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| Furman senior guard Nick Anderson |
The Particulars
Nick Anderson scored a Furman season-high 30 points, as the senior guard would Western Carolina's entire team 19-12 over the final 7:17 of the second half and overtime, to help the Paladins fend off the visiting Catamounts, 84-75, in a key SoCon tilt before a crowd of 1,807 fans on-hand at Bob Jones' Davis Field House.
As equally important to Furman's late rally to shock the Catamounts, who led for over 25 minutes of the game, was Garrett Hien, who added a double-double of 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. The senior from Charlotte, N.C., started on the bench for the first time all season, but delivered one of his best performances in 27 minutes on the floor in regulation and overtime.
With the win, the Paladins officially eclipsed their win total of a year ago, improving to 18-6 overall and pulled one game above .500 in Southern Conference play, improving to 6-5 in league play. Western Carolina, which dropped its second-straight overtime game and played in its third overtime contest in its last four games, fell to 6-16 overall and 2-9 in league play.
Anderson's 30 points came on a 10-for-20 performance from the field, which also included a 4-for-10 effort from three-point land and 6-for-7 effort at the line. He scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half, which included 19 over the final 7:17.
He also added three steals, three assists and a pair of rebounds in another Wednesday night winning performance by the Paladins, topping his 24-point effort, which he delivered in Furman's 72-70 win over Samford just last week. His 30-point effort was just two off his all time career high of 32 points vs. Eckerd College on Dec. 31, 2023 in an 80-79 loss.
Joining Anderson and Hien in double figures for the Paladins was PJay Smith Jr., who posted 15 points.
Hien finished 3-of-8 from the field and was 7-for-14 from the charity stripe to equal his 13 points. His 15 rebounds were a career-high and eclipsed his previous total of 14 boards against Tulane earlier this season. It was also Hien's second double-double of the campaign and second time in double figures in league play, as he posted 12 points in the first meeting with the Catamounts this season. He also contributed two assists and a steal to finish out his solid stat-stuffing night for the Paladins.
Smith scored his 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 2-for-8 from three-point territory. It marked Smith's 17th time in double figures in his 22 games played in 2024-25. He also finished 5-for-6 at the line and led the team with four assists and had a steal and a block.
Ben VanderWal, Cooper Bowser, Davis Molnar and Tom House all provided key minutes, with each contributing six points offensively to the cause.
It appeared for much of the night that the player reaching the 30--point mark individually would be Western Carolina's Marcus Kell, as he nearly doubled his previous career-high of 16 points, finishing the night with 29 points on 8-of-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from three-point land. He also connected on 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, while adding eight rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in 38 minutes of work.
Bernard Pelote, who entered the game averaging 17.7 PPG in 10 SoCon games to rank in the top five in the league in scoring in conference games, was the only other Catamount player in double figures, as Furman's collective defensive effort held him four points below his normal average entering the game in the previous 10 league tilts and he finished the night scoring 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field, including going just 2-for-8 from three-point land.
The win by the Paladins saw them improve to 2-0 in overtime games this season, having also won at The Citadel, 67-63, last month. It also marked Furman's third win over the Catamounts in overtime in the past three seasons, with those other two overtime wins over the Catamounts coming in each of the past two editions of the SoCon Tournament at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville.
Furman garnered the season sweep of Western Carolina and improved to 58-31 all-time against the Catamounts in what was the 89th meeting between the two Wednesday evening. The Paladins have now won 21 of the past 24 meetings between the two.
The game featured 11 ties and 12 lead changes, with nine of those lead changes coming in the opening half of play.
The Paladins and Catamounts played pretty good defense on both sides, and adjusting to the shooting sight lines for both teams was not easy, as the two launched a combined 135 shots and made just 50 of them, which converts to just a combined 37.0% shooting clip. The two teams also launch 67 three-pointers, making just 18 of those long-range attempts, or 26.8%.
Furman finished the game with the slight edge in shooting, connecting on 41.3% (26-of-63) from the field, while finishing the game by shooting at a 27.6% (8-of-29) from three-point land. The Paladins saw a notable improvement at the charity stripe following their 52% effort (7-of-13) last time out against East Tennessee State, as the Paladins connected on 68.6% (24-of-35) from the free throw line.
The Catamounts finished the evening connecting on just 33.3% (24-of-72) from the field and just 26.3% (10-of-38) from three-point range. Western Carolina finished the night a solid 77.3% (17-of-22) from the free throw line.
