connected on just 26-of-94 attempts from three-point range for the entire tournament. The Paladins would face eventual tournament champion Liberty, Coastal Carolina and Wyoming over the three-day stretch.
The Paladins lost both their first and third games of the tournament, respectively, dropping their opener, 88-74, to Liberty, as a 20-2 run in the final two minutes of the first half spanning until the first three minutes of the second half would ultimately spell doom for Furman in the 14-point loss. It was the first meeting between the Paladins and Flames since the 2016-17 season.
Furman returns to action after Thanksgiving, as the Paladins will be in Birmingham, AL, to take on the UAB Blazers at Bartow Arena in a tip-off slated for 6 p.m. EST. Last time the Paladins were in Birmingham to face the Blazers was the 2016-17 season when the Paladins ended UAB's 26-game home court winning streak by coming away with an 84-74 win.
The Blazers, who are under the direction of head coach Andy Kennedy, are off to a 2-2 start to the season and will face Conference USA co-favorite Middle Tennessee State Tuesday night in Murfreesboro. The Blazers are coming off a season which saw them finish as the runner-up in the NIT and finished the campaign with a 29-10 overall record. The Blazers are embarking on a new journey this season, playing as a member of a new conference, as UAB is now an official member of the American Athletic Conference.
Below are Furman's game recaps.
Liberty 88, Furman 74
Liberty went on a combined 20-2 run over the final three minutes of the first half and the opening couple of minutes of the second half to take control of the game, as the Flames parlayed that strong finish in the opening half to a 64% effort from the field in the second half en route to capping the opening day of the tournament with an 88-74 win over Furman at the HTC Center.
With the win, the Flames remained perfect on the season, improving to 3-0, while Furman suffered its first setback of the season, falling to 2-1, in the first meeting between the two foes since the 2016-17 season.
Furman’s Marcus Foster led all scorers, posting a career-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, which included a 3-of-6 performance from long-range. He also finished the contest going 9-for-11 from the charity stripe.
The only other Paladin in double figures in the contest was JP Pegues, who finished with his second-straight 20-point scoring performance to open the 2023-24 season, posting his 20 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 effort from long range. He also added three assists and six rebounds and was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Foster and Pegues were the only two Paladins in double figures in the contest, as the duo combined for 50 of Furman’s 74 points in the contest.
Liberty was simply sensational on both ends of the floor, featuring near-flawless play on both ends of the floor at times in the latter 20 minutes of the contest.
The Flames finished a balanced scoring effort on the offensive end of the floor, with veteran redshirt senior forward Kyle Rode leading the way with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, including going 1-for-5 from three-point range.Rode was also 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.
Joining Rode in double figures for the Flames in the win were Brody Peebles, who added 16 points off the bench for the Flames, while Kaden Matheny added 15 points, and Zach Cleveland finished the contest with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Flames finished out the contest connecting on an impressive 54.4% (31-of-57) shots from the field, while connecting on 37.5% (9-of-24).The Flames finished out the contest connecting on an impressive 54.4% (31-of-57) shots from the field, while connecting on 37.5% (9-of-24) from three-point land. The Flames lived up to their moniker in the second half, as the Flames sizzled at or above 70% from much of the second half, finishing the latter frame by connecting on an impressive 18-of-28 shots from the field.
Furman finished the night connecting on 41.5% (22-of-53) shots from the field, which included a 25.0% (6-of-24) effort from three-point range. The Paladins were impressive from the foul stripe in the contest, finishing with a 77.4% (24-of-31) clip from the charity stripe, which included a 12-for-13 effort in the opening half of play.
The Paladins played without forwards Tyrese Hughey and Alex Williams, who missed the game with injuries, which affected Furman’s normally deep scoring lineup.
“Tyrese is out, Alex [Williams] is out but that’s no excuse, we have enough. We like playing nine or more but we had what we had tonight, and that wasn’t the reason we lost the game. We got eight really good players that played and we didn’t have the defensive connection or effort and intensity that we need to have in a big game like that for a 40-minute period,” head coach Bob Richey said.
The Flames finished the contest holding advantages in points in the paint (40-30), bench points (32-8), total assists (17-12), and points from turnovers (11-4). Furman owned advantages in total rebounds (35-33), second chance points (10-9) and fast-break points (9-7).
How It Happened:
Liberty was easily the most impressive team of the eight teams to play basketball on the opening day of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and while the game with Furman lived up to its billing as a blockbuster mid-major clash in the opening half of play, it was the Flames’ experience and know-how that started to take over towards the latter portion of the first half and the Flames were able to parlay that momentum into a strong start to the second half, overwhelming a good Furman team.
When shots weren’t falling early, Liberty’s poise and maturity never wavered, and a team that returned four starters off a team that won 27 games a year ago was apparent.
