Furman heads to Mercer for SoCon showdown Wednesday night

Paladins look to bounce back from rare home loss last Sunday 

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Furman (12-11, 6-4 SoCon at Mercer (10-13, 3-7 SoCon)

Feb. 7, 2024/Macon, GA

Hawkins Arena (4,500)

Series: Furman holds a 27-10 all-time series edge against the Bears and has won 18-straight games in the series; The Paladins claimed three wins over the Bears just last season, winning 84-66 last season at Hawkins Arena for their seventh-straight win in that SoCon road venue. The Paladins also had to fight hard to earn a 70-67 win In Greenville, while having to overcome a halftime deficit to upend the Bears, 73-58, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Southern Conference Tournament at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville.

Coaches: Furman--Bob Richey (151-66/7th season)/Mercer--Greg Gary (75-75/5th season at Mercer)

Preview: Defending Southern Conference champion Furman will hope to rebound from what was a heartbreaking, 89-87, home loss to UNC Greensboro in a nationally-televised matchup on ESPNU. The loss came despite stellar performances from both senior guard Marcus Foster and JP Pegues, who scored 26 and 25 points, respectively, to lead the Paladins in the losing effort. 

The defending champions looked the part in Sunday's loss, and it was a game that featured a couple of teams that might very well be in contention once again for a Southern Conference Tournament title and subsequent NCAA Tournament bid.

That being said, the Paladins must put the heartbreak of that loss behind them and focus on another tough assignment, which comes against Mercer on the road. The Bears have a talented team and have been playing some of their best basketball of late, including a 90-69 win over VMI at home last time out this past Sunday, while having gone on the road to hand UNC Greensboro () one of its two losses in league action. 

The game will offer somewhat of a contrast in styles, with Furman favoring a more up-tempo pace, ranking second in the league in scoring output (81.3 PPG) , while Mercer comes in as one of the lowest scoring teams in the SoCon in terms of overall output, while the Bears rank last in the league in scoring offense (69.8 PPG). 

Though the Paladins have scored the ball well, they have struggled with some long scoring droughts at times this season. It has been particular evident at the start of games as of late, with slow starts at The Citadel, Wofford and Chattanooga on the road, losing two of those contests.

A Look at the Paladins: The Paladins continue to be a guard-heavy influenced team in many ways this season, and how they go is how the team usually goes this season. 

The Paladins have a scoring trio to rival any in the Southern Conference, with JP Pegues (17.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.9 APG), Marcus Foster (19.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG), and Alex Williams (15.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG) accounting for nearly 55 PPG this so far this season. Foster and Pegues alone accounted for 51 points in the previous outing against UNCG in what was 89-87 setback.

Pegues and Foster have had some outstanding outings in his career vs. the Bears, namely last season. In Furman's 84-66 win at Hawkins Arena last season, Marcus Foster posted a then career-high 25 points to go with seven rebounds and was one of three Paladins in double figures in the win. 

In Furman's narrow 70-67 win at Timmons Arena late last season, it was JP Pegues that had a strong game, as he listed 18 points and dished out five assists in the Paladins' narrow home win. 

In the Southern Conference Tournament, it was Pegues again that showed up big for the Paladins, as he scored a game-high 22 points, dished out four assists and grabbed four boards, leading the Paladins to the 15-point, 73-58, opening round win.

Pegues has been Furman's top player this season, and has scored 20 or more points on nine occasions, and has connected on a three-pointer to tie or give the Paladins the lead on three occasions so far this season, including twice in SoCon play, tying the game against The Citadel last week with 0.8 seconds left, while his three from the top of the key against Western Carolina would allow Furman to gut out a 65-62 triumph on its home floor just a couple of weeks ago.

The junior from Nashville has continued to rank among the league's top 10 in most categories. Pegues currently ranks third in the league in scoring (17.1 PPG), fourth in assists-per-game (4.9 APG), 10th in steals-per-game (1.3), second in free throw percentage (87.6%), and third in assist-turnover-ratio (2.4/3rd). 

