Western Carolina uses second-half surge to dispatch Furman

Catamounts use a 30-9 second half run to overturn a nine-point deficit and run away from Paladins on Senior Night at the Ramsey Center

Furman's JP Pegues dribbles in the paint guarded by WCU senior point guard Vonterius Woolbright

CULLOWHEE, N.C.--Vonterius Woolbright recorded his fourth triple-double of the season, and Western Carolina connected on its final six shots from the field, as the Catamounts used a 30-9 run to overcome a nine-point second half deficit to down Furman, 85-77, in Southern Conference action before a rowdy crowd of 3,159 fans on Senior Night at the Liston B. Ramsey Center.

The Catamount victory helped Western Carolina avenge what was a 65-62 loss to the Paladins earlier this season in Greenville at Timmons Arena on a three-pointer by JP Pegues with .8 seconds remaining back on Jan. 20. It was also WCU's second-straight win at the Liston B. Ramsey Center over the Paladins, having also handed Furman a 79-67 setback on New Year's Eve of 2022 before a much more humble gathering of Catamount fans, but no less energetic.

With the win, the Catamounts improved to 21-9 overall and 10-7 in Southern Conference play, while Furman fell to 16-14 overall and 10-7 in league play. With a win on the road Saturday evening at Chattanooga, the Catamounts can tie their NCAA Division I record for wins, as a win over the Mocs Saturday in the Scenic City would be the 22nd of the season, which would also tie the 2009-10 Catamounts. 

That 2009-10 edition of the Catamount men's basketball team won 22 games, posting a 22-12 mark after losing in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) to former SoCon member Marshall (L, 88-90). 

The Catamounts, who are in the midst of one their greatest in program history in a campaign which includes a pair of power five wins at Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, closed out the home slate with a 12-3 record at the Ramsey Center following the win over the Paladins. Western Carolina is one of four teams in the Southern Conference to have won 20 or more games this season. 

The win also helped pull Western Carolina into a tie for fourth-place in the league standing with Furman with one game left to play in the 2023-24 regular-season. 

The loss ensured Furman would finish out of the top three in the Southern Conference regular-season standings for the first time since finishing 10th in 2014-15. 

It was a 2015 SoCon Tournament that would see the Paladins go on to make a run in March all the way to the SoCon Tournament championship game to take on top-seeded Wofford, where Furman dropped a 67-64 contest to the Terriers. However, that was the momentum Furman needed to fuel its men's basketball program forward, and it hasn't looked back since.  Furman was the first ever double-digit seed to reach the SoCon title game. 

When it arrives in Asheville on March 8 for the 2024 Southern Conference Tournament at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, Furman could very likely be tasked with defending its 2023 title run against the very same team it was defeated by in the penultimate game of the 2023-24 regular-season. 

Western Carolina (10-7), Wofford (9-8) and Furman (10-7) all remain battling for the 4-6 seeds for the upcoming tournament. There are scenarios that could see the Paladins facing either Western Carolina or Wofford in the opening round.

Woolbright scored 15 points, dished out 11 assists, and corralled 10 rebounds to notch his nation-leading fourth double-double of the 2023-24 season, as the leading candidate for SoCon Player of the Year dazzled in what could potentially be the final game of his career in a Catamount uniform on Senior Night. 

In today's world of college athletics, Senior Night has become one of the more bizarre rites of passage in college athletics. There are no more guarantees--going or staying--or and much less an understanding of even how much eligibility remains. 

In the modern climate of college athletics dominated by NIL and the transfer portal, we are witnessing such traditions disappear, and there is little time for the scroll of accomplishments to be read prior to tip-off for each of a team's seniors for fear that oftentimes it might be presumptuous, as final decisions aren't usually rendered nowadays until the transfer portal both opens and closes. The attachments almost seem relegated to a stats sheet alone and nothing more, but I digress...That's a story for another article and forum. 

I had wished the tremendous accomplishments of Woolbright, as well as WCU's other seniors could be recognized before what was an electric crowd on hand for the final home game of the 2023-24 season, however, I fully understand why they were not.

The outstanding point-forward from Albany, GA., finished his night connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field, which included a 3-for-6 effort at the charity stripe. His 11 total assists equaled Furman's entire team total for the night, while his 10 boards helped the Catamounts own what was a slight, 35-33, edge on the backboards. He was one of five Catamounts in double figures in the contest.

Woolbright's efforts on senior night overshadowed another absolute burner from JP Pegues, who established a new career-high with 35 points, as he became the 52nd player in Furman hoops history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau this season, reaching the milestone early in the second half following three-point play the old-fashioned way. 

Pegues now has 1,011 points in his Furman career, as the reigning SoCon Player of the Week notched his second 30-point effort in the past three games, including his fourth-straight game with 20 or more points. He becomes the second Paladin to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau this season, with Marcus Foster also doing so a couple of weeks back in a road loss to Mercer. 

All told, it was Pegues' 13th performance of 20 or more points this season, which ranks second in the SoCon to only Woolbright in performances of 20 or more points this season.

Pegues connected on 10-of-22 shots from the field, which included going 6-for-13 from three-point range, as well as finishing a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Pegues also finished by dishing out five of the team's 11 total assists in the contest. 

The junior point guard from Nashville  also added four rebounds, a pair of steals, a block, while turning the ball over only twice in 34 minutes of action. He was one of two Paladins in double figures. Pegues' 35-point effort marks the fifth time a Paladin has finished with 30 or more points in a game this season, with he and senior Marcus Foster accounting for four of the five. 

Foster became the first Paladin to do that in back-to-back games since Karim Souchu during the 2002-03 season, when in November the redshirt senior guard went for 30 in consecutive games at the Myrtle Beach Invitational in games against Coastal Carolina and Liberty, respectively. He ended up setting a three-game tournament record with a combined 78 points.

Pegues' 30-point efforts have have come in two out of the past three games (scored 33 points in a 74-72 loss at Samford). All told, of the 18 thirty-point efforts turned out by SoCon players this season, the Paladins account for five of those registered by three players (Marcus Foster 2, JP Pegues 2 and Alex Williams 1). Furman sports just a 2-3 record in those games, including a 1-3 record against NCAA Division I competition.  

Like the Samford game, which saw the talented guard with a quiver full of late-game daggers seemingly at the ready at his disposal, he did most of his damage in the second half. Against Samford, Pegues poured in 28 of his game-high 33 points in the latter 20 minutes. In the loss at Western Carolina Wednesday night, Pegues posted 24 of his game-high 35 in the second stanza.

Meanwhile, for the Catamounts, while Woolbright's triple-double was the headliner of the night, he didn't wind up being the team's leading scorer. That distinction belonged to Russell Jones, Jr., who finished the contest with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, which included a 4-for-8 effort from three-point range and he also finished 6-for-8 from the charity stripe. Jones Jr. also added three rebounds and an assist to the cause.

DJ Campbell, who came off the bench due to it being senior night, as he made way for Kamar Robertson, finished with 12 points, one rebound, a steal, and an assist, while Bernard Pelote added 11 points, six boards, blocked two shots and had an assist of the Catamount pine. Tre Jackson, who was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, rounded out the Catamounts in double figures, as he posted 10.