“I think it’s characteristic of our group on the offensive end…typically we’re so unselfish on the offensive end that we’ll get a great shot and we had some average-to-decent looks at the beginning that didn’t go in but I think towards the end of the half we saw a couple go in and then we got a little bit more intentional about the other end,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said of his team’s confidence and overall defensive enthusiasm after a few shots went down towards the end of the first half.
With the Paladins leading 33-27 following a pair of Marcus Foster free throws with 3:08 left in the half, the Flames ended the half on a flurry, rolling to an 11-0 run. Brody Peebles, who scored 16 off Liberty’s bench, got things started with a jumper in the paint with just under three minutes left to trim Furman’s lead to four.
Then following a Kyle Rode steal, he found Peebles again for another jumper in the lane, and the Flames all of the sudden had all of the momentum, trailing just 33-31 with 2:31 remaining in the opening half.
A JP Pegues miss on the other end for the Paladins was rebounded by one of Liberty’s trio of talented guards—Joseph Venzant—and then the ball found its way to Rode, who would be fouled by Furman’s Marcus Foster with just under two minutes left in the half. He knocked down both ends of the one-and-one bonus to tie the game, 33-33.
From there, Furman would see both Garrett Hien and Carter Whitt miss on three-pointers with 1:45 remaining in the half, and it was another empty possession for the Paladins.
Rode’s missed layup on the other end left the door cracked for Furman to retake the lead, but JP Pegues’ triple missed the mark and Peebles corralled the rebound. It would lead to a Shiloh Robinson layup on the other end and a 35-33 lead with just 36 ticks left in the opening half.
After a PJay Smith Jr. three wouldn’t fall for the Paladins, Peebles capped the 11-0 flurry to end the half with a three-pointer from the left corner to bring the Liberty fans in attendance to their collective feet, as the noise level rose inside the HTC Center.
After Pegues scored a layup and was fouled on Furman’s opening possession of the second half, the Paladins trailed, 38-35, and though Pegues missed the free throw, it looked as if his layup might give the Paladins the spark they needed early in the second half.
That was not the case, however, as Rode was fouled by Smith in the act of shooting and converted a pair of foul shots to make it a 40-35 game. Following a turnover by Smith and a steal by Rode, the Flames would make the Paladins pay dearly when Kaden Metheny knocked down a triple in transition to make it an eight-point Liberty advantage with 18:50 left.
After Foster had the ball knocked away and stolen by Colin Porter, he found Zach Cleveland down the floor in the open for a layup and the lead increased to double digits for the first time all night, at 45-35, with 18:29 left. A Foster missed three led to a Rode layup on the other end and the Flames were clicking on all cylinders, leading 47-35.
The Paladins would then get an 8-2 spurt to get within 49-43 when Marcus Foster converted a layup with 15:51 left, however, another 18-7 spurt by the Flames, which started with a Porter layup and ended with a Matheny three-pointer saw Liberty push their lead to their largest of the evening at 17 points (67-50) with just over 11 minutes left.
The Flames lead would grow to as much as 21 when Venzant converted a layup in the paint to make it an 84-63 contest with 4:18 remaining. The Paladins would outscore the Flames 11-4 down the stretch to provide the final margin.
Furman 89, Coastal Carolina 80
For the second-straight game, Furman had two players combine for 50 points, as Marcus Foster went for 30 points in consecutive games, while Carter Whitt posted all 20 of his points in the second half, as the Paladins overcame a 60% shooting effort by Coastal Carolina in the second half by 62% of their own en route to an 89-80 win over the Chanticleers in the consolation bracket of the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational Friday evening at the HTC Center.
With the win, Furman improves to 3-1 overall and will meet Wyoming in the fifth-place game of the tournament, which is set for 10:30 am Sunday morning. The loss sees Coastal Carolina fall to 1-2 on the season and into the seventh-place game in the consolation bracket against College of Charleston, which is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the HTC Center.
Foster tied his career-high of 30 points set just a day earlier in an 88-74 loss to Liberty a day earlier, as he connected on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, which included a 2-of-10 effort from long range, while also dishing out five assists and bringing down six boards in the game. Foster also connected on 4-of-7 free throws in the win.
The redshirt junior from Atlanta, GA now has 60 points in two games, needing just 16 points in the final game vs. Wyoming to set a new Myrtle Beach Invitational record.The current record-holder for points over a three-game stretch in the tournament is held by Khalil Ahmed of Cal State Fullerton, who posted 75 points in three games back in the 2018 edition, including scoring a tournament record 40 points in his first of three tournament games against Monmouth.