While Furman's shooting has been less than spectacular from long range this season in comparison to some of Richey's other teams in recent memory, the Paladins have made up for it in other areas, including on the glass, as well as at the free throw line. 

The Paladins have attempted more free throws than any team in the SoCon and than any team in the SoCon (468), as well as free throws made (338). The other area in which the Paladins have excelled this season has been rebounding, as the Paladins currently rank third in the SoCon in total rebounds per game, pulling down 38.7 boards-per-game and finished with 11.7 offensive rebounds per game.

Foster has posted five double-doubles in his six games since returning from injury and has scored in double figures in all six. in fact, Foster has found his way into double figures in 13 out of the 14 games he's seen action in this season, with the only game in which he failed to reach double figures being the game that he suffered his injury against Princeton. Foster has a pair of 30-point outings this season, as he set the Myrtle Beach Invitational Tournament record with a total of 78 points in three games.

In the nine games in which Foster missed this season, which included the first four Southern Conference games and the final five non-conference games, the Paladins posted a 4-5 record. With him in the lineup this season, the Paladins have posted an 8-6 overall mark, including having gone 4-2 in league games. 

Foster has eight-career double-doubles entering Wednesday night's clash with the Bears, and is on the verge of a career milestone. Foster needs just seven more points to become the 50th player in program history to score 1,000 points in a career. He currently sits at 993 points and ranks as the league's third active career scorer. 

Alex Williams continues to be the steadying three-point threat for the Paladins so far in 2023-24. He has connected on 41.0% (50-of-122) from three-point land this season and ranks third on the team in three-pointers made behind only PJay Smith Jr. (52) and JP Pegues (51) in three-pointers made. That trio has connected on 153 of the team's 226 three-point field goals this season.

Williams has started 15 of the 18 games he's seen action in this season, registering a career high and Furman season standard 31 points in a win over Bob Jones earlier this season, while having scored 20 or more points on six occasions so far in 2023-24. 

Also slated to round out the starting lineup for Furman's midweek contest with the Bears are both guard Carter Whitt (9.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.9 APG) and Tyrese Hughey (5.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG). Whitt has transformed himself into one of Furman's most reliable ball-handlers this season. When Pegues, Foster and Williams all missed the first conference game on the road last month at UNC Greensboro, Whitt was forced to step up and be Furman's go-to-scorer, and he finished out that contest with a career-high 23 points. 

Whitt has two other 20-point scoring efforts this season, scoring all 20 of his points in the second half in an 89-80 win at Coastal Carolina, while posting 21 points in Furman's 100-60 win over VMI a few weeks back in Southern Conference play.

Hughey has provided solid minutes on the glass on both ends, as well as being a presence on the defensive end of the floor and ranks second on the team in blocks, having swatted away 10 shots so far this season.

Furman's two main performers off the bench are guard PJay Smith Jr (10.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 52 3pt field goals) and veteran post player Garrett Hien (7.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Smith Jr. has been an outstanding addition from the transfer portal, joining forces with good friends and AAU teammate JP Pegues this season following a couple of years at Lee University, which is a Division II member of the Gulf South Conference. He was the Gulf South Freshman of the Year a couple of years ago and garnered all-league honors last season before deciding to transfer to Furman. Smith was coached by former Furman standout Bubba Smith at Lee University before transferring to Furman. 

Smith Jr. is shooting better than 40% from three-point range in his collegiate career, and is leading the team in three-pointers made (52) this season, as well as connecting on 38.0% (52-of-137) from long range to this point this season. Smith Jr, enjoyed his best performance as a Paladin against Tulane in what was a 117-110 double overtime loss back in mid-December, as he posted 23 points. His overall career high as a Division I or II college basketball player came in his time at Lee University, tallying 32 points in a win over Auburn-Montgomery last season. 

Along with Foster, Hien is one of the veteran-most leaders on the Paladins roster, and he has struggled to find the type of consistency in his play on both ends that he provided much of his career prior to the 2023-24 season. That said, he's the one piece to the puzzle for this Paladin basketball team that, if he finds that level of play, which he enjoyed in so many big games last season and over the course of his career, could make the Paladins a dangerous team down the stretch and once again in March.