Aside from Pegues, the only other Paladin in double figures in the loss was Ben VanderWal, who added 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals. It was the third time in the past five games VanderWal has found his way into double figures, as he continues to blossom into a reliable scoring threat as his sophomore season winds down. 

Marcus Foster, who came into the contest as Furman's leading scorer, was held in check for much of the night by a stellar defensive effort from Woolbright, as the senior guard from Atlanta finished with only five points. It marked only the third time this season in which Foster has failed to reach double figures, which includes a five point effort last week in a 74-72 heartbreaking loss to league champion Samford on the road. 

Foster was held to three points in a 70-69, non-conference loss at Princeton, which was also the same game that Foster would be sidelined for nine games with a lower body injury. The Paladins are now 0-3 when Foster fails to reach double figures. 

The Catamounts finished the contest by connecting on 54.5% (30-of-55) of its shots from the field, which included a blistering 60.0% (18-of-30) effort in the second half alone, and that included a 54.5% (6-for-11) effort from three-point range. 

Western Carolina also shot a solid 73.9% (17-of-23) from the charity stripe. The Catamounts shot it at a 42.1% (8-of-19) from long-range for the game, which is one of the better long-range efforts by an opponent against the Paladin perimeter defense in league play this season. Furman came in leading the SoCon in three-point field goal percentage in league games, holding foes to just 32.1% from long-range.

The Paladins finished the contest connecting on just 41.0% (25-of-61) from the field, which included just a 31.4% (11-of-35) effort from three-point range. Furman finished a strong 80% (16-of-20) from the charity stripe.

The Catamounts finished the game holding advantages in points from turnovers (12-9), total rebounds (35-33), total assists (15-11), points in the paint (36-20), bench scoring (33-13), and fast-break points (11-3). The Paladins held a 10-9 edge in second-chance points. 

How It Happened:

Western Carolina and Furman showed why they were two teams trending in the right direction defensively since the start of league play last month, as both guarded well throughout the opening 20 minutes of play, especially from the perimeter, and it was the dedication on that end of the floor that allowed them to get back into the basketball game, despite shooting just 35.7% from the floor in the opening half.

That defensive intensity, particularly over the final nine minutes of the opening frame, allowed the Paladins to head to  to the locker room holding a narrow 32-30 lead. Furman used a 21-7 run over the final 8:28 to overturn what was an 11-point deficit (23-12) and all the momentum. 

JP Pegues scored 14 first-half points, as the Catamounts were able to hold Alex Williams and Marcus Foster, who are two of Furman’s three top scorers, scoreless, as the sharp-shooting duo finished the opening half of play. 

For the second-straight season in a game in Cullowhee between the two purple-clad rivals, the Paladins would build as much as a nine-point second half lead only to see the Catamounts sharply change the game's overall trajectory in seemingly an instant with a couple of made shots in succession, and that was more than enough to give the rowdy crowd of just over 3,000 fans the juice it needed to completely reverse the trend of basketball game, as the decibel level rose inside the Ramsey Center after every positive Catamount outcome. The Catamount men's basketball team fed off that energy and never looked back.

In Furman's 79-67 loss at the Ramsey Center on Dec. 31, 2022, the Paladins held a 50-41 second half lead with 16 minutes remaining following a Garrett Hien  top of the key three on that occasion. 

Fast-forward to Feb. 28, 2024, and the Paladins would hold a nine-point, and It would be a Marcus Foster three-pointer with 11:52 remaining that would stake the Paladins to a seemingly comfortable 57-48 advantage in Cullowhee this time around. However, just like last season, the Catamounts would ultimately catch fire and never look back.

A 30-9 run by Western Carolina helped the Catamounts turn that nine-point deficit (57-48) with just under 12 minutes left into its largest lead of the night of 12 points, at 78-66, following a DJ Campbell triple with time winding down on the shot clock with 2:09 remaining. WCU made its final six shots of the game as a part of that 60% shooting effort in the second half, which saw the Catamounts post 55 points in the second half alone. 

"I thought we were half-a-second late on a lot of plays tonight and I am not sure what that was and I thought we had two good days of practice and we just didn't appear fresh," Furman head coach Bob Richey said of his team's performance Wednesday night.

"In the second half and we're up nine at one point... really similar to the game up here last year where we were up nine and they made a run and kind of hit us and we didn't respond back real well but I didn't think tonight was all bad.. it just wasn't consistent enough in an environment like this on the road versus a team like that," Richey added.

Furman will return to action Saturday afternoon for its regular-season finale against Mercer (14-16, 7-10 SoCon), which will also be the end of an era of sorts for Timmons Arena, which will host its final game in its current form. The Arena which opened on Dec. 30, 1997, with Furman's narrow 72-69 win against non-Division I foe Northeastern Illinois, will now receive a 49 million dollar face lift before returning new and improved in the fall of 2025, will host its final game in its current state on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. EST. The Paladins have posted a gaudy 109-18 record against all competition over the past nine seasons, including a 63-9 mark against SoCon opposition.

Western Carolina, meanwhile, heads on the road for its regular-season finale, as it will head to the Scenic City of Chattanooga, TN, to take on the Chattanooga Mocs (20-10, 12-5 SoCon), who are fresh off of an 84-75 win Wednesday night over Mercer, with tip-off for that matchup slated for 2 p.m. EST. The Mocs won the first meeting between the two this season, handing WCU one of its three home court losses by dispatching the Catamounts, 91-85, at the Ramsey Center back on Jan 31.

Furman handles Wofford to gain a season series split

Furman junior guard JP Pegues

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Marcus Foster (20 pts) and JP Pegues (20 pts) combined to score 40 points, and Furman held Wofford to just 35.7% shooting in the second half, as the Paladins were able to pull away for an 82-67 win over the Terriers in Southern Conference action before a sellout crowd of 2,547 fans Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

The win marked Furman's fourth in its past five games, and saw the Paladins improve to 16-13 overall and 10-6 in Southern Conference play. For Wofford, the loss marked the Terriers' third in a row and Wofford dropped to 15-14 overall and 8-8 in league action. 

The first half of the game saw both teams come out and try and enforce their identity on the offensive end of the floor, and the teams were particularly trying to make a statement from three-point range with the two teams combining to connect on 13-of-30 shots from long range (43.3%), and the Paladins would end up stepping up the defensive end of the floor everywhere in the second half, particularly from three-point range, as the Paladins held the Terriers to just 28.6% (4-for-14) from three-point range. 

The Paladins claimed their fifth win in the last six meetings with Wofford and improved to 92-63 all-time against Wofford in the college basketball hardwood. The Paladins and Terriers have met 58 times as league rivals, with Wofford holding the 33-25 series advantage, which dates back to the start of the 1996-97 campaign.

The win saw Furman 109-18 at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, while improving to 63-9 against Southern Conference competition in the friendly confines over that same span. The Paladins will play their final game in the current version of Timmons Arena on March 2, 2024, when they host Mercer in a 2 p.m. EST. 

All told, the Paladins claimed their 197th win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is tied for tops overall in the league in total victories with UNC Greensboro. The Paladins also notched their 113th Southern Conference win, which is second to only UNCG, which has 114. 

Pegues notched his 12th game of the season with 20 or more points, following up his 33-point effort at Samford with 21-point effort, and probably has a strong case for SoCon Player of the Week honors for his performances in games against the Bulldogs and the Wofford Terriers this week.

