UNCG Halts Furman's Winning Streak in Demonstrative Fashion

GREENSBORO, N.C.—UNC Greensboro claimed its fifth win in its past six games against Furman, as the Spartans got a game-high 25 points from Kenyon Giles and claimed what was an 84-67 win over the Paladins Saturday afternoon at the First Horizon Coliseum.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in SoCon play, while the Paladins saw their six-game winning streak come to an end, falling to 13-2 overall and 1-1 in league action. It was UNCG’s third-straight win over the Paladins, as the Spartans claimed wins of 79-68 (In Greensboro) and 89-87 (In Greenville). The Spartans improved to 6-0 at the First Horizon Coliseum this season and moved to a 26-21 lead in the all-time series between the two SoCon rivals. The win ties the Spartans atop the league standings with both Samford (11-3, 2-0 SoCon) and Mercer (9-6, 2-0), who both won road league tilts earlier in the day.

For Furman, which has won 211 games since the start of the 2015-16 season, Saturday evening’s 17-point loss to the Spartans marked its 100th overall defeat in that span. It was UNCG’s 207th win over that same span, including its league-standard 118th SoCon win over the past nine years.

Giles powered a UNCG offense that shot the ball at a 57.4% (31-of-54) clip for the game, which included a 52.2% effort from three-point range (12-of-23), as well as outscoring the Paladins 36-27 from beyond the arc—a stat that Furman rarely if ever loses in a game. The Paladins have given up 80 or more points this season on two occasions this season, with both of those resulting in losses. The 84 points scored by UNCG were a season-high against an NCAA Division I foe. 

Individually for Giles, he showed why he is one of the SoCon’s top players and newcomers, as he finished the connecting on 10-of-13 shots from the field, including making 5-of-6 from three-point range. He also added five rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded a steal.

Giles was joined in double figures by fellow transfer portal addition Ronald Polite III, who contributed 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from long range. In addition, Polite III knocked down 5-of-7 shots from the charity stripe. All told, Giles and Polite combined to go 8-of-10 from three-point range, while the rest of the team connected on 4-for-13 from long range.

For a second-straight season, Joryiam Saizonou came off the bench to provide the Spartans with 11 points, as he posted a season-high 13 points against Furman last season in UNCG’s early-January 11-point win over the Paladins at the First Horizon Coliseum.

The Paladins had just one player reach double figures in the contest, as senior guard PJay Smith Jr. notched his sixth 20-plus scoring performance of the season, as well as his 10th double-figure scoring outing in 13 games so far this season, finishing with 24 points. In the loss, Smith Jr. connected 8-of-16 shots from the field and went 4-for-11 from three-point land. He made all four of his free throws and contributed a rebound and an assist.

While for much of the night it seemed like the Spartans couldn’t miss open looks, and even made some contested ones, the Paladins struggled to find their shooting rhythm from any range, as the Paladins finished the contest connecting on just 39.3% (22-of-56) from the field for the game, while making only 25.7% (9-of-35) from three-point range. The Paladins finished the evening a solid 77.8% (14-of-18) from the charity stripe.

While UNCG had the major advantage in shooting accuracy from both two-point and three-point range, other categories in the game, somewhat surprisingly, were much closer. The Spartans held advantages in points from turnovers (16-9), points in the paint (26-22), second-chance points (14-12), fast-break points (6-3), and total assists (12-11).  Furman had a narrow edge in bench points (18-17), while both teams were deadlocked, 30-30, on the backboards.

How It Happened:

For much of the season, Furman has had answers in games when it seemingly shouldn’t have, however, on Saturday evening when it needed answers, it couldn’t find the ammo to load its guns effectively. In the first half, Furman got the shots it wanted, however, the problem was when they fired them, they were blanks.

The second half saw UNCG step up its defensive grit and effort, however, even at that, the Paladins trimmed it to eight points on two but failed on four attempts to cut into that deficit even further, however. The Paladins came away only with empty possessions with chances to cut into that UNCG lead and make things interesting. Mike Jones’ teams have a knack for holding their own in those moments, never letting the hard-charging foe faced with a deficit get completely back into the game, and in those moments, UNCG’s defensive acumen was top-notch.

In the opening few minutes, it appeared that both PJay Smith Jr and Kenyon Giles were playing with each other one-on-one, as Smith scored Furman’s first eight, while Giles would tally UNCG’s first four. From there, others would settle into the scoring for the Spartans, while Furman, which has found scoring from a lot of different places this season, couldn’t find that scoring outside of Smith all evening.