Furman held advantages in total assists (17-13), points from turnovers (12-8), points in the paint (30-28), second chance points (13-8), fast-break points (7-5) and bench scoring (27-19). The Catamounts held a slight edge on the backboards (48-47) and hoisted up nine more shots (72-63).
The Narrative
Sometimes college basketball doesn't make any sense, and for one conference that doesn’t make any sense, the SoCon is that conference, and several times this season, Furman has been that team within that said conference. In a way, the "Jekyll and Hyde 'Dins" or "Find-a-Way Furman" has been a nice microcosm of the league at-large this season, which is to say no matter which one you get, it's usually well worth the watch.
Furman found itself in another displaced home venue Wednesday at Bob Jones' Davis Field House, facing off against a Western Carolina team it beat by 29 points (90-61) a little over a month ago. Things should have gone smoothly, right? Basketball mirrors life in many ways, maybe the most common way it mimics our day-to-day is that things never seem to go the way you planned them to go, and for Furman, who didn't even practice or shoot around at Davis Fieldhouse this week, there was a dangerous element to facing a Catamount team vastly improved and hungry for a win wherever they could find one.
Western Carolina had a good plan for much of the night, and leading by six with 2:27 remaining following a pair of made foul shots by Marcus Kell, the Catamounts assumed a seemingly comfortable 63-57 lead. That's went things started to go awry for the Catamounts, and the Paladins found some of that grit, which we saw more frequently during the non-conference portion of the slate, and applied it accordingly late in regulation Wednesday night.
But as much as it seemed as if Furman found that extra gear that sometimes a couple of veterans like Ben VanderWal and Garrett Hien can provide, it also seemed as if the Catamounts forgot their plan all together and hit the panic button. Furman's calming solution to the situation at hand was cool and poised under pressure and he also happened to be a veteran and his name is Nick Anderson. He joined forces with Hien, and the rest of the team then followed their, as the duo would ignite Furman in the final couple of minutes to force overtime.
Furman seemingly just finds ways to victory, which has become its trademark mantra this season, as the Paladins overcame a second-half deficit to garner a win for the 10th time this season. The Paladins trailed by as much as seven points early in the second half and was faced with a six-point deficit with under three minutes left in the game before they figured out the Catamount puzzle to force overtime.
How It Happened
Trailing by six points with less than three minutes remaining, it was time for Nick Anderson to play the role of Batman and Cooper Bowser was the proverbial Robin, as the duo found a way to ignite the Paladins to force overtime in a displaced home arena, which seemed more like a neutral site game.
Garrett Hien was also key in Furman's stretch in overtime to help the Paladins get over the hump and bring home a win in overtime, with his defensive effort and help on the glass on both ends of the floor.
Furman found itself behind for almost the entire second half, and the Paladins had trouble even stringing a couple of successful scoring possessions together for much of the night, however, Anderson would catch fire late. With what amounted to a possession in which the Paladins had to have points following Kell's two made foul shots, Anderson, a senior from Schereville, IN, found himself open off a beautifully set screen from Cooper Bowser for a left wing three, which he buried to get the Paladins to within three, at 63-60, with 2:17 left.
It's rare that in Furman's intricate offense that you see the player that takes the initial inbounds pass of the possession take the shot, but needing points late in the game, Anderson didn't hesitate.
Following a Brandon Morgan missed layup on the other end, Furman's Hien came up with one of his career-high 15 rebounds, and the ball found its way to Anderson again, and another excellent high-ball screen from Bowser freed Anderson for just enough time to get off a long top of the key three, which drained through the net without drawing iron, tying the game, 63-63, with 1:22.
Following a Catamount timeout, and following the timeout, Bernard Pelote converted a layup to put the Catamounts back up two, at 65-63, with 60 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Anderson's mid-range jumper was no good and the ball was rebounded by WCU's Brandon Morgan, who was then immediately fouled by Hien, putting him and the line for a 1-and-1 situation for the Catamounts with 41 seconds remaining.
However, Morgan missed the front end of the 1-and-1 opportunity, and Furman's Hien came up with the rebound, and he got the ball quickly to Anderson, who rushed the ball up the floor, driving down the lane, however, couldn't convert his layup attempt and the ball came to Morgan and in a scramble with Hien on the inline, the ball bounced out of play and was initially awarded Western Carolina, as it was deemed to have been last touched by Hien before going out of play.
However, after a somewhat lengthy review, the ball was awarded to Furman underneath the basket, and after head coach Bob Richey drew up a play off the out-of-bounds underneath, Anderson came free off a curl screen for a right elbow three attempt, but it was off the mark. Fortunately, Hien was there to rescue his partner his teammate with an offensive rebound. and was fouled on his layup attempt by Morgan with 25 seconds remaining. Hien missed the first, however, he banked in the second to get the Paladins to within a point.