In Saturday's win over the Terriers, Pegues connected on 8-of-17 shots from the field and was 1-for-6 from three-point range, while also going 4-of-5 from the free throw line to equal his 21 points. The junior from Nashville ended the night by dishing out four of the team's 14 assists. 

Foster got back on track scoring the basketball, and after finishing with just five points, matched Pegues for game-high scoring honors with 20 points on 6-of-14 points, which included a 5-for-11 effort from three-point land and finished a perfect of 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. 

Rounding out the Paladins in double figures in the contest were both PJay Smith Jr. and Ben VanderWal, who finished the night with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Smith shot the ball especially well from beyond the three-point arc, finishing the afternoon with a 4-for-6 from three-point range. Smith was once again active on the defensive end of the floor for the Paladin, registering four of the team's nine steals in the game. 

VanderWal added a pair of blocks and two steals to his overall strong performance in the contest. He also finished with a couple rebounds.

Tyrese Hughey and Garrett Hien, who finished with four and six points, respectively, finished the game also adding six and four points, respectively, and were key on the defensive end, especially in the second half. Hien's stepped up his physical play in recent games, which is an absolutely paramount if Furman is going to make a run in Asheville. 

Hughey's dunk put-back in the second half, though it wasn't clean, was an energy play for the team that kept the sellout crowd on its feet at critical juncture early in the half, which saw Furman begin to make its move. 

In the first half, it was Hien providing one of those energy plays for the Paladins, receiving a beautiful feed from Alex Williams off a Wofford turnover, as the senior from Charlotte, N.C., went for the one-handed dunk in emphatic fashion, bringing the crowd of 2,547 fans to its collective feet. 

Williams returned to the lineup after a three-game suspension, and Furman's third-leading scorer ended the night with five points on 2-for-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 from long range, as he saw 11:31 of game action in his first game back in the lineup for the Paladins. 

Wofford had three players finish the game in double figures, with Jackson Sivills, Dillon Bailey and Chase Cormier all adding 11 points to the Terrier cause. Corey Tripp, who entered the game as Wofford's leading scorer with 16.0 PPG, was limited to just seven points over the course of the evening. In Wofford's win last month in Spartanburg, Tripp scored 20 points. 

For the game, the Paladins connected from the field at a 46.7% (28-of-60) clip, while finishing the night connecting on 36.4% (12-of-33) from three-point range. Furman also shot 70% (14-of-20) from the charity stripe.

Wofford connected on 43.9% (25-of-57) from the field, which included a 42.9% (12-of-28) from three-point land in the game.

Furman finished with advantages in points from turnovers (11-5) and fast-break points (9-6). Wofford finished holding statistical advantages in points in the paint (26-24), total assists (16-14), total rebounds (39-33), second chance points (18-8) and bench points (27-13).

How It Happened:

In the opening half, both teams played especially connected on the offensive end of the floor, with Wofford connecting on eight of their 12 long-distance efforts in the opening half alone, as the long ball accounted for 24 of the team's 39 first-half points, as Wofford trailed by just five (44-39) to the Paladins at the half. 

Wofford used a 9-2 spurt late in the half to take a 37-36 lead when Chase Cormier knocked down a long three from the top of the key with 2:24 remaining in the half.

However, Furman responded by ending the half on an 8-2 run of its own to take the lead into the locker room, which began with a three-pointer made by Foster with 1:46 remaining in the opening half, while the run would also end with Foster points, as his three foul shots after being fouled on a three-point attempt with 28 seconds remaining provided the Paladins final points of the opening 20 minutes, and gave the 'Dins a five-point, 44-39, lead at the half.

Furman would start the second half strong, using a 13-5 run to take a 57-44 lead following threes by Foster on consecutive possessions heading into the first media timeout of the second half. 

The Paladins would see its lead grow to as much as 16 points when a pair of Tyrese Hughey foul shots made it a 71-55 game with 5:36 left, however, the Terriers wouldn't go quietly. A 7-0 spurt, which was capped by a Dillion Bailey triple, as he shushed the Paladin student section brought Wofford to within nine, at 71-62, with 4:08 left. 

Furman, however, would close the door shut shortly after, as the Paladins connected on threes on successive possessions, as PJay Smith Jr. and Foster helped end any hopes of a Terrier comeback, restoring a 15-point, 77-62, lead for Furman with 3:10 left. The Paladins held Wofford without a field goal for the final 3:42 of the game to close out a solid 15-point win. 

The Paladins will begin their final week of Southern Conference action on the road at Western Carolina (20-9, 9-7 SoCon) Wednesday night at the Liston B. Ramsey Center, with tip-off for that contest set for 7 p.m. EST. Wofford  returns home to take on 2023-24 SoCon regular-season champion Samford (25-4, 14-2 SoCon) in a 7 p.m. EST contest at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Post-game press conference: 

Head Coach Bob Richey--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxbaIqqwT6U

Players JP Pegues and PJay Smith Jr.--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qlsTw7pLzw

Samford and Furman gave us a SoCon Classic

 Wednesday's SoCon action was lit

Lit is probably a cringe word to use for a man in his early 40s, however, it was indeed an appropriate way to describe the action that transpired in round 15 of Southern Conference action in 2024.  

There have been simply some outstanding Southern Conference basketball midweek battles this season, and for some reason, it's the midweek games that seemingly have been the ones that have provided some heart-stopping finishes.

The game of the night took place between the SoCon's top team and one that will head to Asheville in a couple of weeks as the defending Southern Conference champion. Samford and Furman looked the part of a pair of teams that could very well be in line to represent the SoCon in the NCAA Tournament as the league's tournament champion in a couple of weeks.

Jermaine Marshall helped the Bulldogs take a step closer to a Southern Conference regular-season title for a second-straight season, scoring four of Samford's final seven points, as he helped the Bulldogs overcome a five-point deficit with 45 seconds remaining to help the Bulldogs to a 74-72 win over Furman, snapping what is a four-game skid in the series against the Paladins.

The Bulldogs can now see the light of the end of the tunnel for the top overall seed and outright Southern Conference title, which is good news for Samford fans that pay close attention to SoCon Basketball over the years, as many will be aware that the last six Southern Conference champions were also the top seed heading into the tournament.

For Samford, should it go on to clinch the No. 1 seed Saturday against East Tennessee State, the Bulldogs would head into a tournament as the No. 1 overall seed in a conference tournament for the first time since 1999, when the Bulldogs were members of the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC), which is a conference that morphed into the Atlantic Sun. 

Marshall finished with 15 and was one of four Bulldogs in double figures in the game. His effort overshadowed the one turned in by Furman's JP Pegues, who scored 33 points in the loss, including Furman's final 22 points of the game, as well as tallying a total of 28 in the second half alone. 

The junior from Nashville finished the night connecting on 9-of-15 shots from the field, which included a 6-for-11 performance from three-point range and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Pegues scored 28 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, including 22 over the final 6:56 of game action. All told, Pegues accounted for 28 of Furman's 46 second-half points in the loss.

In addition to what the junior did as a scorer, he also added six rebounds, two assists, a steal and had only two turnovers against Samford's relentless pressure. The performance by Pegues marked the 10th time this season in which he has scored 20 or more points in a game, and his effort in the loss eclipsed his previous career-high of 29 points, which he established in the loss to Belmont earlier this season. 