In fact, Furman, which came into the game with 11 different double-figure scorers this season, had only one in a game for the first time season, and finished a game with only one. Even in its loss at Kansas earlier this season, both Eddrin Bronson (14 pts) and Garrett Hien (12 pts) both scratched out double-figure scoring performances.  In stark contrast to its second SoCon game, the Paladins had six players finish in double figures in their 29-point road-opening win at Western Carolina.

The Paladins were leading 9-7 after a Garrett Hien made foul shot before the Spartans would commence a 10-0 run to completely take control of the game, with the scoring run beginning with a pair of Malik Henry foul shots and end with a Giles three-pointer at the 13:09 mark of the opening frame to prompt a Bob Richey timeout.

The Spartans would eventually head into the halftime locker room with a 43-32, marking the third time the Paladins had trailed by 11 this season. The Paladins trailed games to both Kansas and Florida Gulf-Coast by 11 points at the half, going 1-1 in those games. This game would trend towards the Kansas game rather than the FGCU contest.

Early in the second half, the Paladins sliced the UNCG lead to eight after Hien converted a layup in the paint, however, while the Spartans’ response was not immediate, it was a swift and decisive and just over a minute later a Giles layup in the paint extended the UNCG lead back to double digits, at 49-39, at the 15:39 mark. From there, the Spartans would fatten their lead to 19 points over roughly the next three minutes, with a Saizonou layup in the paint extending the UNCG lead to 19, at 61-42, with 12:41 remaining in the game.

The Paladins would never get closer than 12 points the rest of the way, with the Spartans extending their lead to as many as 21 points on two occasions, with the latest of those coming following a Roland Polite III three-pointer with 4:16 remaining, which gave the Blue and Gold a 78-57 lead.

Quotable: “They were more aggressive to the paint than we were and they put the ball down harder on the deck than we did and they were aggressive finishing at the rim than we were and like I said usually this game goes to the aggressor and a lot of times when you’re not aggressive you play on your heels a bit and all the sudden you get those shots and you feel like they have to go down and they don’t.”—Furman head coach Bob Richey on Saturday’s loss to UNCG

Up Next: Furman will be on the road for the third-straight game to open SoCon play, taking on The Citadel (5-8, 0-2 SoCon), with tip-off set for 7 p.m. EST at McAlister Field House.  UNCG returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 9, taking on Chattanooga (9-6, 1-1 SoCon) at McKenzie Arena in a key league tilt, which will be televised by CBS Sports Network. Tip-off for that contest is set for 5 p.m. EST.

Furman heads to UNC Greensboro Saturday for Blockbuster SoCon Clash

SoCon Two Most Successful Programs Over The Past Decade:

Over the past decade, there have been no two more successful Southern Conference basketball programs other than Furman (13-1, 1-0 SoCon) and UNC Greensboro (8-6, 1-0 SoCon) in terms of both total wins and conference wins. The Paladins, who are off to their first 13-1 start since the 1931-32 season, have won 211 games (211-99) since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among SoCon programs over that span. UNCG isn't far behind in the total wins category, having won 206 games (206-106) to rank in second place in total wins.

As of Friday, Furman's 13 wins are tied with Oklahoma and Florida for most in all of college basketball this season, while the Paladins five true road wins trails only UC Irvine, which currently has six.

With its 68-66 win over Wofford to open Southern Conference play on the road this past Wednesday, the Spartans notched their 117th (117-46) Southern Conference win since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is most among current league members over that span. With Furman's 90-61 win on the road at Western Carolina, the Paladins notched their 114th league win over that same span (114-46).

It could also be argued that during non-conference play, both UNCG and Furman picked up the two most impressive wins by any of the other league members, with the Spartans taking down High Point, 72-68, last month at their on-campus facility of Fleming Gym, while Furman took down Princeton, 69-63, in its home away from home at the moment--Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 

The Spartans are unbeaten at home so far this season (5-0) and have posted an impressive 113-29 record on their home floor since the start of the 2015-16 season. Furman has won 70 road games since the start of the 2016-17 season, which ranks third-most in all of NCAA Division I College Basketball. 

The Series:

Last season, UNCG claimed the extremely rare season sweep between the two, as the Spartans picked up a 79-68 win over an injury-plagued Paladin team to open SoCon play in early January of 2024, and then came to Furman's Timmons Arena a month later to claim a thrilling 89-87 win over the Paladins. 

With that season-sweep of Furman last season, the Spartans assumed a 25-21 all-time lead in the series that has been one of the best in the SoCon over the past decade. UNCG has owned the proceedings as of late, having won four of the past five meetings between the two.