Furman opted to press on the ensuing Catamounts possession, and the Paladins nearly forced a turnover on Cord Stansberry, but as the ball rolled free, he picked it up and found Ice Emery, who crossed the timeline and was fouled by Furman's Tom House with 16.8 seconds left.
Being that it was Furman's 10th foul, Emery went to the line for a pair of free throws. He made the first, but his second shot was short, and Hien was there once again for the rebound and with the Paladins trailing by two (66-64), he quickly gave the ball to Anderson who drove into the forecourt and he did drove down the lane, did a euro-step around Marcus Kell for the game-tying layup with seven seconds left.
With the game tied at 66-66, the Catamounts opted not to burn a timeout and took their time getting up the floor and needed only a two-point field goal to win the game, however, Morgan ended up taking the lower percentage, contested three from NBA range on the left wing, which was no good off the side of the iron, and the game went to overtime.
The Catamounts, who had just come off a demoralizing home, 80-76, home setback to VMI in overtime in their last game against VMI, and it seemed that Furman had already won the game by merely forcing overtime, and that is sometimes the perils of a young team learning how to win and become mentally tough at the same time, which is something I am sure Catamount head coach Tim Craft or any coach of a young basketball team would agree with I am sure.
Furman won the tip-off in the extra session, as Hien again provided another small detail that ended up being huge. The psychology of a lead for the Paladins, which for much of the night almost seemed like an inevitable lost cause, but now in overtime, Emery fouled Anderson shortly after the Paladins took possession off the Hien won tip ball from the center circle, however, the senior guard tossed up a rare miss on his first of the two-shot bonus charity attempt.
The second was true, giving the Paladins the 67-66 lead with 4:32 remaining. It was Furman's first lead since the 18:22 mark of the second half, when the Paladins led the contest 36-35 following a made three-pointer by PJay Smith Jr.
Following a Stansberry missed jumper on the other end, this time Emery fouled Anderson on a three, which he barely missed. Anderson hit nothing but net on all three, and the Paladins held a two-possession lead, at 70-66 with just over four minutes remaining.
The Catamounts continued to panic, while Furman grew only more confident as the game wore on, as the 1,800 fans in attendance gave Davis Fieldhouse a home-like feel, which is not always easy to duplicate in games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Bernard Pelote's wild three went out of bounds, giving the Paladins the basketball back, setting the stage for what might have been the Paladins' biggest possession of the night, and one that would ultimately break the spirit and will of the young Catamounts, which came to Greenville looking for their biggest win of the season.
With the shot clock winding down, Eddrin Bronson found Tom House on the left wing and he released his shot just as the shot clock expired to extend Furman's advantage to seven, at 73-66, with 2:53 remaining.
The first points of the overtime session would come from the charity stripe for WCU, as Bernard Pelote knocked down a pair of free throws following a PJay Smith Jr. foul with 2:37 left, trimming Furman's lead back to five, at 73-68.
The Paladins, however, seemingly always had the answer and just 14 seconds later, Anderson took advantage of a gap in the Catamounts defense to drive down the center of the lane and lay the ball off the glass, increasing Furman's lead back to seven.
After Pelote missed another jumper off the front rim in the paint and Smith came up with a rebound, the Paladins went looking for more, however, Anderson missed a good look at a three, but Hien was there for the offensive board and was fouled by Emery on the putback attempt. Hien missed both, but his overall improvement and work put in on that particular part of the game was evident throughout the game.
More importantly, it was Hien's aggressiveness on the offensive end and energy level never ebbed even when Furman's did at times in the contest. His 14 foul shots and nine fouls drawn were indicators of his importance in the game, and keeping the Paladins alive in the game in the middle portions of the second half when the Paladins looked disjointed and weren't functioning at winning quality on the offensive end.
Hien's second missed free throw was taken by Stansberry and he opted to call his own number in transition on a three-point attempt from the left wing, which missed badly to the right and the rebound was again snatched by Smith, and after racing quickly into the frontcourt, the senior guard from LaVergne, TN, was fouled hard by Emery, who committed his fifth and disqualifying foul and sent Smith to the line for a pair of free throws. He connected on both to give the Paladins their largest lead of the nine at nine, 77-68, with 1:19 remaining.
The Catamounts answered with two more Brandon Morgan free throws after Smith picked up foul as Morgan was attempting to drive down the lane to the hoop, making it a 77-70 Catamount deficit with 1:15 remaining. The Catamounts, however, had scored all four of their points from the charity stripe in overtime, as WCU missed their first four shots in the extra session.