Pegues became the third Paladin to score 30 or more points in a game this season, and the fourth occurrence of that particular feat. His 33-point effort was a season-high for a Paladin player, and he joins Marcus Foster (2) and Alex Williams (1) who have also recorded 30-point scoring efforts this season. The last time Furman played in Homewood, which was in the regular-season finale last season, Mike Bothwell went for 35 points in the Paladins' 14-point road win to clinch the No. 1 seed in Asheville. 

While the game was epic in Homewood, there was another tough two teams squaring off against each other in Greensboro, as the winner between UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina would notch a hard-fought, 71-65, win over Western Carolina, as the Spartans were able to garner the season sweep of the Catamounts.

One of the interesting stat lines that came out of this game was the two teams teams almost go no production from their respective benches in the contest, with the two teams combining for eight points off of the respective benches. 

Four Spartans ended up finding their way into double figures, with UNCG's dynamic scoring quartet of Mikeal Brown-Jones, Keyshawn Langley, Donovan Atwell, and Kobe Langley all finished in double figures in the win for UNCG. That aforementioned quartet of players accounted for a combined 53 of the team's 71 points in the contest. Brown-Jones and Keyshaun Langley finished with 19 points apiece, while Donovan Atwell added 15 and Kobe Langley finished with 15.

The Spartans bench went a combined 3-of-8 from the field for a combined six points, with Joryam Saizanou (4 pts) and Tim Caesar (2 pts) accounted for all of the bench points in the game for the Spartans. 

Keyshaun Langley finished going 7-for-11 from the field, which included connecting on four crucial three-pointers for the Spartans in the contest, with two of threes coming on consecutive possessions late in the contest to give UNCG a six-point lead it would never surrender en route to the 71-65 win. 

Meanwhile, Catamount guards Vonterius Woolbright and Russell Jones Jr. combined to score 44 points with those two netting 22 points apiece. For Woolbright, who is the leading candidate for Southern Conference Player of the Year, posted his 18th game of the season with 20 more points in game this season. He only just missed a double-double for just the eighth time this season, finishing with eight rebounds. 

Russell Jones Jr. scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and Tre Jackson and DJ Campbell finished just out of double figures, posting nine points apiece. All told, the Spartans starting backcourt quartet combined for 62 of the team's 65 points. College of Charleston transfer center Charles Lampten had one point, while Bernard Pelote accounted for the lone two bench points following his 2-of-2 performance from the charity stripe in 19 min off the bench. The Catamounts bench was a combined 0-for-11 from the field In the contest. 

For UNCG head coach Mike Jones, he helped the Spartans to 20 wins for the second time in his three seasons since taking over the head coaching post. The 20-win campaign marked the seventh time in the past eight seasons the Spartans have registered 20 or more wins, and along with Samford, are the lone two teams in the SoCon to have won 20 or more games in the league this season. 

The Spartans have 197 overall wins since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is one of ahead of Furman's 196 overall triumphs over that same span. UNCG also has a league standard 114 SoCon wins over that span, which is two ahead of 112 SoCon wins over the past nine seasons.

While UNCG gained the season sweep of Western Carolina, Mercer (13-15, 6-9 SoCon) helped avenge a loss to The Citadel earlier in league play with an 87-78 home win over The Citadel. Earlier this season, the Bears blew what was an 18-point lead to get what was a 68-66 win. 

Mercer is trending in the right direction down the stretch, and though the Bears appeared headed for the No. 8 seed, are a team that remains one that teams might want to avoid if possible in Asheville. Mercer could climb to seventh in the league standings, but despite being tied for seventh in the league standings at 6-9 with ETSU, the Bears would be the No. 8 seed in the tournament due to the fact that ETSU garnered the season sweep.  

Mercer's win over the Bulldogs marked the Bears second-straight win for Mercer and head into a crurcial matchup with UNCG--a team the Bears beat on the road, 70-64, last month--as the Bears will celebrate Senior Day at Hawkins Arena.

ETSU and Chattanooga picked up wins over VMI (4-24, 1-14 SoCon) and Wofford (15-13, 8-7 SoCon), respectively, to round out Wednesday night's SoCon action. 

The Bucs picked up an 82-69 win over the visiting Keydets, marking the second time ETSU has reached 80 points in a Southern Conference win this season, while Chattanooga used a second-half run to distance itself from the Terriers and pick up an 81-65 win, despite playing without dynamic scoring guard Trey Bonham. The Mocs got a game-high 29 points from Honor Huff to secure the win over the Terriers.

Wofford had grabbed a 54-52 lead in the game with 12:23 left, however, a 15-5 run, which included a double-technical foul from the Terriers helped push the advantage to 12 (69-57) and the Mocs never looked back en route to the big win. 

ETSU led by 22 points at the half (52-30) and coasted to what was an 82-69 win over the Keydets, bolstered by a 21-point effort from Ebby Asamoah, who knocked down four threes in the win. Jaden Seymour added 16 points in 36 minutes of action, while Quimari Peterson and Jadyn Parker rounded out the Bucs in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. 

Samford's key to winning it all in Asheville

It's tough to know what to expect as we head down the stretch, however, Samford remains the team to beat in what has been another wild Southern Conference season, and though the Bulldogs have been way out in front of the league standings to-date, many expect the Bulldogs to have the toughest challenge that any of the past six previous No. 1 seeds that have won the tournament have had before cutting down the nets in Asheville. 

The Bulldogs have had some injuries hit at exactly the wrong time to both Achor Achor and AJ Staton-McCray, however, the good news is Samford has its best player--Jermaine Marshall--starting to get his groove back after returning from injury. His 15 points against Furman were evidence of just that, and his play on both ends of the floor helped will the Bulldogs to a 13 SoCon win this past Wednesday. 

Samford is also proving it can play well defending the perimeter, however, the main concern for the Bulldogs is defending the post and particularly the paint without Achor Achor, who is injured, or when he is in foul trouble. If Samford doesn't find an answer to that equation, it could make life difficult in Asheville.

There's still time to get healthy and improve that one weakness though heading towards the conference tournament in a couple of weeks, as the Bulldogs host ETSU Saturday before closing the season with games at Wofford next Wednesday (Feb. 28) and at The Citadel on Mar. 2.

Jermaine Marshall rallies Samford late to snatch a win from the grasp of visiting Furman

HOMEWOOD, AL--It was one of the best Southern Conference games of the 2023-24 season, and despite Furman taking a late five-point lead inside the final minute, Samford was able to rally inside the final 45 seconds of the game, with Jermaine Marshall scoring the final four points of the game, including getting the game-winning layup in the paint with 2.9 seconds remaining, as Samford moved a step closer to the Southern Conference title with a 74-72 triumph over the Paladins Wednesday night at the Pete Hanna Center.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve on their already record-setting regular-season, moving to 24-4 overall and 13-2 in the Southern Conference, while Furman dropped to 15-13 overall and 9-6 in league action. The win by the Bulldogs snaps a four-game skid in the series by Samford, as the Bulldogs Improved to 11-24 against joining the Southern Conference in 2008-09 and 11-26 against the Paladins in the overall series. The win also saw Samford remain perfect at 16-0 on its home floor this season. Furman won the earlier meeting this season, 78-68, in Greenville back on Jan. 24.

