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| Furman junior forward Cooper Bowser |
The win sees the Paladins improve to 1-2 on the young season, while it counts as just an exhibition for Columbia International, who remained at 3-2 on the season under eighth-year head coach Tony Stockman. The Rams are a member if the Appalachian Athletic Conference, and Stockman was a three-point specialist during his career at both Clemson and Ohio State (2000-05). Both of Furman's "inaugural wins" in different eras inside Timmons Arena have come against non-Division I competition.
On Dec. 30, 1997, Furman officially opened Timmons Arena with a 72-69 win over now defunct NCAA Division II program Northeastern Illinois. Furman's 89-59 win over Columbia International some 28 years later marks the first win following the facility's 40-million-dollar upgrade, as the Paladins improved to 3-0 all-time against the Rams and 258-109 in the history of facility, as the Paladins played their 367th home game in the facility in Monday night's triumph. The Paladins are now 110-20 at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season.
Furman's talented rookie guard, Alex Wilkins, connected on 9-of-17 shots from the field and finished 4-for-9 from three-point land, as well as posting a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the line. Additionally, the native of Mattapan, MA., added two assists, two steals and a pair of boards.
Wilkins' 26 points was the highest by a Furman freshman in over a decade, as it was the most by a Paladin rookie since former talented rookie guard and 2014-15 SoCon Freshman of the Year Devin Sibley scored 29 points on Feb. 14, 2015, in what was a 66-59 road loss to East Tennessee State.
Joining Wilkins in double figures for Furman were junior Cooper Bowser and true freshman guard Abijah Franklin, who added 11 points apiece, while Charles Johnston added a double-double, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and dished out four helpers. Johnston has now posted double-figure rebound totals in each of Furman's first three games of the season. Asa Thomas added 10 points off the bench for the Paladins.
Franklin, who prepped at nearby Wren High School, posted his career-high 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including 1-of-5 from long-range, and was 2-of-3 at the charity stripe. The Greenville product also added four rebounds and two assists to the cause.
Junior 6-11 forward Cooper Bowser finished a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including four powerful dunks, while adding seven boards, three steals and an assist.
Columbia International finished the game with one player in double figures, as Will Kelly finished the game with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Kelly, a senior guard from Belmont, N.C., also was solid from the charity stripe, as he finished 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
The Paladins finished the night connecting on 44.3% (31-of-70) for the game, including just 24.4% (11-of-45) from three-point land. The Paladins finished a solid 69.6% (16-of-23) from the charity stripe.
The Rams finished the night connecting on 38.5% (20-of-52) from the field and 25.0% (7-of-28) from three-point land. Columbia International was a solid 80.0% (12-of-15) for the game from the free throw line.
The Paladins posted a substantial advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Rams, 51-26, in the game, including 21-4 on the offensive glass, which led to an identical margin in second-chance points (21-4). Furman also posted advantages in the following categories: points in the paint (38-16), fast-break points (18-4), bench scoring (30-18), total assists (19-7), and points from turnovers (20-12).
How It Happened
Furman came out and established momentum
early and by the time the first media timeout arrived, Alex Wilkins had already
got going with nine of the Paladins’ first 15 points, highlighted by an early 4-of-4
effort from the free throw line. Cooper Bowser, who scored three early points,
highlighted that with an emphatic two-handed stuff off a steal. The Paladins
took a 15-7 lead into the first media timeout with 15:56 left in the opening half.
A pair of Abijah Franklin foul shots gave
the Paladins their first double-digit lead in the reimagined Timmons Arena, at
17-7. By the time the second media timeout had arrived, the Paladins had
extended their lead to 23-7 lead, on a pair of Ben Vander Wal free throws, and
layups by Charles Johnston and Wilkins.
Franklin added a three and a pair of layups to his four early points, while Bowser powered home another pair of dunks off a Columbia International turnover and off an offensive rebound, as the Paladins had extended their lead to 24 by the final media timeout of the opening half, leading 39-15 with 3:55 to play in the opening half.
That would be the margin as the two teams
headed into the half, with Wilkins able to score 19 of his game-high 26 points
in the opening half, as Furman carried a 49-25 lead to the half. Despite struggling
from beyond the arc in the opening half of play, connecting on just 31.6% (6-of-19),
the Paladins still managed to shoot at a 50% clip (15-of-30) from the field in
the opening half, while holding the visiting Rams to just 34.8% (8-of-23) in
the opening 20 minutes of basketball. Another good sign of Furman’s offensive
aggression was its 16 first-half free throws, as the Paladins connected on 13
of them (81.3%), outscoring the Rams by nine at the line (16-7) on six more
attempts (16-10) in the opening 20 minutes.
All told, the Paladins would hold the Rams without a field goal for a 10:32 stretch in the opening frame, helping Furman build what would eventually build that 24-point halftime edge. During that stretch, Furman was able to put together a 24-1 run to take complete control of the game. Five different Paladins scored, as Furman assumed a 21-point lead, at 29-8.
In the second half, it was more of the same for the Paladins, although the Rams did manage to cut the 16 points on a Zach Everly jumper at the 12:57 mark of the second half, getting Columbia International to within 58-42.
That would be, however, as close as the Rams would be able to get for the remainder of the night, as the Paladins built their largest lead of the night off to that point off a Wilkins steal and two-handed flush, which was part of a 22-10 run, which saw the Paladins build a 28-point advantage, at 80-52, with 6:10 remaining.
After Tre Kirk answered with five-straight points on a three and a short jumper in the paint to get the Rams back to within 23, at 80-57, with 4:33 remaining, Furman used a 9-2 spurt close the game, highlighted by Gunnar Lewis and Eddrin Bronson three-pointers, while Mason Smith had a dunk and a free throw to account for Furman's final nine points of the game, which capped a 30-point win.
Furman will return to action on Friday night, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa to face off against Missouri Valley Conference foe Northern Iowa. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. EST.
Postgame Press Conference
Charles Johnston (left) and Alex Wilkins (right)
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