The Matchup:

Saturday afternoon's matchup inside the First Horizon Coliseum will pit the SoCon's top two defensive teams, with UNCG coming into the contest leading the SoCon in both scoring defense (63.4 PPG) and field goal percentage defense (38.5%). 

As for the Paladins, they rank second in both scoring defense (63.8 PPG) and field goal percentage defense (39.4%), while ranking tops in the SoCon and second in the nation, holding opponents to just 25.2% shooting from long-range so far in the 2025-26 season.  The Spartans rank 10th nationally and second in the SoCon defending the three, holding foes to just 27.4% shooting from three-point range this season. 

By contrast, the Paladins enter the contest leading the SoCon in field goal percentage (48.1%) and ranking third in three-point field goal percentage (36.7%). The Paladins also rank second in the league in three-pointers made (153) and rank third in the SoCon in scoring offense (79.7 PPG).

As for UNCG, the Spartans enter the contest ranking ninth in team field goal percentage (43.4%), but by contrast rank second in the SoCon in three-point field goal percentage (37.1%) and fourth in the league in three-point field goals made (136). 

Scouting the Spartans:

Like Furman, UNCG has had to look to the transfer portal to replace a huge portion of its outgoing talent, with both Kobe and Keyshaun Langley having both graduated, as well as Mikeal Brown-Jones having moved on via the transfer portal to Ole Miss. 

Head coach Mike Jones is not a big fan of the transfer portal, as he would be more in favor of player development. However, though he might be against the process itself and how its affecting college basketball as a whole, he has managed to procure some pretty good talent from the portal. The additions of guys like Kenyon Giles (16.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG), who is one of seven newcomers, has helped stabilize the UNCG program and helped it sustain its standing as a viable SoCon Title contender once again this season.

Like Furman, UNCG was picked much lower than the high expectations that should go along with a program that has won more than 200 games over the past nine years, as the Spartans were picked to finish sixth by the league's head coaches at SoCon Media Day back in October.

Giles was one of the real difference-makers that Jones was able to get from the portal, and he's making a strong bid for SoCon Newcomer of the Year honors. So far this season, the 5-9 junior guard, who transferred into the UNCG program from Radford, is off to a nice start in the Blue and Gold of UNCG. He has posted 13 double-figure scoring games in 14 outings for the Spartans so far and is coming off a 12-point performance last time out in what was a 68-66 UNCG win at Wofford.

In that contest, Giles knocked down 3-of-10 shots from the field and went 1-for-4 from three-point land. Giles currently ranks seventh in the SoCon and leads the Spartans in scoring so far this season, averaging 16.0 PPG. He comes into UNCG's SoCon home opener against the Paladins shooting 45.1% (82-of-182) from the field through the early portions of the season and is also connecting at a 42.7% (41-of-96) from beyond the arc this season, which ranks him as one of the better perimeter shooters in the SoCon. 

Giles is the kind of explosive scorer that can easily go for 20-25 points on a given night, and he enters Saturday afternoon's contest having already posted five games this season in which he has totaled 20 or more points, including a pair of 25-point efforts, which came against High Point and at North Carolina A&T, which both resulted in Spartan wins. Giles has also been a key component on the defensive end of the floor for UNCG this season, having posted a team-best 22 steals. 

Backcourt mates Donovan Atwell (13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG) and Ronald Polite III (12.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG) have helped the Spartans boast one of the more solid backcourts in the SoCon so far this season. Atwell was a preseason All-SoCon selection and was one of the SoCon's top three-point shooter's last season, connecting a blistering 41.7% (88-of-211) from long-range last season. In Greensboro against the Paladins last season, Atwell was on fire in last season's 79-68 win over the Paladins, finishing as one of four Spartans in double figures in the game, as he posted 17 points.

Atwell finished his night against the 'Dins going 6-of-12 from the field, including making 5-of-9 shots from three-point land to finish with a team-high tying 17 points. This season, Atwell is just behind the pace at which he was last season at this time, as he is shooting 38.9% from long-range (42-of-108), with his 42 triples so far this season leading the club. 

Through the first 14 games this season, Atwell has posted double-figure scoring efforts in nine games, which includes scoring 20 or more points on two occasions, with his season-high of 21 points coming in a lopsided win over Virginia University Lynchburg. Of his 60 made field goals this season, only 18 are not three-pointers. He posted nine points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from three-point range in the Spartans' win at Wofford last time out. 

Roland Polite III rounds out the UNCG starters in the backcourt and he has started nine out of the 10 games he's seen action in this season. It was Polite that knocked down what proved to be the game-winning three-pointer in UNCG's last outing against Wofford, as his three swished through with just under 10 seconds remaining to give the Spartans a huge 68-66 road win. 