The Bulldogs now need just one more win to clinch the No. 1 overall seed and outright regular-season Southern Conference title for the first time since joining the league prior to the 2008-09 season, as Samford will host East Tennessee State Saturday afternoon at the Pete Hanna Center, with tip-off for that contest set for 3 p.m. EST. The past six No. 1 seeds have claimed the Southern Conference Tournament title.  

Should the Bulldogs claim the top overall seed with a win Saturday over the Bucs, it would mark the first time since their days as a member of the Trans-America Athletic Conference (TAAC) in 1999 that the Bulldogs have claimed the top overall seed in a conference tournament. 

Furman, which shared the Southern Conference regular-season title with Samford last season and was the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Tournament at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, would finish with the No. 4 overall seed if the season ended today. Should that happen, it would mark the first time in the past eight seasons that the Paladins have finished lower than third in the final regular-season Southern Conference standings. 

Furman and Samford both played the game with a physical edge, and both defended hard and well over the course of 40 minutes, in what was a physical clash between two of the SoCon's two best teams over the past couple of seasons, it was a game that would ultimately be decided by a player, in Jermaine Marshall, who missed the first clash between the two this season, as he was out with a torn meniscus knee injury.

For the game, Marshall had one of his better performances on both ends of the floor since returning, as it was his sixth game back in the rotation for the Bulldogs. Marshall, a native of Brighton, AL, finished as one of four Samford players in double figures, finishing with 15 points on a 6-of-11 shooting performance from the field and a 3-for-4 effort from the free throw line. His 15-point performance saw Marshall eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his career, and his game winning bucket gives him 1,002 career points. 

Marshall also added eight rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal to round out his performance. After a three-pointer by Jaden Campbell got the Bulldogs to within two, at 72-70, with 39 seconds remaining, it would set the stage for Marshall's late-game heroics. 

Perhaps even better than his game-winning layup was Marshall's steal of a PJay Smith Jr. inbounds pass, in which he caught the low, swiftly thrown pass by Smith in attempt to knock the ball off of Marshall's leg back out of bounds and in most cases probably should have worked, however, the quick reaction of Marshall saw him catch the Smith inbounds pass at point-blank range and in-turn, forced Smith to commit the immediate foul. Marshall would have to earn the points from the charity stripe, which he would. 

Marshall calmly made both foul shots to tie the game. After Furman got the ball quickly down the floor, Furman's JP Pegues, who finished with a career-high 33 points, launched a three out of a double-team from the right corner, which was rebounded by Marshall, and he went coast-to-coast for what proved to be the game-winning points with 2.9 seconds remaining. 

Marshall's performance was particularly key without the services of AJ Staton-McCray, who didn't dress out due to a minor injury, and forward Achor Achor--Samford's leading scorer--who missed most of the game with an injury suffered early in the contest and the status of his injury is unknown. 

Samford would actually be led in the contest by Rylan Jones, who was seemingly clutch all night for the Bulldogs, as he posted 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and turned the ball over only once. Jones, a transfer from Mountain West-leading Utah State, finished with his 17 on a 5-of-14 shooting effort from the field, which included a 4-for-9 effort from three-point land. He also finished 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. 

Rounding out the Bulldogs in double figures in the contest were Nathan Johnson, who added 13 points off the bench, while Jaden Campbell finished with 12 points and four boards. Johnson also posted double figures in the first matchup between the two this season, as he finished that contest with 10 points in the Bulldogs' 10-point loss at Timmons Arena back on Jan. 24.

Marshall's flurry of heroics at the end of the game overshadowed a career night from Furman's junior guard JP Pegues, who finished the contest with a career-best 33 points, finished the game by scoring the Paladins' final 22 points, which was reminiscent of the 18-straight points scored to start the game for Furman last time the Paladins visited the Pete Hanna Center, with Mike Bothwell doing the honors on that occasion, as it turned out to be a 93-79 win by the Paladins on that occasion.

The junior from Nashville finished the night connecting on 9-of-15 shots from the field, which included a 6-for-11 performance from three-point range and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Pegues scored 28 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, including 22 over the final 6:56 of game action. All told, Pegues accounted for 28 of Furman's 46 second-half points in the loss.

In addition to what the junior did as a scorer, he also added six rebounds, two assists, a steal and had only two turnovers against Samford's relentless pressure. The performance by Pegues marked the 11th time this season in which he has scored 20 or more points in a game, and his effort in the loss eclipsed his previous career-high of 29 points, which he established in the loss to Belmont earlier this season. 

Pegues became the third Paladin to score 30 or more points in a game this season, and the fourth occurrence of that particular feat. His 33-point effort was a season-high for a Paladin player, and he joins Marcus Foster (2) and Alex Williams (1) who have also recorded 30-point scoring efforts this season. The last time Furman played in Homewood, which was in the regular-season finale last season, Mike Bothwell went for 35 points in the Paladins' 14-point road win to clinch the No. 1 seed in Asheville. 

The only other Paladin to finish the contest in double figures in the loss was Garrett Hien, who put together one of his most complete performances of the season, as he finished the contest with 10 points, six rebounds and dished out five assists.

Furman's leading scorer Marcus Foster was held to just five points, marking the first time since he returned to the lineup 10 games ago that he has been held out of double figures, and just the second time he has been held out of double figures this season. 

The Bulldogs finished the contest connecting on 48.1% of their shots from the field (25-of-52), which included a 36.0% (9-for-32) effort from three-point range. The Bulldogs, who get to the free throw line more than any other team in the Southern Conference, finished connecting on 15-of-19 charity shots for a 78.9% shooting clip from the line. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 60.0% (15-of-25) from the field in the second half, and were 50% (4-of-8) from three-point land.

The Paladins finished the night shooting the basketball at a 43.6% (24-of-55) from the field, including 28.1% (9-for-32) from three-point land, and finished 75.0% (15-of-20) at the charity stripe. 

Samford ended the night with advantages in total assists (18-14), points off turnovers (23-10), bench points (30-12), points in the paint (32-28) and fast-break points (19-11). Furman held the edge in second-chance points (9-8) and the two teams tied with 32 rebounds apiece. 

How it Happened: 

Furman and Samford engaged in a classic Southern Conference Wednesday night at the Pete Hanna Center, and when it was finished, the Bulldogs had taken a giant step towards an outright Southern Conference crown. 

The first half saw a physical, defensive battle break out, and Samford had to also a bit of adversity in terms overall team health, as the Bulldogs were without Achor Achor, who picked up two early injuries and then suffered a foot injury from which he didn't return from. AJ Staton-McCray, who is Samford's second-leading scorer, did not play all night after suffering an injury earlier in the week in practice. 

The Paladins struggled throughout the opening half to connect with any sort of efficiency from the field, especially from three-point range, as the Paladins missed on their first nine three-point attempts.

Samford and Furman played a low-scoring opening 20 minutes of basketball before the Bulldogs looked poised to take a seven-point lead into the half before JP Pegues gave the Paladins a morsel of momentum heading into the break, as his right-wing three at the buzzer was a harbinger of things to happen in the second half for the junior guard and the Paladins. 

