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| Senior guard Nick Anderson |
Furman Snaps Two-Game Series Skid Against the Bears
MACON, GA—It’s true that in life you learn best from your losses.
Furman held off a dangerous and capable Mercer team with a gutsy, 79-74, before a crowd of 3,272 fans on-hand Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena. It was a win that, as head coach Bob Richey detailed in his postgame comments with the media, ranked as a Top 15 win in his tenure as Furman head coach, due to the on-court adversity the Paladins have faced in the past couple of weeks.
The Paladins were coming off consecutive losses against VMI (L, 82-91) and Chattanooga (L, 71-75) when they arrived in Macon to take on a dangerous Mercer team capable of beating anyone in the SoCon. Furman had arrived at a proverbial crossroads in the 2024-25 season, with all it had worked for on the verge of falling apart with another loss.
However, Furman responded in a big way like it has so many times under head coach Bob Richey, who is now in the eighth year of his tenure as the head coach and 13th overall with the program, responding the right way with the right actions and the Paladins looked much like the team that had won 12 of its first 13 rather than one that had lost four its previous seven entering the clash with the Bears.
In what was a potential season-defining game for a Furman team locked in a tight Southern Conference race, it was one the Paladins had to had to have on the road in a hostile environment, and by using a collective team effort, Furman got back to what had been the key ingredient to 12 wins in its first 13 games this season, which was the team collective, without any one player excelling more than the other.
With the win, Furman improved to 16-5 overall and improved to 4-4 in Southern Conference play, while Mercer dropped 10-11 overall and 3-5 in league action. The five-point win also snapped a two-game losing skid to the Bears, who claimed a 78-69 win in Macon last season to snap what had been an 18-game series winning streak over the Bears. Mercer also handed Furman its final loss in the old Timmons Arena, which is currently undergoing a 40-million dollar facelift, as the Bears came to Greenville and claimed an 82-75 win in the regular-season finale last March.
Ryan Ridder’s Bears are a problem for foes in the Southern Conference, which is a testament to what he’s done to bring talented players from the transfer portal, and the ability to retain some veteran holdovers like Alex Holt and Jah Quinones. He brought in a certified star, in New Hampshire transfer guard Ahmad Robinson, and even has managed to bring a star recruit like Brady Shoulders, who reminds me of a younger version of Furman’s own Ben VanderWal.
The Bears, who rebounded from a 23-point deficit to hand UNC Greensboro its first home loss in their last outing (W, 79-78), and this season has been a team that has been worth the price of admission if your heart is in good condition.
The Bears have had eight of the previous nine games decided by five points or less, including seven of their eight SoCon games. The Bears have wins over Chattanooga and the triumph at UNCG, and likely should have saddled league-leading Samford with its second loss this season in league play a couple of weeks back.
To no surprise, the game followed the narrative of a conference that, according to KenPom, has been the most competitive in a NCAA Division I College Basketball this season. The game had the feel of a regular-season game with major postseason implications based on where each team currently sits in the standings and the narrow margins that exist in the top eight teams in a league where only six teams get a bye in the opening round, and a tournament that no team has won four games in four days since Clemson did so in 1939.
The drama followed suit, as neither team held more than a 10-point lead throughout the game, with Furman taking a 10-point lead in the second half before the Bears quickly trimmed the lead to one, using a 10-1 run to trim the Paladin lead to 64-63 and make things quite interesting over the final 7:05 of regulation.
The win would mark Furman’s eighth road win of the season, including its seventh true road win of the campaign. The win also meant Furman improved its overall total of road wins since the start of the 2016-17 season to 72, which ranks fifth nationally among NCAA Division I programs.
Individually, Furman placed three different players in double figures in another well-rounded effort.
Nick Anderson finished with 18 points, while Eddrin Bronson, who started on the bench after having made three-straight starts, finished with a career-high 16 points.
PJay Smith Jr. rounded out the Paladins in double figures in the game, as he posted Furman’s final seven points, including a key top of the key three-pointer to push Furman’s lead to five (77-72) with just 58.9 seconds to play, to round out the Paladin players in double figures in the game.
Anderson connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field, including going 3-for-5 from three-point range, and was 1-of-2 at the line to equal his team-leading 18 points in the win. Anderson finished the four rebounds, three steals and dished out one assist in addition to his team-leading scoring effort.