Polite III's three was part of a day which would see the see him tie for the team lead in scoring, posting 16 points. Polite hasn't connected on many threes this season, however, when he has shot them he has been especially effective, having knocked down 41.4% (12-for-29) from long range this season. From the field this season, Polite III is connecting on 47.7% (41-of-86) from the field so far in 2024-25. 

Set to start in the paint for the Spartans in Saturday's league showdown are Demetrius Davis (4.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG) and Jalen Breath (7.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG). Breath has been an efficient and consistent scorer in most games this season for UNCG, and he comes into Saturday's contest connecting on 41.0% (32-of-78) from the field through the first 14 games this season for the Spartans. 

The 6-8 redshirt junior forward has three games in which he has finished in double figures this season, all of which resulted in double-doubles. His best effort to date in scoring and on the boards came in the home win over High Point, which saw him provide the Spartans with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win. That helped push the Spartans to their biggest win of the season, and it was probably the SoCon's top win of the season.

Davis is a former player at Chattanooga, and he showed his ability to be a streaky scorer with the Mocs, which included a 19-point effort in his first game with the Mocs against the College of Charleston back in November of 2022. Davis' performances have been spotty since, however, he does have that potential to have one of those games.

He's an outstanding athlete and has scored in double figures twice in his time with the Spartans, including the last time out against the Terriers, matching for team-high honors with a season-high 16 points. So far this season, he's shooting 40.3% (25-of-62) from the field and just 29.0% (9-of-31) from three-point land. 

The top players coming off the bench for the Spartans include forward Malik Henry (6.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG), and guard Joryam Saizonou (4.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG). Henry gives the Spartans another physical body underneath the basket, and he leads the team with 11 blocks so far this season. 

Henry, a transfer from George Mason, has seen action in all 14 games this season, including having made two starts. Henry also boasts the team's best field goal percentage this season, connecting on 60.4% (32-of-53) shooting from the field. He leads the team with 12 dunks.

Saizonou is normally a three-point specialist off the bench for the Spartans but has struggled this season having connected on just 25.0% (7-of-28) from long-range. He torched Furman off the bench for a season-high 13 points in UNCG's win in Greensboro last season. 

Noting The Paladins:

-- Shooting guard Nick Anderson (12.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG) led the Paladins in scoring for the third time this season last time out against Western Carolina, notching his second 20-point game of the season, as he connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range. He has shot an impressive 39.6% (36-of-91) from three-point land this season. 

--Point guard PJay Smith Jr. (16.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.7 APG) has scored in double figures in nine of the 12 games he's seen action in this season and currently ranks ninth nationally in three-point field goal percentage, having connected on 47.7% (42-of-88) from downtown this season, as well as ranking 11th in three-pointers made per game (3.50). He has scored 20 or more points on five out of his 12 games so far this season for the Paladins, including scoring 29 points on two occasions. 

--Forward Ben VanderWal (6.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG) has been Furman's "glue guy" and high energy guy all season. That has translated big-time during Furman's six-game winning streak, as the Elmhurst, Ill., product has averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG over that span, while shooting 51.4% from the field. 

--Forward Cooper Bowser (8.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG) has had several notable performances this season, with the best of those coming in a 17-point, 12-rebound performance in Furman's 61-56 win over Seattle in Las Vegas. Bowser leads the Paladins in field goal percentage this season, connecting on 64.3% (45-of-70) so far this season. Bowser's 26 blocks lead the SoCon. 

--Forward Garrett Hien (8.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG) has found his way into double figures in seven out of Furman's 14 games this season, including each of the last two. Hien posted 12 points on a 5-of-9 shooting performance from the field, which included a 1-of-3 effort from three-point range last time out against the Catamounts. In helping the Paladins to the 90-61 win, Hien notched his 90th win as a Paladin player.

 

Furman Opens SoCon Play by Making a Strong Statement at Western Carolina

CULLOWHEE, N.C.—Furman got 20 points from Nick Anderson, as six Paladins reached double figures, claiming a 90-61 win over Western Carolina in the hardwood version of the Battle of Purple Supremacy in what was the Southern Conference opener for both teams Wednesday afternoon at the Liston B. Ramsey Center.

With the win, which was Furman’s sixth in succession, the Paladins improved to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. Western Carolina fell to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in league play. With the win, the Paladins have now won 13 out of their first 14 games to start a season since 1931-32. The Paladins started 15-1 that season, which also turned out to be the team’s final record for the season. 