Furman would find itself behind by double digits for the third time of the night, and after having trailed 14-4 and 16-6 in the first half, the Paladins saw Bulldogs go up by 10, 1t 56-46, with Rylan Jones converting a three-point play the old fashioned way with 8:23 remaining. That's when Furman and Pegues started to cook. Pegues hit a jumper, and then PJay Smith zipped a pass to Garrett Hien and he went up for the strong tomahawk one-handed flush, making it a 56-50 contest with 7:35 left. 

Pegues would reel off a streak of three-straight triples as part of an 18-6 Furman run, allowed the Paladins to take their first lead of the night, and his three from the left corner gave the Paladins a 64-62 lead with just under four minutes remaining. 

On the other end, Jermaine Marshall would convert a layup and went 1-of-2 from the line to put the Bulldogs ahead 65-64 with 2:38 remaining. Thirteen seconds later, Pegues was fouled on a three, which almost went in, however, he was fouled in the act of shooting and converted all three free throws to give the Paladins a 67-65 lead. 

With a little under 90 seconds remaining, Rylan Jones was fouled going to the basket and he would knock down a pair of foul shots to tie the game, 67-67, with 1:29 left.

On the ensuing possession and with the shot clock down to one second, JP Pegues launched a 30-foot three-pointer from the top of the key which splashed through the basket with just 56 seconds remaining, and it looked as if the Paladins might be able to steal a key road SoCon win. 

Following a Jones missed layup on the other end, Pegues ripped down the rebound and was immediately fouled. Pegues knocked down a pair of foul shots with 45 seconds remaining. Just six seconds later, the Bulldogs got the ball quickly down the floor and into the hands of Jaden Campbell, who stroked home a left elbow three-pointer to get Samford within two. 

On the ensuing inbounds pass, Furman called timeout to try and combat the Samford full-court pressure and get the ball into the hands of JP Pegues, however, instead of Pegues inbounding the pass, it would be PJay Smith Jr. to pass in the ball, however, with the threat of a five seconds call from the referee, Smith Jr. opted to try and throw the ball off of Jermaine Marshall, however, he caught the point-blank pass and was immediately fouled by Smith. Marshall would connect on both free throws to tie the game, 72-72, with 38 seconds remaining.

On Furman's next possession, the ball was inbounded to Pegues, who then opted to dribble to the near corner in front of the Furman bench where he would be double-teamed, with Marshall being the primary defender. From there,    Pegues forced up a double-clutch three-pointer, and somehow Marshall got the rebound and then raced up the far side of the floor for what proved to be the game-winning layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. 

Instead of using its final timeout, Furman quickly inbounded the ball to Pegues, whose desperation effort from beyond half court was no good as time expired, and the Pete Hanna Center erupted in jubilation to celebrate its 16th home win of the season and 24th overall. 

Furman will look to regroup Saturday when it returns to Timmons Arena to take on I-85 rival Wofford (15-13, 8-7 SoCon), as the Paladins continue to fight for a higher seed line for the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs will be at home against Saturday, taking on East Tennessee State (14-14, 6-9 SoCon) with a 3 p.m. EST tip-off time slated at the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs could clinch Southern Conference regular-season title with a win. The Bulldogs are 28-5 against SoCon foes over the past two seasons.

Furman locks down Chattanooga

A Day fit for a 'King'

Jalen Slawson honored prior to Sunday's SoCon clash between Furman and Chattanooga (photo courtesy of Furman athletics/Jeremy Fleming)

Sacramento and Stockton Kings forward Jalen Slawson, who was the 54th pick of the NBA Draft last Summer, returned to Furman to be honored with his championship ring he helped the Paladins earn in Asheville last March. It was a ring that that was a small symbol of the culture he was a part of and also helped enhance during his five years of direct influence with the Furman men's basketball program from 2018-23. 

He was honored prior to tip-off for his efforts in helping Furman return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 43 years, scoring 20 points in the SoCon Tournament championship game in an 88-79 win over Chattanooga before dropping 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Paladins historic 68-67 first round win over Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. It was only the second NCAA Tournament win in school history and first in 49 years. 

While Slawson took in his first Furman game of the 2023-24 season, the fellowship of remaining Paladins went about trying to gather momentum to try and collectively defend the ring they helped Slawson earn last season.

It was a good start to final stretch run of the regular-season, as Furman's men's basketball team used a staunch defensive effort from the start to garner a season split with the Chattanooga, getting an 82-65 win over Mocs. 

Furman's win was its third in succession, improving to 15-12 overall and 9-5 in Southern Conference action, while the Mocs dip to 18-9 overall and 10-4 in league action. The loss snapped UTC's three-game winning streak and six-game road winning streak, which was its longest since the 1992-93 campaign.

The win also helped Furman cement itself in fourth place in the league standings with two weeks of basketball remaining before the 10 league members descend on Asheville for the 2024 Southern Conference Tournament. 

The win saw the Paladins notch their 196th victory overall since the start of the 2015-16 season, as well as their 112th Southern Conference win. Furman also improved to 108-18 at Timmons Arena since over that same span, as well as improving to 62-9 in Southern Conference games.

Additionally, Furman improved to 14-10 against Chattanooga in the series since the start of the 2013-14 season, including claiming what was its seventh win over that same span by double figures. It was Furman's seventh win in its last eight meetings between the two at Timmons Arena. 

The only blemish against the Mocs on for Furman over the last eight seasons came on Feb. 12, 2022, as Chattanooga would capture a 64-58 win at Timmons Arena. The Mocs went on to win the SoCon regular-season and tournament titles. Sunday's meeting marked the 99th clash of the two programs on the college basketball hardwood, with the Mocs now holding the 58-41 series edge. 

Needless to say, but the rivalry between the SoCon's most-decorated basketball tradition--Chattanooga (12 titles)--and a program that has become a regular league title contender over the past nine seasons--Furman--has become one of the more enthralling rivalries on the SoCon hardwood.

For the first 11 minutes of Sunday afternoon's Sunday matinee' Southern Conference basketball game on CBS Sports Network, Furman locked down Chattanooga's easy on the eyes offense and rendered one of the nation's most efficient offenses inept, holding the Mocs to just two field goals over the first 10:51 of the game to build a 19-10 lead. 

Chattanooga's first-half shooting struggles was reminiscent of those encountered by Furman to open the previous clash between the two last month in the Scenic City. In that contest, 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. 

Furman finished the opening half last month connecting on just 7-of-29 from the field (24.1%), which included a 1-for-14 (7.1%) effort from three-point range as the two teams entered the halftime locker room.

On Sunday, Chattanooga connected on just 6-of-29 (20.7%) from the field and were 4-for-16 (25.0%) from three-point range. It was almost an identical role reversal. 

Furman's 73-58 loss to the Mocs last month ended up being the Paladins' worst Southern Conference loss since December 29, 2019, as Furman dropped what was a 79-56 setback at East Tennessee State. 

Furman was once again without Alex Williams (15.1 PPG), who is the team's third-leading scorer, due to a suspension.  Williams posted 15 points in Furman's 15-point loss to Chattanooga back in January.

What was available Sunday were two of Furman's three-headed scoring monster that should find themselves in contention for all-league honors in the postseason. JP Pegues, who was the SoCon Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer last March en route to helping lead Furman to a SoCon title run over the course of three days in Asheville, led the way for the Paladins with 22 points.

