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.