The win was also the 211th overall as a program since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is the most total wins in the SoCon. The win also marked Furman's fifth true road win of the season and sixth win away from Greenville, while also marking the Paladins' 70th road win since the start of the 2016-17 season, which is the third most of any NCAA Division I program during that span. The 29-point margin of victory for Furman in Cullowhee was the largest road win in the series (41 meetings in Cullowhee) for a Paladin team at Western Carolina. 

Anderson his afternoon with his 20 points coming on a 7-for-11 shooting performance from the field, including a 4-for-5 effort from three-point land and was also 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. He also finished up with four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

It was also a strong outing for Cal State Monterey Bay transfer Charles Johnston, who finished his afternoon with 17 points off the bench, as the Paladins held a 29-18 advantage in bench scoring. Johnston was able to connect on 4-of-7 shots from the field and was 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range in the game. The big man from Sydney, Australia also connected on 6-of-8 shots from the charity stripe. He also led the Paladins with seven rebounds. It was a season-high for Johnston for rebounds.

Anderson and Johnston were both joined in double figures by Eddrin Bronson, Garrett Hien and Cooper Bowser, who each added 12 points while reigning SoCon Player of the Week PJay Smith Jr. added 10 points for his ninth double-figure scoring performance in 12 outings this season.  Bronson was impressive all afternoon, logging 24 minutes of court time, as he added four assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals to go with his points total.

Hien’s 12 points came on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, including going 1-for-3 from long range and was 1-of-2 from the free throw line. It was Hien’s seventh double figure scoring game in 14 games this season, and he also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Bowser was efficient as usual, finishing his afternoon going 3-of-5 from the field and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. The sophomore from Woodbridge, VA., also added two rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in what was a solid 24 minutes of court time.

Smith Jr. finished 4-of-12 from the field and was 1-for-7 from three-point range, with his lone three of the half coming as the buzzer sounded of the opening 20 minutes of basketball, as he triple banked in off the glass to give the Paladins a 43-23 lead at the break. Smith also 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, while adding three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

The Catamounts finished the contest being led by three players in double figures, with Bernard Pelote adding another strong performance against the Paladins in Cullowhee, as he posted his second double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 12 boards. The senior forward finished the night connecting on 7-of-19 shots from the field and 2-for-7 from three-point range. Brandon Morgan added 14 points and four assists, while Ice Emery finished with 11. 

Furman finished the afternoon connecting on 45.3% (29-of-64) from the field, including shooting 37.9% (11-of-29) three-point range and finished shooting 72.4% (21-of-29) from the charity stripe. 

Western Carolina finished the day connecting on just 33.9% (19-of-56) for the game, which included just a 24.0% (6-of-25) from three-point range and shot 81.0% (17-of-21) from the free throw line. 

Furman finished the contest owning advantages in total rebounds (42-38), total assists (17-9), bench points (29-18), fast-break points (11-2), points in the paint (34-24), and points off turnovers (13-0). Western Carolina's lone advantage came in second-chance points (8-7). 

Furman's win was its 20th in the past 23 meetings with WCU, and it snapped a two-game losing streak for the 'Dins in the Liston B. Ramsey Center. 

How It Happened:

Furman raced out of the gates with a 13-0 start to the contest and never looked back, leading by double digits for nearly the entire contest, as the closest the Catamounts would come on the scoreboard the entire afternoon was following a Marcus Kell layup with 14:38 remaining in the opening half, which got the Catamounts within nine points (13-4).

The Catamounts would then trim the Paladin lead to 10, at 25-15, when Ice Emery connected on a three with 7:43 remaining in the opening half. However, Furman would close the opening 20 minutes by going on an 18-8 run to take a 20-point, 43-23, lead into the halftime locker room after PJay Smith Jr. banked in a three at the buzzer to stake the Paladins to the big halftime advantage. 

The Paladins, which shot just 39.3% in the opening half of play, used a strong defensive effort, which forced 11 first-half turnovers from the Catamounts, and included holding WCU to just 30% shooting from the field on its home floor in the opening 20 minutes of basketball. 

In the second half, Furman would lose by as much as 30 points and the Paladins turned the ball over just four times over the 40 minutes of basketball, marking a season-low.

Furman will return to action Saturday afternoon as it will continue on the road at the SoCon's top defensive team, in UNC Greensboro (8-6, 1-0 SoCon), as the Paladins and Spartans will tip it up at 4 p.m. EST at First Horizon Coliseum. Western Carolina (4-8, 0-1 SoCon) will be back at home to host Samford (11-3, 1-0 SoCon) in a tip-off slated for 3 p.m. EST.