The preseason All-SoCon selection and junior guard from Nashville, posted his 10th performance of 20 or more points this season by connecting on 7-of-17 from the field, including 4-for-8 from three-point land and the league's best free throw shooter was perfect from the line, finishing 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. 

In addition to his 22 points for the Paladins, Pegues also added three assists and five rebounds to his overall totals. 

Furman's other preseason All-SoCon performer--Marcus Foster--didn't play in the first meeting with the Mocs last month, but he had a substantial affect on Sunday's outcome before a national television audience. The redshirt senior from Atlanta finished as the Paladins' second-highest scorer, posting 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, which included a 3-of-6 shooting effort from three-point land. Foster was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and added six rebounds, two assists and a block.

Rounding out the Paladins in double figures in the contest was Lee University transfer guard PJay Smith Jr. finished with 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field for the game, which includes a 3-for-8 from three-point range and was 0-of-1 from the line. Smith also added three rebounds, three assists and blocked a shot.

Also of note was the performance of Ben VanderWal, who came into the contest off a career night against VMI last Wednesday by posting 15 points and 13 rebounds, followed that up against the Mocs with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block.

Freshman center Cooper Bowser added eight points and two rebounds off the bench, while Tyrese Hughey added seven points and Garrett Hien, who has been re-inserted into the starting five, finished with six points, seven rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.

Chattanooga has one of the most dynamic and diminutive backcourts in college basketball, in both Honor Huff and Trey Bonham, who had strung together a pair of 31-point performances in wins over East Tennessee State and UNC Greensboro coming into Sunday's showdown in Greenville. 

Unfortunately, the duo didn't finish the game together, as Bonham left early in the second half with an apparent ankle sprain and did not return. Bonham finished 0-of-6 from the field and had just two points.

Huff on the other hand, led all scorers with 26 points and was one of two Mocs in double figures, connecting on 6-of-14 shots from the field, which included a 3-for-8 effort from beyond the arc and went 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Huff also distributed three assists and registered three steals.

The only other Mocs player in double figures in the contest was freshman guard Noah Melson, who came off the bench to add 10 points and two boards in 19 minutes of court time. Melson finished the contest connecting on 3-of-4 shots from the field and was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. 

The Paladins finished the game shooting an impressive 48.3% (29-of-60) for the game, which included a 40.7% performance from three-point range (11-of-27), and connected at an 86.7% (13-of-15) clip from the foul line. 

Chattanooga finished the contest connecting on just 33.9% (19-of-56) from the field, which included a meager 28.9% (8-of-28) effort from three-point land. UTC's 33.9% effort from the field was its lowest since a 70-54 home loss to UNC Greensboro back on Jan. 13 at McKenzie Arena, which saw the Mocs convert at just a 30.9% (17-of-55) clip for the game. 

The Paladins finished the game holding advantages in points from turnovers (19-11), total rebounds (40-33), points in the paint (30-16), total assists (20-13) and fast-break points (13-11). The Mocs held the slight edge in bench scoring (20-19), while the two teams finished tied in second-chance points (12-12).

How It Happened:

Furman's tough defense in the early going was evident, and it was an 8-0 run, which was capped by a no-look feed from Carter Whitt-to-Ben VanderWal, who converted the reverse layup, giving the Paladins the 19-10 advantage with 9:16 remaining in the opening half.

Chattanooga started the contest by making only two field goals in the first 10:51 of game action, which came on a three-pointer from Myles Che and a short jumper  from Honor Huff, as the Mocs missed 17 out of their first 20 shots from the field. 

Following a triple from the left elbow from Tyler Millin that trimmed UTC's deficit to six, at 19-13, with a little over nine minutes left in the opening half, Furman put together a 15-0 run to take complete control of the game. 

The Paladins took a 21-point opening half lead, using back-to-back threes from JP Pegues and PJay Smith Jr., with 5:30 left in the frame to give Furman a 34-13 lead and bringing the sellout crowd of 2,377 fans to its collective feet. 

Furman's final points of the half, which came on a Garrett Hien layup in the paint following a Jan Zidek turnover, allowed Furman to take its largest lead of the afternoon, at 48-24, with 58 seconds left in the opening 20 minutes. The Paladins would settle for a 48-29 halftime lead. 

Furman would never really see the Mocs the margin inside double digits in the second half, getting as close as 11, at 59-48, when Honor Huff knocked down 2-of-3 free throws after having been fouled on a three-pointer with 11:06 left.

However, Furman's response would be a 14-3 run, highlighted by four three pointers from Pegues, Marcus Foster (2), and Tyrese Hughey, while another Pegues layup accounted for the totality of the 14 points during the run and Foster's two threes bookended the second half Paladin spurt to give Furman a 73-51 lead with 6:18 remaining. 

Both teams return to action Wednesday night, with Furman heading out on the SoCon road to league-leading Samford (23-4, 12-2 SoCon) for a 7:30 p.m. EST tip-off at the Pete Hanna Center, while Chattanooga will host Wofford (15-12, 8-6 SoCon)at McKenzie Arena with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. EST.

Post-game Press Conference

Head Coach Bob Richey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFqLb6_LUGc

Players Marcus Foster and Ben VanderWal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l564H1LCH18

SoCon Hoops February Update

Jaden Campbell shoots vs VMI (photo courtesy of Samford athletics)

                                    

Samford continues to top the SoCon Standings

We have officially reached the second half of SoCon Hoops play and the more things change, the more they have,  in fact, stayed the same. 

Samford continues to win games and set records along the way, as the Bulldogs continue to get closer to clinching the No. 1 overall seed for the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville.

Samford's latest victim was Western Carolina, as the Bulldogs completed the season sweep of the Catamounts, who tumbled to sixth place in the league standings with the 88-62 loss at the Pete Hanna Center Wednesday night at the Pete Hanna Center, showing no love to the Catamounts on Valentine's night inside its nearly unbeatable confines this season. The win over the Catamounts saw Samford improve to 15-0 in games played at the Pete Hanna Center this season. 

Bucky McMillan's Bulldogs have now posted a 27-4 mark against SoCon foes in the regular season over the past couple of campaigns, with three of those four losses coming to Furman and the other one coming at Wofford last season. 

The Bulldogs continue to lead the league in scoring offense (88.0 PPG), field goal percentage (49.8%), turnover margin (+4.35), assist-turnover ratio (1.42), assists (18.6 APG) and steals per game (10.92), three-point field goal percentage (40.7%) and rank second in three-pointers made (264).

In terms of national statistics, the Bulldogs lead the nation in three-point field goal percentage (40.7%), rank fourth in scoring offense (88.0 PPG), fifth in turnovers forced (17.4), ninth in team field goal percentage (49.8%) and 12th in three-pointers made per game (10.3). 

Samford has been the ultimate sum of its parts team, without a out and out star. With Jermaine Marshall now back, that's about as close as you can get to having a star, as he is an outstanding player on both ends, but he probably won't garner the attention that the likes of Vonterius Woolbright of Western Carolina or Mikeal Brown-Jones of UNC Greensboro, but he's right in the neighborhood. But what makes Samford different this season, as say previous seasons under head coach Bucky McMillan is that one guy isn't dominating the stats sheet.

Since returning four games ago, he has found his way into double figures twice, which includes a 16-point effort in Samford's latest outing against Western Carolina this past Wednesday night.

Can anyone stop Samford?

