Furman sees shooting woes continue in loss at Chattanooga
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| Furman's Alex Williams was one of two injured Paladins to return to the fold Saturday night against Chattanooga |
It’s a rare thing when one has had to look up historic woes for Furman basketball over the past seven seasons, however, over the past three games, Furman—the defending Southern Conference champion—has looked a shell of the program it took the better part of a decade to build under both current head coach Bob Richey and former boss Niko Medved, as the Paladins have now slipped to 0-2 in league play with a pair of double-digit road losses on the heels of their embarrassing loss to Division II Anderson.
To make matters worse, the Paladins were the consensus preseason pick to win the Southern Conference and with seven of the top nine players returning to the fold for Richey, it would be difficult to refute such high expectations.
The truth is Furman lost two all-time legends, in Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson, and perhaps that is becoming more emphatically clear now in the shadow of what took place last season and the struggles that seemingly now only seem to snowball more with each time the Paladins take the floor.
The other truth is Furman currently has talented players and has been dealt a harsh injury card in 2023-24, and while coach Richey or any of his team wouldn’t pin the struggles on that, it is a clear observation that has watched Furman for an extended period this season that the Paladins have not found an offensive rhythm, and it hasn’t really put together two halves of outstanding defense this season, although in spurts, there have been some glimpses.
Furman’s 28-win team of a year ago had its share of flaws, which most notably came on the defensive end of the floor prior to conference play, and the Paladins would really start to turn it up with a 77-69 win at Chattanooga in mid-January last season.
But the Paladins never quite had the inconsistencies offensively last season, and though there were times that the Paladins struggled from three, it was so good in the paint with scoring Bothwell and Slawson and that’s because at a certain point with those two, the decision was made and it was final—pass or shoot. With Slawson, he was ordinarily trying to slam the ball to the center of the earth or looking to facilitate an open three to a teammate.
While Slawson was good, Bothwell had ice in his veins and he became at times nearly unguardable in the paint and may have been, at times, even better when going to the hoop. The Paladins had two dudes for sure. This season, a reasonable expectation was to see a decline in overall efficiency, given that loss of talent that performed it such an optimal level nearly every game and did so at an almost unbelievable rate. It’s why the duo not only led the Paladins to its most wins in a signle season in program history, but also left as the two winningest players in school history (116 wins).
That duo’s legacy was also cemented by leading the Paladins back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time 43 years, while it would win its first NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 49 years.
Thinking back, a lot of the current rise of Furman's basketball program over the past nine years seemingly been intertwined with Chattanooga in one way or another, and oftentimes comes at a crossroads, or at a time when the question could be asked how Furman would answer the proverbial bell after a loss. At other times it's coming into a matchup with the Mocs and a response to a previous loss.
The latest came Saturday night in the Paladins’ 15-point loss (L, 58-73) in the Scenic City. The good news is from a Furman perspective at least, is most of those previous 'crossroads moments' ended being progression points rather than regressive ones.
Last season, the Paladins saw a tricky road trip following its second of three league losses play to UNC Greensboro begin with a trip to the Scenic City, which is where Furman commenced to begin an eight-game winning streak en route to winning 15 of its final 16 games prior to heading into the NCAA Tournament.
One of those 15 wins along the way, of course, was an 88-79 win over the Mocs in the tournament title game, which was a full year after Chattanooga’s buzzer-beating effort from David Jean-Baptiste sent the Paladins to the off-season with a 36-footer in overtime to deliver the ultimate heartbreaker.
Some might even point to the sting of meaningful games between Furman and Chattanooga in this current rise back to the top of the SoCon originated has its roots in the 2015 SoCon Tournament, as the Paladins downed the Will Wade-led Mocs, who were the No. 2 seed coming to Asheville, while Furman came in as the 10th-seed.Furman's 69-67 verdict over Chattanooga came on its route to the SoCon championship game, where the Paladins would lose a 67-64 decision to the top overall seed Wofford, who claimed its second title in succession—the last SoCon team to accomplish that feat.
If you’re looking for full-circle moments, that is a start. Furman is looking to be the first team to defend its title this season since the Terriers did so in back-to-back fashion in 2014 and '15, respectively.
Here’s another full-circle moment worthy of mention...UNC Greensboro’s 70-54 win over East Tennessee State earlier Saturday coupled with Furman’s loss later in the evening in the Scenic City saw the Spartans surpass the Paladins in overall wins (188-187) since the start of the 2015-16 season.
During that same 2015-16, there came another turning point moment against the Mocs, which saw the Paladins use another milestone moment, which used its stellar defense to bring an end to an eight-game winning streak against the preseason favorite Mocs, downing a Chattanooga team that came in with an RPI of 55 in emphatic fashion, 70-55, inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena. It was the same Mocs team that had defeated Illinois and Georgia in the pre-conference slate, and would go on to win the tournament in Asheville and represent the SoCon in the NCAA Tournament.
A few memories I thought I would never have to recall again crept into my mind Saturday night as I watched seemingly shot after shot rim out or clank off back iron.
I wondered if I could remember a time when Furman had shot the ball as bad or worse in a game for a half or in a game. My mind took back to the 2010-11 season, when the Paladins were in Cullowhee and in contention for a SoCon divisional title at the Ramsey Center, facing a pretty solid Western Carolina team, who at the time was powered by guard Trey Sumler.
The Paladins dropped a 65-41 contest on that particular late January evening back in 2011, as that Furman slipped to 15-6 overall and 7-3 in Southern Conference play after a night which saw the team from Greenville make just six of its 24 shots in the opening half of play and the Paladins went to the break trailing 34-16. A 12-1 run by the Catamounts to start the second half would see the Catamounts essentially put that game on ice, taking a 50-23 lead.