Bronson confidence grew with each made shot, and the redshirt freshman going 5-of-8 from the field and finished a solid 4-for-6 from three-point range, while finishing 2-for-3 from the charity stripe. He also finished with a pair of rebounds and assists in the Paladin road win.
Smith finished by scoring his 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and was 2-for-6 from three-point range, while finishing 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Smith’s final two free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining made it academic. He also finished the game with seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.
Garrett Hien was a player challenged by head coach Bob Richey after the loss to VMI, and he responded accordingly in Saturday’s win over the Bears, adding nine points, two rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes of floor time, while Cooper Bowser finished with a solid afternoon of work, completing the contest with eight points, five rebounds, four assists and one block.
Ben VanderWal continued his strong play of late, finishing with seven points and a team-leading nine rebounds.
Mercer was led by arguably the league’s top transfer portal addition, in Ahmad Robinson, who finished with a game-high 24 points, while forward Alex Holt added 17 points and USC Aiken transfer Tyler “Chip” Johnson completed the contest with 16.
Robinson finished the afternoon by connecting on 8-of-13 shots from the field and 4-for-6 from three-point range and went 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Additionally, Robinson added six assists and three steals before fouling out late in the game.
So what was the difference for Furman Saturday as opposed to their previous two outings against both Chattanooga and VMI? While there are several obvious ones that can be found on a stats sheet from the actual game, I would point to the fact that Furman’s energy was a lot different Saturday evening that had been in the previous couple of games.
The three that show up most were the three displayed on the LED Board, which was lit up directly across from press row, as the Paladins led in rebounds (37-29), shooting percentage (54.5%-45.3%) and total assists (19-14) the entire game. Those were good indicators for winning success for any basketball program, but especially Furman and especially when it came to assists, as the Paladins improved to 15-1 this season when they finished with a higher assists total than its opposition.
The Paladins also improved to 11-1 when holding a halftime lead this season. The only losses in each of the previously mentioned categories were the last two, as Furman had more assists than VMI (20-12) and led Chattanooga at the half (34-27), only to go on to lose both of those games.
The Paladins, though, were invested and engaged on the defensive end of the floor throughout the game, and though it wasn’t a perfect performance on that end of the floor, it was noticeably more aggressive and active from tip-off of Saturday afternoon’s donnybrook at Hawkins Arena.
Furman finished the contest by connecting 54.5% (30-of-55) of its shots from the field, including a 40% (10-of-25) effort from three-point land. The one are that wasn’t fantastic shooting-wise was free throw shooting, which has not been a team strength for the 2024-25 ‘Dins, as Furman connected on just 52.9% (9-of-17).
Mercer countered with a strong shooting performance of their own, making many contested buckets in the game, including several from long-range. The Bears shot the ball at a solid 45.3% (29-of-64) for the game, while also connecting a strong 39.3% (11-of-28) from long range. Like Furman, the Bears also struggled from the line, connecting on just 50% (5-of-10).
In addition to the three major categories mentioned above, Furman finished the game with advantages in second-chance points (14-12), points in the paint (32-30), and bench points (22-11).
The Bears finished holding advantages in fast-break points (15-13) and points off turnovers (16-12).
To that point, this Furman is different than any Richey's seven previous seasons. There isn't one recognizable star that tops opposing scouting charts like a Matt Rafferty, Devin Sibley, Jordan Lyons, Mike Bothwell, Jalen Slawson or JP Pegues might have in recent seasons, however, Furman's versatility returned in defending as a team, which led to shots falling on the offensive end and while that's a boring and simple formula, it's the truth. There are a lot of wins in Garrett Hien (99) and leadership in Ben VanderWal, who were two key pieces in Furman’s SoCon title winning team two years ago.
Furman has talent, but it's not a team that can allow itself to be carried by one or two stars when others have an off night. This team requires a complete team to find its way to wins. However, Furman's version of Kentucky's "Unforgettables" under Rick Pitino or Clemson's "Slab Five" under Rick Barnes is known as "Find A Way Furman", which is in reference to how Furman has used a collective group of good players and has found a number of paths to victory in second halves of games this season.
What I mean by that is one look at this team on a stats sheet or showing up to the arena isn't likely going to move the needle for you, but when you watch this team connect on all cylinders as a collective unit, they can function well-oiled machine, but it takes every role being executed with elite efficiency each game. No one is allowed an off night, and if one is off, the whole mix seems off.