It certainly would appear not. The Bulldogs have been dominant lately, but if you're going to beat this incredibly deep team, the way to do it is pretty self explanatory. 

In the three losses the Bulldogs they have this season, they have failed to reach 70 points and teams have taken relatively good care of the basketball, and haven't turned the ball over much against the Bulldogs, or when they have, those turnovers haven't been of the live-ball variety, which can turn directly into Samford points on the other end.

Furman, which handed the Bulldogs their only Southern Conference loss, 78-68, last month at Timmons Arena, did turn the ball over 18 times, which led to 20 points for the Bulldogs. However, the Paladins played some of their best defense of the season in the first half of that particular game to build a 34-25 halftime lead. The 25 points were a season-low for the Bulldogs in a half, and the Paladins were able to hold Samford to just 43.8% for the game from the field, and just 33.3% from three-point range, as the Bulldogs connected on 9-of-27 from long-range for the game.

Furman's performance was the exception rather than the rule this season in SoCon play...At least so far. The Paladins and Bulldogs will square off again on Feb. 21 at the Pete Hanna Center.

This weekend, the Bulldogs will return to the SoCon hardwood in Macon, GA., taking on the Mercer Bears in a 2 p.m. EST contest at Hawkins Arena.

Mocs are Dangerous...again

Other than Samford, Chattanooga is again one of the hottest teams in the Southern Conference, as Dan Earl's club heads into Sunday's showdown at Timmons Arena against Southern Conference defending champion Furman having won eight of their last nine games, including each of their last three. 

Chattanooga's diminutive backcourt duo of Honor Huff and Trey Bonham have been dominant of late. It was Bonham's 53 points in two games against UNC Greensboro and VMI that helped the Mocs to a pair of impressive wins for the week.

It was Bonham, who poured in 23 points in UTC's 88-84 road win at VMI last week before returning to the floor at UNC Greensboro and putting one of the top performances for a Mocs guard on the road since the 2021-22 season, when David Jean-Baptiste posted a 31-point effort in a loss at Samford in the 2021-22 season.

Bonham went for a career-high 31 points in a resounding 89-61 win over UNC Greensboro in one of Chattanooga's best performances of the season.

The senior guard, who didn't even expect to be eligible this season, recently went over 1,000 points for his career in Chattanooga's lone loss in its past nine games, as he reached that goal in the Mocs' 78-56 home loss to Samford.

In the Mocs' latest game, it was Honor Huff who would be the Mocs guard and former VMI Keydet to draw the spotlight after his performance against East Tennessee State in what was an 84-71 home win over the Bucs.  Huff scored a career-high 31 points to match his current Mocs  and former Keydet teammate, and did so by helping tie a school record with nine three-pointers made, with six of those coming in the opening half of play. 

The two have combined to score 95 points and connect on 20 of the team's 31 three-pointers over the past couple of games. It's been an amazing run of form for the two guards.

Those nine triples were part of a performance which saw the Mocs connect on 16 for the game. In fact, Chattanooga who has connected on 31 triples over the past couple of games, shooting those at a sizzling 59.6% from three-point land over the past couple of games.

Quite simply, at this point in time, no one other than maybe Samford is shooting the ball better than the Mocs, and that's due in large part to quick passing, which creates space and less recovery time for opposing defenses. Quick ball movement is an indication of playing in rhythm and synchronicity as a team. This could make UTC a real threat in Asheville. 

Log Jam in the middle

Furman (14-12, 8-5 SoCon) and Wofford (15-11, 8-5 SoCon) remain tied for fourth in the Southern Conference standings, while Western Carolina (18-8, 7-6 SoCon) remains a game back in sixth place. East Tennessee State (13-13, 5-8 SoCon) remains alive for the sixth seed, however, there is no more crucial game for the Bucs than the one this Saturday at Western Carolina. 

It amounts to a must-win for both teams, but especially ETSU. A loss Saturday in Cullowhee would all but put the Bucs in the play-in game, likely as the No. 7 seed, as ETSU holds the tiebreaker over Mercer by virtue of the season sweep of the Bears.

As for Furman, it has the most favorable schedule down the stretch, in that it has three home games remaining against two on the road. Furman will host Chattanooga (Feb. 18) on Sunday before heading to Samford (Feb. 21) next Wednesday and facing Wofford (Feb. 24). at home next Saturday. The Paladins will then be in Cullowhee to face Western Carolina (Feb. 28) before closing out the home slate in two weeks against Mercer (Mar. 2) in what will be the final regular-season date of the season.

The Paladins have strung together back-to-back wins over East Tennessee State (W, 65-63) on the road and VMI (W, 75-62) at home after going through a rough patch prior, having dropped three of four. The important games start Sunday with Chattanooga, who handed the Paladins a 73-58 setback back on Jan. 6 in McKenzie Arena. It was Furman's worst Southern Conference loss since Dec. 29, 2018, when the Paladins were 79-56 losers in a game at East Tennessee State. 

Wofford will be at home Saturday afternoon, as the Terriers will host UNC Greensboro (18-8, 9-4 SoCon), who sits third in the league standings. The Spartans handed the Terriers one of their worst setbacks of the season earlier in the campaign, handing Wofford an 82-59 setback back on Jan. 20. 

The Terriers will then be at Chattanooga on Feb. 21 before heading to Timmons Arena to face Furman next Saturday on Feb. 24. Wofford will play its final home game of the season against league-leading Samford on Feb. 28 before finishing the season at VMI on March 2. 

Finally, Western Carolina will begin its final five-game stretch of the season by hosting East Tennessee State on Saturday at the Ramsey Center in a 4 p.m. contest. The Catamounts will then be on the road at the Greensboro Coliseum on Feb. 21 and at VMI next Saturday (Feb. 24). The Catamounts will close out the home slate on Feb. 28 against Furman before heading to Chattanooga (Mar. 2) on the final day of the regular-season. 

Woolbright's Award

Vonterius Woolbright has been nothing short of unstoppable this season, and with his eighth player of the week weekly award, tying former Davidson guard Stephen Curry for the most player of the week awards won in one season, which he established during the 2008-09 season.

Woolbright finished the week averaging 21.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG and dished out 6.5 APG.  Overall, Woolbright is averaging a league-leading 22.3 PPG and 12.3 RPG, which leads the SoCon and ranks second and fourth, respectively, in the NCAA. His impressive 22 double-doubles leads the nation and three triple-doubles leads all of college basketball.

Power Rankings

1. Samford--Bulldogs look unstoppable at the moment

2. Chattanooga-Mocs are shooting the cover off the basketball 

3. UNC Greensboro--The Spartans appear to have found their mojo again in Charleston

4. Wofford--The Terriers are the team no one is really talking about but could be a real dark horse in Asheville

5. Furman--The defending champs are looking for a strong finish heading to Asheville

6. Western Carolina--A win over the Bucs Saturday would right some wrongs 

7. East Tennessee State--Face a must-win game Saturday at WCU to stay alive for a top-six seed

8. Mercer--The Bears have played well in recent seasons against Samford and host the league-leading Bulldogs Sat.

9. The Citadel--Bulldogs know they are headed for play-in game, but they can still play spoiler

10. VMI--Head to Charleston looking for a season sweep of The Citadel and will hope to have leading scorer Brennan Watkins back in the lineup.