Ben VanderWal () and Cooper Bowser () round out the primary rotation for the Paladins, adding rebounding, cutting ability, as well an overall defensive presence. Bowser leads the team with 17 blocks this season, while VanderWal has been a menace on the offensive glass, as well as being one of the Paladins main "glue guys" off the bench. 

A Look at the Bears: Mercer enters Wednesday's contest playing some of its best basketball of the year, and that really dates back to a solid road performance at league-leading Samford, eventually dropping what was an 87-80 contest in a hard-fought loss.

Then came the forgettable performance against The Citadel, which saw the Bears blow a huge 18-point lead, and an 11 point lead in the final five minutes, eventually dropping what was a 68-66 contest to the Bulldogs. Then came maybe the Bears' best performance of the season, which was a 70-64 road win at UNC Greensboro before dropping a tough, 55-49, home contest to East Tennessee State.

The Bears rebounded last time out in a big way, posting a 90-69 win over VMI. Mercer head coach Greg Gary put together one of the top recruiting classes in the SoCon during the off-season, bringing in a freshman class that has come right in and been able to contribute, while also adding some talent from the transfer portal to help supplement the players he already had returning.

Mercer has one of the top front courts in the league, and though he doesn't start, it pretty much all begins and ends with Jayln McCreary (15.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG), who is the only Bears player to average in double figures and is coming off a career-topping performance, pouring in 30 points in Mercer's latest win over VMI. He scored 20 of those points in the opening half of play. 

McCreary ended up being an all-conference addition last season, and he's one of the most efficient low-post scorers in the SoCon this season. He has scored 30 points on two occasions this season, and crossed the 1,000-point milestone earlier this season in Mercer's seven-point loss at Samford. McCreary's 52.3 field goal percentage mark ranks him fourth overall in the SoCon in that category this season. 

Also productive in the low-post this season for the Bears has been a player, in Jake Davis (9.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG), who was heavily recruited by both Mercer and Furman in the recruiting process, and as a 6-6 forward, gives the Bears a unique inside-outside threat. 

He boasts a team-leading 44 three-pointers made for the Bears this season, shooting them at a good 39.6% from long range on the season. In his first-career start against Georgia State earlier this season, Davis started his first game and proceeded to go out and score a career-high 26 points in leading the Bears to an important win. In that 26-point effort in the 64-60 win over the Panthers, Davis knocked down a career-best four three-pointers. 

Davis is set to start alongside 6-8 junior Alex Holt (6.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG). He is coming off a milestone performance last time out, posting a his first-career double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Bears' 21-point win over VMI. Holt also had a 14-point performance in a loss at Wofford earlier this season. 

The trio of guards that are slated to start this evening against the Paladins are Jah Quinones (6.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG), freshman Anthony Bernard (2.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG) and Jalen Cobb (5.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG). 

 

Quinones is a bigger, physical guard that had a pair of good outings against the Paladins last season. He finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Bears' loss, 70-67, setback in Greenville last season. In the tournament loss, he posted seven points in four boards against Furman. 

Cobb, who transferred into Mercer from Fordham last season, spent most of last season recovering from an early-season knee injury, and that ended up costing the Bears depth-wise in the backcourt. He has recorded five double-figure scoring performances this season, highlighted by a 19-point effort in a 70-65 win over Florida Gulf Coast, connecting on 5-of-7 from three-point range in that win. 

Bernard is a freshman point guard from Grosse Point, MI. and is not a primary scorer. He did post his best performance as a Bear recently in a home loss to Chattanooga, finishing with 11 points, and also posted three steals in the loss earlier this season to the Mocs. 

Along with McCreary, the Bears have some decent depth off the bench--a place that, along with McCreary's 15.0 PPG this season, Mercer is 33.5 PPG from its bench this season.

The other performer coming off the bench that has a chance to garner SoCon All-Freshman Team accolades this season is 6-2 guard David Thomas (8.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG), and posted a season-high 20 points in Mercer's win at VMI early in league play. Notre Dame grad transfer Robby Carmody (7.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG) rounds out the notable performers off the bench for the Bears.