The Paladins had lost three of four games entering the matchup and had to answer a few crucial questions about their collective recent run of form as a team, if to answer them but for no one else but themselves. The excruciating and stressful task of getting it the formula right was up to Richey, and it was complicated. It was because there was no objectively right answer to remedy the Paladin ills on either end of the floor, but Richey came up with one.
The
drama followed suit, as neither team held more than a 10-point lead throughout
the game, with Furman taking a 10-point lead in the second half before the
Bears quickly trimmed the lead to one, using a 10-1 run to trim the Paladin
lead to 64-63 and make things quite interesting over the final 7:05 of regulation.
The
win would mark Furman’s eighth road win of the season, including its seventh
true road win of the campaign. The win also meant Furman improved its overall total
of road wins since the start of the 2016-17 season to 72, which ranks fifth
nationally among NCAA Division I programs.
Game Superlatives
Individually,
Furman placed three different players in double figures in another well-rounded
effort.
Nick
Anderson finished with 18 points, while Eddrin Bronson, who started on the
bench after having made three-straight starts, finished with a career-high 16
points.
PJay
Smith Jr. rounded out the Paladins in double figures in the game, as he posted
Furman’s final seven points, including a key top of the key three-pointer to push
Furman’s lead to five (77-72) with just 58.9 seconds to play, to round out the
Paladin players in double figures in the game.
Anderson
connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field, including going 3-for-5 from
three-point range, and was 1-of-2 at the line to equal his team-leading 18
points in the win. Anderson finished the four rebounds, three steals and dished
out one assist in addition to his team-leading scoring effort.
Bronson
confidence grew with each made shot, and the redshirt freshman going 5-of-8
from the field and finished a solid 4-for-6 from three-point range, while finishing
2-for-3 from the charity stripe. He also finished with a pair of rebounds and
assists in the Paladin road win.
Smith
finished by scoring his 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and was
2-for-6 from three-point range, while finishing 5-for-6 from the charity
stripe. Smith’s final two free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining made it
academic. He also finished the game with seven rebounds, four assists, one block
and one steal.
Garrett
Hien was a player challenged by head coach Bob Richey after the loss to VMI,
and he responded accordingly in Saturday’s win over the Bears, adding nine
points, two rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes of floor time, while Cooper
Bowser finished with a solid afternoon of work, completing the contest with
eight points, five rebounds, four assists and one block.
Ben
VanderWal continued his strong play of late, finishing with seven points and a
team-leading nine rebounds.
Mercer
was led by arguably the league’s top transfer portal addition, in Ahmad
Robinson, who finished with a game-high 24 points, while forward Alex Holt
added 17 points and USC Aiken transfer Tyler “Chip” Johnson completed the
contest with 16.
Robinson
finished the afternoon by connecting on 8-of-13 shots from the field and 4-for-6
from three-point range and went 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Additionally,
Robinson added six assists and three steals before fouling out late in the
game.
So
what was the difference for Furman Saturday as opposed to their previous two
outings against both Chattanooga and VMI? While there are several obvious ones
that can be found on a stats sheet from the actual game, I would point to the
fact that Furman’s energy was a lot different Saturday evening that had been in
the previous couple of games.
The
three that show up most were the three displayed on the LED Board, which was
lit up directly across from press row, as the Paladins led in rebounds (37-29),
shooting percentage (54.5%-45.3%) and total assists (19-14) the entire game. Those were good indicators
for winning success for any basketball program, but especially Furman and
especially when it came to assists, as the Paladins improved to 15-1 this
season when they finished with a higher assists total than its opposition.
The
Paladins also improved to 11-1 when holding a halftime lead this season. The
only losses in each of the previously mentioned categories were the last two,
as Furman had more assists than VMI (20-12) and led Chattanooga at the half (34-27),
only to go on to lose both of those games.
The
Paladins, though, were invested and engaged on the defensive end of the floor
throughout the game, and though it wasn’t a perfect performance on that end of
the floor, it was noticeably more aggressive and active from tip-off of Saturday
afternoon’s donnybrook at Hawkins Arena.
Furman
finished the contest by connecting 54.5% (30-of-55) of its shots from the field,
including a 40% (10-of-25) effort from three-point land. The one are that wasn’t
fantastic shooting-wise was free throw shooting, which has not been a team strength
for the 2024-25 ‘Dins, as Furman connected on just 52.9% (9-of-17).
