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| Furman guard Nick Anderson posted a team-high 21 points |
GREENVILLE, S.C.--Furman shook off some rust midway through the first half and would take control of the game after falling behind by as many as
nine points midway through the frame, as the Paladins played in their third
different home venue of the 2024-25 campaign, getting a 100-75 win over NAIA Montreat Wednesday night at Bob Jones University's Davis Field House.
With the win, Furman improved to 11-1 on the season, which is its best start since the 2018-19 campaign when the Paladins started the season with a 12-0 record before suffering a loss in its final non-conference game at LSU.
Furman can match that start on Saturday in its final non-conference in Boston when it takes on its second Ivy League foe in the non-conference, taking on the Harvard Crimson (3-7). The win marked the fifth time in program history that the Paladins have started a season 11-1 or better, as the Paladins joined the 2018-19, 1978-79, 1929-30, and the 1931-32 Furman teams to start a season as well. Furman is in its 113th season sponsoring men's basketball as a sport.
Furman's 100-point game marked the 18th time in the Bob Richey era in which the 'Dins have reached the century mark, with five players reaching double figures en route to garnering its 11th win in 12 games to start the 2024-25 season.
Despite playing without leading scorer and point guard PJay Smith Jr., the Paladins finished the night with only eight turnovers, despite the Cavaliers employing full-court pressure the entire game. Smith, which suffered a dislocated shoulder in Saturday's win over South Carolina State, could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday's contest against Harvard and remains day-to-day.
The Paladins used a 23-6 run to close out the first half and 11 second-half three-pointers to help power through to the win in its final home outing of the non-conference slate, as the Paladins improved to 7-0 on its home floor to finish out the 2024 calendar year. Including the end of the last season at Timmons Arena, the Paladins have posted a 14-2 overall mark, with the only setbacks coming last season at home against both UNC Greensboro (L, 89-87) and Mercer (L, 82-75).
Nick Anderson led Furman's scoring efforts with 21 points, as he connected on 7-of-14 shots from the field, including posting a 5-for-12 effort from three-point range in the contest, and was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Anderson also dished out five assists, blocked two shots, corralled two rebounds and registered one steal in 29 minutes of work to finish out another solid night at the office.
For Anderson, it was seventh time he reached double figures, including his second-straight contest to end the game in double figures, as he also posted 11 points last time out in Furman's win over South Carolina State this past Saturday at The Well. His 21 points marked his best scoring performance in a Paladin uniform in his first 12 games as a graduate transfer from Barry University.
Tom House teamed with Anderson in the backcourt to post another strong scoring performance for the Paladins, finishing the contest with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and blocked a shot with only one turnover in 29 minutes of action. House, a 6-7 junior guard, finished the night 6-of-12 shooting from the field, which included a 5-for-12 effort from three-point range, while also going 2-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Joining Anderson in double figures for Furman was Ben VanderWal, who added a career-high 16 points, finished off his second game in double figures in 2024-25 by connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field, which included going 1-for-3 from long-range and 3-of-5 at the free throw line to equal his point total. The junior forward from Elmhurst, Ill, also added eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and blocked to once again stuff the stats sheet in multiple columns.
Eddrin Bronson and Cooper Bowser rounded out the Paladins in double figures in the game, adding 15 and 10 points, respectively. Bronson joined VanderWal in establishing a new career-high scoring performance, with his 15-point effort off the bench eclipsing his previous career-high of 14 points, which he established at Kansas in Furman's only loss last month.
Bowser's 10-point effort marked his second-straight double-figure scoring game, which included his third-straight game of going 100% from the field, as he finished the night 4-of-4 against the Cavaliers. Bowser has connected on his last 12 shots from the field, which dates back to a missed dunk with 8:21 remaining in the 76-73 win at Florida Gulf Coast. The sophomore center from Woodbridge, VA., went 7-for-7 against South Carolina State and was 1-for-1 in the win over Princeton.
The Cavaliers were led in the game by Jarden Maze, who scored a game-high 22 points, which included 20 of those in the first 12 minutes of the game. He finished connecting on 7-of-10 shots from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. He also added one assists and one steal in the loss.
Maze was joined in double figures by guards AJ Baskerville and Jack Keller, who added 13 points apiece in the losing effort. Baskerville rounded out his impressive performance with a team-leading 11 rebounds to finish the night with a double-double.