Whitt’s career-high effort of 20 points all came in the second half, as he finished by connecting on 7-of-13 shots from the field, including going 4-for-9 from long range in what was an impressive shooting display in the second half. Whitt’s career-high scoring effort was matched by a career-high eight rebounds in a game when the Paladins needed someone else to step up, as the Paladins remained without Tyrese Hughey and Alex Williams, as well as Ben VanderWal, who missed the game after becoming ill not long before tip-off.
The third Paladin in double figures in the contest was JP Pegues, who registered his third-straight double-figure scoring effort to open the 2023-24 season, as he finished with 14 points 4-of-8 shooting from the field and a 4-of-7 performance from long range. Pegues posted nine of his 14 points in the opening half of play.
Senior big man Garrett Hien delivered a solid performance in 31 minutes of floor time, posting seven points, six rebounds, while dishing out a career-best eight helpers and registered five of Furman’s 12 team steals.
The Chanticleers also finished the contest with three players in double figures, as Kylan Blackmon led the way by posting a career-high of his own, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-8 effort from long-range in the loss. He also connected on 2-of-4 from the charity stripe in the loss. Blackmon added three rebounds, two assists and a steal to his stat line to round out his most impressive performance in a Chanticleers uniform.
Blackmon was joined in double figures by Jocob Meyer, who added 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from long-range, while Nigerian-born center Ginika Ojiako just missed a double-double, posting 14 points to go with nine boards.
The Paladins finished the game connecting on an impressive 50.8% (32-of-63) from the field, which included a 33.3% (12-of-36) effort from long range. Furman were a solid 76.5% (13-of-17) from the charity stripe in the win.
The Chanticleers were just a shade under 50% shooting for the game, as Coastal Carolina finished by making good on 47.8% (33-of-69) of its shots for the game, including finishing 43.5% (10-of-23) from three-point range in the loss. The Chanticleers finished by connecting on 57.1% (4-of-7) from the free throw line.
For the game, Furman held advantages in points from turnovers (21-16), fast-break scoring (21-10), bench scoring (25-16), and total assists (27-15). The Chanticleers held advantages in points in the paint (42-40), total rebounds (41-30), and second-chance points (13-0). The Chanticleers were able to stay close in the game all night as a result of their performance on the offensive glass, converting 16 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.
How It Happened:
The Paladins built 12-point leads in both halves and led for over 31 of the 40 minutes, however, could never completely find the type of comfort desired in an effort to pick up its first win of the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational.
After Furman built a 62-50 lead following a Marcus Foster layup with 10:51 left to match its largest of the night, it appeared the Paladins might be ready to pull away for good. However, a 15-5 run by the Chanticleers made things pretty tenuous over the final six minutes-and-change, as an Ian Granja three-pointer got the Chanticleers within two, at 67-65 with 6:22 remaining.
Just eight seconds later, Marcus Foster hit maybe the biggest shot of the night, answering with a three-pointer to give the Paladins a bit of a cushion, extending the lead back to five, at 70-65, with 6:14 left.
The Chanticleers would get within one possession on more time on the ensuing possession following a layup by Jocob Meyer with 5:52 remaining, making it a 70-67 deficit for Coastal Carolina.
After the Chanticleers had cut the Furman lead to six, at 77-71, on a Meyer jumper, however on the next possession a huge Carter Whitt three took the Paladins lead back to nine, at 80-71, with 2:31 left. The Chanticleers sliced the Paladin lead to six on three more occasions, however, could get no closer, as Furman had the needed answer on each occasion.
On the strength of a combined 24 first-half points from Foster (15 pts) and JP Pegues (9 pts), the Paladins went to the locker room with a 39-31 advantage. Despite just a 5-for-20 shooting effort in the opening half, Furman’s 10 steals were key to helping the Paladins take the eight-point lead into the half.
Wyoming 78, Furman 71
Sam Griffin posted a career-high 26 points, while Akuel Kot added 20, as Wyoming was able to hold off a late Furman rally to come away with a 78-71 win in the fifth-place game at the Myrtle Beach Invitational at the HTC Center.
The win would see the Cowboys improve to 4-1 overall, while the Paladins will leave Myrtle Beach with a 3-2 mark. Wyoming marked the second Mountain West Conference foe the Paladins have faced in its last six games, dating back to their 75-52 NCAA Tournament loss to eventual NCAA Tournament runner-up San Diego State last March.
It was the first-ever meeting between the Paladins and Cowboys on the college basketball hardwood. The Cowboys, who are under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Jeff Linder, were a program tabbed to finish 10th in the 11-team MWC following a 9-22 season in 2022-23 and just a 4-14 league mark. The Cowboys, however, gave no impressions that prognostication was an accurate one for at least each of the three games they played inside the HTC Center early in the 2023-24 season.
It’s rare, however, it was Wyoming and not Furman that shot the ball better from long range in the game, with the Cowboys connecting on 12 long range efforts in the contest, and were relatively efficient in doing so, connecting on 48.0% (12-of-25) from long-range, while the Paladins could only manage to connect on 28.5% (8-for-34) from downtown.
