Furman 'Clicks' in Win Over Queens

Furman sophomore guard Eddrin Bronson 

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Head coach Bob Richey has been patiently waiting for things to begin to click for his young, but talented basketball team, and on Sunday afternoon, it was evident that things were beginning to gel accordingly, as Furman continues to gain experience against good opponents.

Sunday brought another of those opponents to Timmons Arena for a battle in the SoCon-Atlantic Sun challenge, as Queens University of Charlotte played in the refurbished arena for the first time fresh off a 101-94 win over Furman's SoCon rival UNC Greensboro just last week, but the Paladins put an end to that momentum with a 90-79 win before an announced crowd of 2,167 fans Sunday afternoon. 

With the win, Furman improves 3-3 overall, while the Queens heads into Feast Week with a 3-4 mark.

Alex Wilkins led five in double figures in helping the Paladins to their first win over NCAA Division I competition this season, as he posted 23 points, seven assists, five rebounds and turned it over only twice in Furman's best and most-complete performance of the season.

Wilkins connected on 9-of-15 shots from the field and was 3-for-7 from three-point land and a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. It marked Wilkins' sixth game in double figures to start his career, posting his second 20+ scoring performance of the season. The Mattapan, MA., native posted a season-high 26 points in the Paladins' win over Columbia International earlier this season. 

Charles Johnston added his fifth double-double in six games this season, as he posted 14 points and 13 rebounds, connecting on 5-of-6 shots, including going 2-of-3 from three-point range. The Sydney, Australia native was also a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. It was Johnston's sixth-consecutive double-digit rebound performance to begin the season. He also finished second on the team in total assists, dishing out four helpers without turning it over.

Cooper Bowser continued his strong play of late, adding 17 points, two rebounds, two blocks and an assist, while Eddirin Bronson added 15 points off the bench. Asa Thomas, who garnered his second-straight start, rounded out the Paladins in double figures with 12 points.

Not to be overlooked was the performance by senior wing Ben Vander Wal, who posted a +/- of +23 in Sunday's win, as he returned to the lineup after a minor injury kept him sidelined against Ohio Christian. Vander Wal delivered the ultimate "glue-guy" stat line, as he posted six points, five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in 30 minutes of floor time.  

Queens also posted five players in double figures in the game, as the preseason Atlantic Sun favorite was led by Maban Jabriel off the bench, as he posted 16 points and seven rebounds, connecting on 6-of-8 shots from the field and was 2-for-4 from three-point range. Jabriel also added two assists, a steal and a block to his well-rounded effort, logging 25 minutes off the Royals' bench.

True freshman point guard Jordan Watford and junior wing Nasir Mann added 14 points apiece, while Chris Ashby and Avantae Parker added 12 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the double figures scorers for the Royals.

The Paladins finished the game with their top shooting performance of the season, as the Paladins posted a 53.3% (32-of-60) performance from the field, including a solid 36.4% (12-of-33) effort from three-point land. About the only thing the Paladins didn't do exceptionally well was shooting from the charity stripe, as the Paladins finished the game just 66.7% (14-of-21) from the charity stripe. The 90 points scored by the Paladins were also a season high. Furman's four turnovers were also a season low. 

Queens, which finished the two prior games shooting over 49% or better from the field and had hit 17 and 15 three-pointers in its previous two outings against UNC Greensboro and Sacred Heart in back-to-back wins, was held to 47.5% (28-of-59) and connected on just nine three-pointers, finishing the game connecting at a 34.6% (9-of-26) from three-point range. The Royals continued to shoot the ball well from the charity stripe this season, connecting on 82.4% (14-of-17).

The Paladins held the edge in total rebounds (36-27) and total assists (20-18), while Queens held slight edges in bench scoring (23-18), second-chance points (15-7), points from turnovers (7-5) and fast-break scoring (9-8). 

How It Happened:

Furman took the early initiative, and it was Alex Wilkins that scored the first seven points of the game, as the Paladins got off to a strong start for the first time this season, and the Paladins went to the first media timeout with a 12-5 lead, including making two of their first three long-range shots.

A Collin O’Neal three-pointer gave the Paladins their largest lead of the afternoon, at 22-12. However, threes by Maban Jabriel and Chris Ashby and a free three throw by Jordan Watford got Queens back to within three, 22-19, and that is how the score would hold up as the two teams headed to their third media timeout of the opening half with 7:55 left. 

The Paladins responded with a 7-0 of their own out of the media timeout, led by Alex Wilkins, who posted five of those points on a three and a driving layup, while Cooper Bowser added a strong dunk  in traffic off a feed from Wilkins to stretch the lead back to 10, at 29-19 with 6:03 remaining in the opening half.

Queens cut the deficit inside of eight four times over the next three minutes, however, the Paladins would hit another strong stretch offensively in the final three minutes of the half to take a 13-point lead to the break. Back-to-back threes from Eddrin Bronson and Asa Thomas saw Furman extend its lead to 14, at 41-27, with 2:10 to play in the half, and the Paladins would eventually settle for a 45-32 halftime edge.

In the second half, Furman would push its lead to 20, at 58-38, following a strong Bowser dunk in traffic with 16:26 remaining. The Paladins remained with a comfortable advantage for most of the half, however, Queens would mount a late charge.

Leading by 19 with 6:39 remaining (79-60), the Royals made one last move to try and get back into the game, using a 10-1 run to get to within 10, highlighted by an Avantae Parker strong dunk and three-point play the old fashioned way and a conventional three in transition by Nasir Mann, which cut Furman's lead to 10, at 80-70, with 4:25 left. An Ashby three following a pair of Bowser free throws with just under four minutes remaining got the Royals to within single digits for the first time in the second half, at 82-73, with 3:55 left.

Furman followed with Tom House feeding Bowser for another strong two-handed stuff before Parker answered with a layup for Queens to cut Furman's lead to nine, at 84-75, with 3:07 remaining. However, four-straight made free throws by Bronson and Charles Johnston, which was sandwiched by a missed Asby three, took Furman's lead back to 13 and the Royals never threatened again the remainder of the game, as Furman closed out its strongest performance of the season with an 11-point win.

Furman returns to action on Thursday when it takes part in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, FL, as the Paladins will take on the Richmond Spiders at 11 am at the State Farm Field House as a part of the "Imagination Bracket". The other two teams--Illinois State and Charlotte will play in the following matchup at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Depending on the result of its opening matchup, Furman will take the floor at either 12:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. the following day in either the consolation game or championship game of the bracket.

Postgame Press Conference:

Players--Charles Johnston and Ben Vander Wal

Head Coach Bob Richey