Cooper Bowser recorded his first-career double-double, which included a career-high 17 points to go with 12 rebounds and three blocks, while redshirt freshman Eddrin Bronson posted a 10 points, including a couple of timely threes in the second half to help Furman create some cushion in a tight game, as the Paladins were able to hold off a stern challenge from Seattle with a 61-56 win in the nightcap of Terry's Chocolate Vegas Showdown at T-Mobile Arena.
With the win, Furman remained unbeaten and improved to 7-0 to start the season, while Seattle saw its modest two-game winning streak end, as the Redhawks fell to 2-4.
Furman has now had to win a game in a variety of different ways this season, and on Tuesday night, the Redhawks presented a different type of challenge, as the physical WAC member blitzed the glass, out-rebounding Furman, 42-29, in the game, including 22-4 on the offensive glass, which led to a decisive 25-7 advantage for the Redhawks in second chance scoring.
The Paladins made up for the disparity by limiting the Redhawks to just 26.2% (16-of-61) shooting from the field for the game, and it marked the third-straight opponent the Paladins have held to less than 60 points in a game, as well as holding a third-straight opponent to less than 35% shooting for the game.
Furman was once again stellar defensively against a Seattle team, which entered the matchup ranking 50th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (38.7%), as the Paladins put the perimeter on lock while holding the key, limiting the Redhawks to a frigid 18.5% (5-fo-27) from three-point range. Furman's excellent defense forced misses on 17 of Seattle's final 19 shots. The Redhawks did manage did shoot the ball well from the charity stripe, finishing the night by connecting on 76.0% (19-of-25) from the free throw line.
Furman, meanwhile, once again shot the ball better than a 35% clip from three-point range in a game, connecting on 36.4% from long range in the game, knocking down 8-of-22 shots from long range in the win. The Paladins entered the contest ranking 13th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (42.9%).
Bowser finished the contest connecting on 7-of-11 shots from the field and went 3-for-5 from the free throw line, while he added four assists and blocked three shots. The 6-11 center eclipsed his previous career-high of 16 points, which he established just last week in Furman's 124-48 win over Ogelthorpe.
Nick Anderson was the third Paladin in double figures, finishing the contest with 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, including going 2-of-5 from three-point range. Bronson finished 3-of-4 shooting from long range and was 1-for-2 from the charity stripe. PJay Smith Jr., who the Redhawks did an outstanding job of guarding, finished his first game this season below double figures, posting nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, which included going 2-for-5 from three and 1-of-2 at the stripe.
The Seahawks finished were paced by guard Brayden Maldonado, who finished the evening with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe added a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He was 3-of-7 from the field and was 5-of-8 from the foul stripe. Five of his 13 boards came on the offensive end.
Furman finished the night connecting on 52.5% (21-of-40) from the field and 36.4% (8-of-22) from three-point land. The Paladins connected on 61.1% (11-of-18) from the charity stripe.
The Paladins finished the night with advantages in total assists (18-10), bench points (12-5), points off turnovers (18-16), and points in the paint (24-18). The two teams were tied in fast-break points (4-4).
Despite Furman’s struggles on the glass, it made up for it to close out the game, holding the Redhawks to just one and done on its final five possessions, and the Paladins’ defense forced misses on 17 of Seattle’s final 19 shots from the field.
How It Happened:
Neither team could find their shooting stroke early on in the game, and it settled into a defensive battle in the opening 20 minutes. The game see-sawed back and forth, and after Furman led 6-2 early on a pair of threes from Nick Anderson and Garrett Hien, and following a pair of Cooper Bowser free throws, Furman held an 8-4 lead four minutes into the game.
The Paladins then hit an offensive lull, as the Redhawks used a 7-0 spurt over the next 2:43 to take an 11-8 lead following a Malik Gomma bucket with 13:17 remaining. From there, the Paladins and Redhawks traded blows, with points coming at a premium over the next five minutes of game action.
A Nick Anderson free throw line jumper saw the Paladins pull even with the Redhawks, 14-14, with 8:18 left in the half. Both teams went scoreless for a minute-and-a-half until John Christofilis made a layup to give Seattle a 16-14 lead once again before Furman’s Ben VanderWal dunked it home off a nice cut to the basket to tie the game on the next possession.
Maleek Arrington and Cooper Bowser exchanged free throws to keep the game tied before Anderson gave the Paladins the lead once again, at 20-17, with 4:16 left. It would be a lead the Paladins would maintain the rest of the game. The Paladins would outscore the 10-9 over the final four minutes of the half, with Bowser scoring eight of those final 10 points to close the half, as he asserted his dominance in the paint.
There were some tense moments in the second half for Furman, as Seattle used its strong effort on the offensive glass to remain in the game, and when Brayden Maldonado hit a top of the key three with 4:30 left, it got the Redhawks within two and seemingly gave them momentum at a time in the game when Furman was struggling offensively.
However, the Paladins would have a timely response and in particular Eddrin Bronson, who connected on a three from the top of the key, which gave the Paladins a little bit of a cushion, leading 56-51 with 3:23 left. Following a Dawson Paris missed three-pointer, the Paladins would get an acrobatic reverse layup from Tyrese Hughey, who flipped the ball over his head and off the backboard into the hoop, giving the Paladins a 58-51 lead with 2:17 left.
Christofilis missed another three and Furman would come up with its final field goal of the night when Bowser connected on a 10-foot jumper with 1:31 remaining, giving the Paladins a 60-51 lead. It would in fact be the final field goal for either team in the final 90 seconds of the game, as the Redhawks would outscore the Paladins 5-1 from the charity stripe the rest of the way to provide the final margin.
Furman returns to action after Thanksgiving, as the Paladins will travel to No. 1 Kansas to face the unbeaten Jayhawks (6-0) for the first time in 31 years and just the second time in series history on Saturday night. Tip-off between the Paladins and Jayhawks is set for 6 p.m. EST at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
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