All told, the Paladins finished the game with its second-highest assists total of the 2024-25 season, posting 26 helpers on 35 made field goals. The Paladins shot an impressive 50% (35-of-70) for the game, including a 36.4% (16-of-44) effort from three-point range. The Paladins struggled from the charity stripe, connecting on just 60.9% (14-of-23) from the line for the game.
The Cavaliers finished the contest by connecting on 40.3% (29-of-72) from the field, including shooting 30% (9-of-30) from three-point range.
Furman finished the night holding advantages in total assists (26-12), total rebounds (46-37), second-chance points (20-15), bench scoring (31-13), and points from turnovers (18-11). Montreat owned advantages in fast-break points (15-14) and points in the paint (40-38).
Furman found itself trailing 16-11 at the first
media timeout, as Montreat connected on four of its first six triples and took
a 16-11 lead. The Cavaliers would lead by as many as nine (20-12) points in the
opening eight minutes of play before the Paladins settled into the game. The
Paladins responded to the eight-point deficit with a run of their own, using a
7-0 run to get within a point.
However, the Cavaliers and Jarden Maze responded with a run of his own, scoring nine of the next 11 points to help Montreat to its largest lead of the night, with a three from the top of the key midway through the first half to make it a 30-21 Montreat lead for the Cavaliers largest of the night in the opening 20 minutes of basketball.
Maze was nothing short of amazing in the game’s opening 12 minutes, hitting seven of his first nine shots, including going 4-of-6 from three-point land to score 20 of Montreat’s 30 points to open the game. Maze, who came into the game averaging 18.1 PPG, finished the opening 20 minutes with 20 of his game-high 22 points.
Following the largest lead of the night for
Montreat, the Paladins went on a quick 9-0 run to tie the game, 30-30, with the
final five coming from Nick Anderson, who knocked down a three, recorded a
steal and then converted a layup to prompt a Montreat timeout with just under
six minutes left in the opening half.
Two minutes later, Ben VanderWal's second three of
the season, and then a block by Cooper Bowser, which led to a VanderWal dunk on the
other end, saw Furman assume a 35-30 lead to cap a 14-0 spurt by the ‘Dins.
Just before the final media timeout of the opening half, however, Montreat’s Elijah Carson converted a layup and was fouled by Bowser to stop the bleeding momentarily. He would miss the free throw, however, leaving the Paladins ahead by three. After VanderWal was fouled cutting to the hoop again, he would convert 1-of-2 from the line to extend Furman’s lead to four (36-32).
A missed shot by Montreat and a three by Tom House from
the top of the key with two minutes left extended Furman’s lead to seven, at
39-32. Furman found its rhythm on both ends after falling behind by as many as nine points with nine minutes left in the half, closing the half on a 23-6 run to take a 44-36 lead to
the break.
The Paladins would continue that run into the second half, as it increased its lead to 21 points less than four minutes into the second half, as Anderson had his own personal flurry of eight-straight points, which included back-to-back threes and a steal and dunk on a clear breakaway to give the Paladins a 62-41 lead with 16:20 left.
After the Cavaliers assumed a 30-21 lead with nine minutes to play in the first half, the Paladins took control of the game over the next 14:40 of game time, using a 41-11 run to assume the 21-point advantage and never were again seriously threatened the rest of the game. Furman would lead by as many as 33 points when Tommie Humphries runner in the lane gave the Paladins an 89-56 lead with 8:29 left.
With just under seven minutes left, Eddrin Bronson provided the highlight of the night, as he took a pass from Anderson on the baseline and proceeded to tomahawk home a one-handed slam for his most-exciting two points of what was a career-high 15-point evening. Bronson's feat of athleticism put an exclamation point on what was the final home game of 2024 with 6:53 left, giving Furman a 91-60 lead.
The final points of the night would be cause for celebration, as walk-on Clyde Mauldin's corner three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining gave Furman its 18th 100-point game under eighth-year head coach Bob Richey, finishing off the 25-point win.
Furman closes out its non-conference slate Saturday in Boston with a trip to take on perennial Ivy League power Harvard (3-7), as it will be the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The only other clash between the Paladins and Crimson came during the 1959-60 season, with the Paladins picking up what was an 87-69 win in Greenville in that only other meeting. Tip-off between the Paladins and Crimson is set for 3 p.m. EST at Lavietes Pavilion.
Postgame:
Furman Head Coach Bob Richey
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