Though it was never completely over at halftime, when the lead ballooned to as much as 28 early in the second half against the Mocs, it felt like a mountain way too steep for even a team that had scored the ball well earlier in the season and had shot the relatively ball well from long-range. The Paladins did manage to cut it to 12 twice late in the contest, with the second of those 12-point deficits coming with 2:32 remaining following a a pair of JP Pegues free throws.
So where to from here for the current edition of Bob Richey’s club, who slipped to three games under .500 in a season? Well, I don't think re-inventing the wheel is the answer, but maybe exploring why the wheel is not spinning the way it once did would be one thing I might try, although I don't profess to have any coaching knowledge of the game.
I do know there is more to bad shooting than just bad shooting. The pass and the movement off the ball create the space to operate, allowing players to be shot-ready rather than have to manifest that "readiness" out of stance due to the ball sticking at certain points along the way.
A lot goes into it, and it's sometimes an area where a staff finds a malleable solution to the problems along the way. That's one thing about having about one of the best staffs in mid-major basketball is that you know coach Richey and staff will figure it out. However, how Furman wins the rest of the season may look a little different than it has in the past because it may have to.
Furman has good players that have won big games before, but it. may now have to alter some things defensively until that shooting can come back around to the mean in the meantime.
How it happened:
Chattanooga had five players finish in double figures, as forward Tyler Millin led the way with 16 points, while fellow big man Sam Alexis added a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, as the Mocs held Furman to season lows for points (58) and shooting percentage (27.5%) en route to a 73-58 Southern Conference win over the Paladins Saturday night at McKenzie Arena.
The Paladins missed 16-straight shots and went 13 minutes without scoring from the field, which allowed the Mocs to build a 23-point (43-20) halftime lead and all but decide the final outcome in the opening 20 minutes of basketball. It was Furman's worst Southern Conference loss since December 29, 2019, as Furman dropped what was a 79-56 setback at East Tennessee State. All told, the Mocs finished the half on a 25-8 run to take the 23-point lead into the halftime locker room.
With the win, Chattanooga snapped a three-game losing skid to improve to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in league play, while Furman dropped its third straight and fourth in its last five games, falling to 6-9 overall and 0-2 in league action.
Millin finished the night connecting on 8-of-11 shots from the field, while Alexis finished the contest having connected on 5-of-9 shots from the field and was 1-for-2 from the charity stripe.
Trey Bonham and Honor Huff helped fuel the Mocs talented backcourt, finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Jan Zedek came off the bench to add 12 more to the Chattanooga cause.
The Mocs finished the night by connecting on 48.3% (29-of-60) from the field, including a 29.2% (7-of-24) performance from three-point range.
Furman saw two of its three leading scorers return to the fold, as both point guard JP Pegues and Alex Williams were back in action for the Paladins, and that would be the two players that would end up scoring in double figures for the Paladins in what was a night that saw plenty of adversity on the floor in the way of getting shots to fall for Furman.
Pegues posted his second double-double of the season, posting 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Alex Williams added 15 off the bench for the Paladins.
Pegues finished the night by connecting on 6-of-21 shots from the field and was 4-for-6 from the foul line. Williams contributed his 15 points in the contest by connecting on 5-of-18 shots from the field, however, was just 1-for-11 from long range.
All told, Furman's Williams and Pegues went a combined 1-for-19 from three-point range. The Paladins finished the contest 7-for-24 from long range, and have now connected on just 18-of-111 (16.2%) from three-point land over the past four outings. Furman finished the night connecting on just 19-of-69 shots (27.5%) from the field
Carter Whitt and Ben VanderWal both flirted with double figure scoring performances, adding nine and eight points, respectively, VandwerWal was among Furman's best all-around performers off the bench in the contest adding seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
After Cooper Bowser started off the second half in a positive fashion for the Paladins with a dunk, order was restored for the Mocs quickly as UTC scored six of the next eight points on a pair of Sam Alexis buckets and a Tyler Millin layup to stretch the lead to 27 by the opening media timeout.
The Mocs would lead by as many as 28 points at the 14:14 mark of the second half following a layup by Trey Bonham, however, the Paladins would cut it to 12 twice inside the final three minutes, with the first coming on an Alex Williams three from the far corner and the next time coming on a pair of JP Pegues free throws, making it a 68-56 game with 2:32 left.
However, Chattanooga would put the game on ice shortly thereafter, as the Mocs used a pair of Tyler Millin run-out buckets on a dunk and layup would push the lead back to 16 with 2:04 remaining. The 12-point margin would be as close as the Paladins could get the rest of the way, as the Mocs closed out a 15-point win.
Chattanooga came out and shot the ball well in the opening half, and Furman went ice cold from the field, as the Paladins registered a season-low (20) points in the opening half this season, missing 16-straight shots from the field, leading to Furman’s largest deficit of the season, as the Mocs went to the break with a 43-20 advantage.
The opening half of play saw the Mocs connect on 51.5% (17-of-33) from the field and 37.5% (6-of-16) from three-point land, while the Paladins connected on just 24.1% (7-of-29) from the field and missed 13 of 14 shots from long range in the opening half of play.
In in its last four games, Furman has seen some of its most alarming offensive efficiency woes emerge in seven seasons under head coach Bob Richey. There is still a lot of time for the Paladins to get this turned around, however, and Richey has assembled a staff that is one of the best at this level. That coaching acumen will now be put to the test, as they collectively look to change the current offensive trend back into a more positive direction.
The Paladins return to action Wednesday night, hosting The Citadel in a 7 p.m. EST tip time at Timmons Arena. The Mocs will return to the floor in the midweek, hosting VMI in a 7 p.m. EST tip-off time at McKenzie Arena.
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