Furman's Smith was fouled by Pelote rather abruptly after the Paladins inbounded the basketball, and he the senior once again converted both charity shots to put the Paladin lead back to nine, at 79-70.
Pelote ended the WCU overtime drought by nailing a three from the right wing, cutting the Furman lead to six with 61 seconds remaining. With just over a half-minute remaining, Anderson provided a dagger on a long three off a pass from House, and the Paladins could begin to celebrate win No. 18 of the season.
It was a little ironic that the 18th win of the 2024-25 season eclipsed the 17th win of the 2023-24 season, which also came in overtime against Western Carolina in Asheville. Morgan converted a layup on the other end and after Smith was fouled again, he answered with a pair of free throws to keep the final margin at nine, as the Paladins held off a feisty Catamounts team, 84-75.
In the opening half of play and early portions of the second half, it looked as though the Paladins and Catamounts would reach the high 70s-low 80s point total easily in regulation, but poor shooting and poor shot selection, particularly by the Catamounts, would keep the score lower than expected despite the pace being rapid on both ends at times.
Furman and Western Carolina started the game at a furious pace, as both teams headed to the first media timeout having had their moments earlier on at Bob Jones’ Davis Field House, and the two teams headed to their respective benches with the score knotted, 7-7.
As has been the case in most games this season, if Nick Anderson starts the game well, it’s a good omen for the Paladins, and after scoring five of the Paladins’ first seven points, there was a good feeling that seemed to permeate the crowd of 1,807 fans that followed the Paladins to another home away from home in a season displaced by Timmons Arena’s 40 million dollar renovation project. Anderson had a helping hand in Furman's first three field goals, connected on a jumper and a three, while assisting on a nice feed to Ben VanderWal underneath for the other.
Following the first media timeout, the Paladins took a 13-8 lead on a corner three from House and a Hien facial and foul shot on a three-point play the old-fashioned way, which as you might expect brought out a healthy roar from the Paladin fans in attendance.
However, Furman would go cold, and the Catamounts would play some of their best basketball of the season in one stretch, putting together a 17-2 run to take a 25-17 lead, using four three-pointers as a part of the 4:13 stretch to prompt a Paladin timeout with 9:09 left in the half.
Out of the timeout, the Paladins responded emphatically to an emphatic message delivered by head coach Bob Richey, using an 11-0 lead to regain the lead, which was highlighted by a powerful dunk in transition by Bowser to get the 'Dins within one, and then a steal and layup by Hien to give the Paladins a 26-25 lead with 6:40 left in the half.
Smith gave Furman a 28-25 lead with 5:14 remaining in the half off a driving layup down the right side of the lane, however, it would be the last points from the field of the half for Furman, as WCU took the 33-31 lead into the halftime locker room.
The second half would see both teams start fast again, with Furman taking an early 36-35 lead following a three-pointer by Smith with 18:22 left. The Paladins would, however, fall behind by as many as eight when Kell converted a layup in the paint to give the Catamounts a 57-49 lead with just over six minutes left and it would take some late-game heroics from Anderson and Hien to help get the Paladins to overtime, tied 66-66, where the Paladins would eventually outscore the Catamounts, 18-9, in the extra session.
Furman will head to the Scenic City of Chattanooga to take on the UTC Mocs (16-8, 8-3 SoCon) in a key Southern Conference tilt in what will mark the 101st meeting between the two SoCon foes. The Mocs were also in the Upstate of South Carolina Wednesday night, as they also came up with a season sweep, knocking off Wofford, 79-70, in Spartanburg to improve to 16-8 overall and 8-3 in league play. The Mocs claimed a 75-71 win in Greenville earlier this season, trailing that contest at the Well by as many as 16 points in the first half and 13 in the early portions of the second half before taking their first lead with just under five minutes remaining. Furman dropped a 73-58 decision at McKenzie Arena. The Paladins missed 16-straight shots and went 13 minutes without scoring from the field, which allowed the Mocs to build a 23-point (43-20) halftime lead and all but decide the final outcome in the opening 20 minutes of basketball. At that time last season, the road loss to UTC was Furman's worst Southern Conference loss since December 29, 2019, as the Paladins dropped what was a 79-56 setback at East Tennessee State. All told, the Mocs finished the half on a 25-8 run to take the 23-point lead into the halftime locker room. The tip-off time between the Mocs and Paladins is set for 4:30 p.m. EST. inside the arena affectionately known as "The Roundhouse."
Postgame Press Conference:
(Head Coach Bob Richey)
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