Mercer
countered with a strong shooting performance of their own, making many contested
buckets in the game, including several from long-range. The Bears shot the ball
at a solid 45.3% (29-of-64) for the game, while also connecting a strong 39.3%
(11-of-28) from long range. Like Furman, the Bears also struggled from the line,
connecting on just 50% (5-of-10).
In
addition to the three major categories mentioned above, Furman finished the
game with advantages in second-chance points (14-12), points in the paint (32-30),
and bench points (22-11).
The
Bears finished holding advantages in fast-break points (15-13) and points off turnovers
(16-12).
How
It Happened
Furman and Mercer both got off to a fast start in the opening half of play hard throughout the game, with each team relatively crisp offensively throughout the opening half, and the Bears led by as many as seven when Ahmad Robinson knocked down an early three to make it a 17-10 Mercer lead with 12:09 remaining in the opening half.
However, a 15-2 run by Furman, which began with a Eddrin Bronson three-pointer with 11:44 remaining and ended with a PJay Smith Jr. triple, which gave the Paladins a 25-19 lead with 8:50 remaining in the opening half. When Bronson knocked down his second three of the opening half, it gave the Paladins an eight-point lead, at 34-26, with just under five minutes remaining in the half, but a 15-7 run by the Bears cut the Paladins lead to three at the break, as Furman went to the break with a 41-38 lead.
In the second half, it looked as though the Paladins were ready to take control game when Bronson knocked down a pair of free throws to give Furman a 10-point lead, at 63-53, with just under 10 minutes left.
However, Mercer wasn't going anywhere, as the Bears posted a 10-1 run to get right back in the game and cut the Paladin advantage to 64-63 when Cam Bryant knocked down a triple with 7:05 remaining. With just under six minutes to play, Tyler "Chip" Johnson answered a Davis Molnar layup on the other end to get Mercer as close as a point once again, at 66-65.
It would be as close as the Bears would get the rest of the way, however, as the Paladins quickly extended the lead back to five when Anderson and Molnar both connected on layups, which sandwiched by a Jah Quinones missed three.
The Bears would cut it to two once more after Ahmad Robinson connected on 1-of-2 from the line with 1:23 left, however, on the ensuing Furman possession, it was PJay Smith's top of the key that proved to be the proverbial dagger, giving the Paladins the 77-72 lead with 58.9 seconds remaining.
After Anderson fouled Robinson with 23 seconds left, Robinson connected on a pair of free throws to bring the Bears back to within three, but following a timeout, the Paladins ran a razzle-dazzle play to get the ball inbounded and forced Robinson to commit his fifth foul with 11 seconds remaining. However, Furman's best free throw shooter missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and left the door open for Mercer to tie the game.
The Bears got two excellent looks on a three-pointer, with the first coming from Johnson from the top of the key, but after the long carom, Brady Shoulders eventually found himself with maybe Mercer's most wide open shot from three of the game from the right wing, and his shot was on-line, but short and PJay Smith came up with his seventh rebound of the game and was immediately fouled with 2.8 seconds remaining. He knocked down both free throws to seal the win the five-point win.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday night in a nationally televised contest on CBS Sports Network, as the Paladins will take on league-leading and defending champion Samford (17-4, 7-1) in a 6 p.m. EST clash at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The Bulldogs claimed two out of the three meetings between the two last season, with Furman's lone win being a 78-68 win at Timmons Arena. Samford handed Furman its last loss of the 2023-24 season, with an 84-77 SoCon semifinal win to at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville. Mercer will host The Citadel (5-14, 0-8) Wednesday night in a 7 p.m. contest at Hawkins Arena.
Notes Following Saturday's Win
--Furman snaps a two-game skid against Mercer and improved to 28-12 in the all-time series against the Bears
--The Paladins are one win away from matching its win total of 17 wins a year ago, as the Paladins finished 17-16.
--The Paladins notched their 214th win (most overall wins in the SoCon) since the start of the 2015-16, as well as posting what was their 117th SoCon win (2nd most in the SoCon behind UNCG) over that same span.
POSTGAME AUDIO:
Furman Head Coach Bob Richey
https://1drv.ms/u/c/a308fdf7e05a294e/ESnUjYsCxUZDp3YQbnCgqxABd8ek8z2stCKXtnlBjzXm3g
Furman redshirt freshman guard Eddrin Bronson postgame audio:
https://1drv.ms/u/c/a308fdf7e05a294e/EW2MBZVT_jpPjgRezEzohrYBg6dtaU-j7W9G3mggsKITgw
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