In fact, three-point shooting wasn’t exactly a strong suit for Furman the entire weekend, as the Paladins shot just 27.6% (26-of-94) from long range in the three games in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
Overall, the Cowboys finished the contest by shooting 47.5% (28-of-59) from the field for the contest, while the Paladins could only connect on 41.5% (27-of-65).
Furman’s Marcus Foster was sensational for a third-straight outing, following up back-to-back 30-point scoring efforts by posting 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from long range, as his 78 points in three games set a new tournament standard. He was selected to the all-tournament team Sunday afternoon.
Junior point guard JP Pegues led the Paladins in scoring, as he added 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting from the field and 3-for-11 shooting from long-range. Carter Whitt finished just outside double figures, with nine points and seven assists.
Wyoming's Griffin led all scorers with his 26-point effort coming on an 11-of-19 shooting effort. Akuel Kot added 20 points, while Brendan Wenzel and Caden Powell finished with 13 points apiece to round out the Cowboys' double-figure scorers.
Wyoming finished the contest holding advantages in second chance points (15-14), total assists (18-17), points from turnovers (11-9), and fast-break points (12-9). Furman held advantages in total rebounds (36-33), bench points (22-9), and points in the paint (32-26).
How It Happened:
Early in the second half, the Paladins would fall behind by as many as 17, at 48-31, following back-to-back threes by Sam Griffin and Akuel Kot, but the Paladins wouldn’t go away and would eventually cut it to a three-point deficit (70-67) with 1:40 left following a pair of JP Pegues foul shots.
However, Kobe Newton answered with one of the 12 threes made by the Cowboys in the game, as Wyoming was able to hold off the Paladins the rest of the way and post a 78-71 win in the fifth-place consolation game at the Myrtle Beach Invitational inside the HTC Center. The Paladins were never able to trim the deficit to fewer than three points for the entire second half, as Wyoming never trailed in the contest.
Wyoming went to the locker room with a 37-28 lead, using 12 first-half points from star guard Sam Griffin and a defensive effort, which held the Paladins to their lowest point total in a half this season, limiting the Paladins to just 28 points and 40% (12-of-30) from the field and just 20% (4-of-20) from the field.
Furman would get off to a slow start, falling behind by nine points, 12-3, however, Carter Whitt would connect on a three, draw an offensive foul on the other end, and then on the ensuing trip down the floor, a no-look pass to Davis Molnar for a lay-up, and following a missed shot by Wyoming on the other end, Whitt found Ben VanderWal for a wide open three from the right elbow to get the Paladins to within a point, at 12-11.
An Akuel Kot layup would increase the Cowboys lead back to three, at 14-11, as the two teams headed to their respective benches for the second media timeout of the opening half, but the Paladins switched to the 1-3-1 out of the media, creating a couple of turnovers, with one of those leading to a Garrett Hien layup, getting the Paladins to within a point once again, at 14-13. The Cowboys led by as many as 10 in the opening half (25-15) before settling for a nine-point lead (37-28) going into the halftime locker room.
Tournament Scoreboard:
11/16 Vermont 73, Charleston 64
Saint Louis 79, Wyoming 69
Wichita St. 86, Coastal Carolina 77
Liberty 88, Furman 74
11/17 Vermont 78, Saint Louis 68
Wyoming 67, Charleston 60
Furman 89, Coastal Carolina 80
Liberty 83, Wichita State 66
11/19 Wyoming 78, Furman 71
Charleston 80, Coastal Carolina 72
Liberty 71, Vermont 61
Wichita State 88, Saint Louis 69
All-Tournament Team
Player, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Class, Hometown, Note
Kyle Rode, Liberty, F, 6-7, 220, Sen., Lexington, Ky., 19.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 10-22 3FG - RHODES MVP
Brody Peebles, Liberty, G, 6-2, 170, Jun., Hartselle, Ala., 13.3 ppg, 17-29 FG (58.6%)
Shamir Bogues, Vermont, G, 6-4, 190, Jun., Killeen, Tex., 13.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 19-37 FG, 8 Steals
Sam Griffin, Wyoming, G, 6-3, 188, Sen., Miami, Fla., 21.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 8-17 3FG (47.1%)
Marcus Foster, Furman, G, 6-4, 200, Sen., Atlanta, Ga., 26.0 ppg*, 5.7 rbp, 27-50 FG (54.0%)
Xavier Bell, Wichita State, G, 6-2, 185, Jun., Wichita, Kan., 19.3 ppg, 3.3 apg
Terrence Hargrove Jr., F, 605, 215, Sen, East St. Louis, Ill., 15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3 blocks
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