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| Furman sophomore center Cooper Bowser posted 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the win over Ogelthorpe |
GREENVILLE, S.C.--Furman's 124-48 win over Ogelthorpe was more about the historic site in which the game was played than the actual result at the final buzzer, and it was a chance to spread its basketball brand into one of the oldest parts of the city and in the heart of what once was an bustling industrial hub.
The Paladins would notch their fifth-straight win to match the longest winning streak of the 2023-24 season Wednesday night before 836 fans on-hand at Parker Gymnasium at Legacy Early College.
The venue--Parker Gym at Legacy Early College--has played host to some great players throughout the years, and it's a venue as much woven into the fabric of Greenville's heritage as the many old and rundown textile mills that are within a short distance of the venue in which the Paladins played a hoops game Wednesday evening. After all, Greenville at one time, was the textile capital of the world.
For the better part of the 20th century when textile was big business in downtown Greenville, Furman was busy carving out its hoops legacy at places like the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, and prior to that, Textile Hall, which was the place where Frank Selvy did the unbreakable by scoring 100 points against Newberry on Feb. 13, 1954.
The Paladins have also played home games at Greenville High School's Slick Moore Gymnasium, which was Parker's main football rival throughout the decades, as the two rivals annually played before thousands in a Thanksgiving Turkey Day Classic just up the road at Greenville's Sirrine Stadium—Furman's longtime home football facility.
With so much history, it was little surprise that Furman would make some of its own when it took the Parker Gymnasium to take on the Stormy Petrels, recording its second-largest win in program history and biggest win since knocking off Virginia Intermont, 126-33, on Dec. 29, 2004.
The 124 points were also the most points scored by the Paladins since that win over Virginia Intermont. Wednesday night's win also marked the second time this season, and the 17th time since Bob Richey assumed the head coaching job that the Paladins have scored 100 or points in a game.
Furman matched a school-record with 34 assists, while PJay Smith Jr., who finished with 29 points for the second-straight game, went 9-of-10 from three-point land, which included connecting on his first seven from long range.
The senior from LaVerne, TN finished the night by connecting on a total of 10-of-11 shots from the field and also added four rebounds, two assists and two steals. His 90% effort from three-point range is a school record for a player shooting 10 or more threes in a game.
Joining the Smith Jr. in double figures by a career-best 20 points from true freshman wing Mason Smith, while Cooper Bowser added 16 points, seven boards and dished out three helpers.
Smith connected on 4-of-11 from three-point range, as the Paladins connected on 17-of-42 from long range in the game, which was all part of a 57.6% shooting effort from the field. Tom House and Tommy Humphries rounded out the Paladins in double figures, posting 10 points apiece.
The Paladins outscored the Stormy Petrals 62-14 in the paint, while holding a 64-21 advantage on the glass. Furman also held a 25-0 edge in points off turnovers.
Ogelthorpe was led in the Logan Turner's 14 points, while Jaylon Taylor added 12. The Stormy Petrels, who shot just 27.9% from the field, fell to 0-4 all-time against the Paladins in the first meeting between the two in 25 years.
How It Happened:
Furman jumped out to a 40-10 lead in the opening 11 minutes of the game, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Paladins carried a 62-17 lead into the halftime lead. The Paladins opened the second half, out-scoring the Stormy Petrels, 27-2, in the opening five minutes of the second stanza to take a 70-point lead, at 89-19, following PJay Smith Jr.'s seventh triple of the night at the 15:06 mark of the second half and would eventually settle for the 76-point win.
Eleven of the 14 Paladins that played in the game scored, including buckets from walk-ons Clyde Mauldin and Thomas Tillman, who both finished with two points apiece, while Virginia Tech transfer Jayson Morgan finished with eight points in eight minutes of court time.
Furman now turns its attention to its most crucial, and toughest stretch of the non-conference slate, with the next four games coming on the road, starting with a 2 p.m. EST test Saturday afternoon at Charleston Southern.
The Paladins will then take part in the Vegas Showcase next week, facing WAC member Seattle in a 11:30 p.m. EST contest next Wednesday, which will be nationally televised by ESPNU. The Paladins will close out the month of November with a trip to Phog Allen Fieldhouse to face top-ranked Kansas on November 30. It will mark the second all-time meeting between the Jayhawks and Paladins.
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