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| Furman senior wing forward Ben Vander Wal |
ELON, N.C.--Like a Phoenix, Furman rose from the proverbial ashes of an 18-point first-half deficit and built as much as a 15-point second-half lead before settling for a nine-point non-conference win over SoCon rival Elon.
Asa Thomas led five Paladin players in double figures, posting 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, as Furman overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to post its first true road win of the season, with a 97-88 win over Elon in non-conference basketball action Wednesday evening at the Schar Center.
With the win, Furman improved to 5-4 overall and have now won four out the last five games after a 1-3 start to the campaign. The loss sees Elon even its record at 4-4 on the young season, which includes having lost each of its past two games to SoCon foes. The Phoenix also dropped a 91-84 decision to Mercer this past Saturday.
Thomas completed the evening by connecting 6-of-12 shots from the field, including a 5-for-11 effort from three-point range in the win. The Clemson transfer was a big reason Furman was able to overcome that big deficit down the stretch in the opening half of play, as Thomas connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range in the opening half of play, helping Furman surge back from an 18-point deficit over the latter half of the opening half, helping ignite a 20-4 run for the Paladins to close the half to tie the game, 44-44.
Thomas would be joined in double figures for the Paladins by junior forward Cooper Bowser, who filled a Jalen Slawson-like stat-line, finishing the evening with 19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two assists in 33 minutes of work. Furman senior center Charles Johnston added his SoCon-leading sixth double-double of the campaign, posting 12 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Ben Vander Wal added 13 points and eight rebounds to round out four of five starters that ended in double figures for the Paladins in the game.
Tom House delivered his most productive outing of the season for the Paladins, as he came off the bench to add 12 points, which included a near-flawless performance from the charity stripe, as he was 9-of-10 from the stripe. Collin O’Neal came off the bench to add nine points for the Paladins, while freshman phenom Alex Wilkins finished with eight points and three assists after getting in foul trouble in the opening half, which limited his production. It was the first time this season that the freshman from Mattapan, MA failed to reach double figures.
Elon senior big man Chandler Cuthrell, who came into the game ranking sixth nationally in scoring average, led all scorers in the game with 25 points, as he was one of three Elon players in double figures, and was one of two with 20 or more points in the contest. Cuthrell finished his night by connecting on 8-of-14 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point land. He was also 7-of-9 from the charity stripe in the contest.
Cuthrell was joined in double figures in the game by Randall Pettus II, who added 21 points and Ja’Juan Carr rounded out the double-figure scorers for Elon, with a solid performance, adding 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.
The Paladins completed the night by connecting on 50.8% (31-of-61) from the field, including a 32.4% (11-of-34) effort from three-point range in the win. Furman, which came into the game ranking 356 out of 361 teams in free throw shooting, reverted to the sound shooting team from the stripe that it had been over the course of eight previous seasons under head coach Bob Richey, as the Paladins finished the night connecting on a season-best 77.4% (24-of-31) from the charity stripe. The Paladins were especially impressive down the stretch in the game, finishing off the win by connecting on 18 of their final 20 charity stripe shots in the game.
Elon, meanwhile, finished the game connecting on 42.6% (29-of-68) from the field, while matching Furman’s 32.4% (11-of-34) effort from beyond the arc. The Phoenix was also good from the charity stripe, finishing the night by knocking down 76.0% (19-of-25) from the free throw line.
Elon came into the contest as one of the top offensive rebounding teams in college basketball in the early part of the season. Cuthrell had eight of his first 11 points from second-chance points before the first media timeout, as the Phoenix snagged five of their 14 offensive rebounds for the game in the opening five minutes of the game. The Paladins would close strongly, however, getting outscored just 15-10 in second-chance points after falling behind 13-2 at the half.
For the game, Furman finished with slight edges in points in the paint (40-36), total assists (20-16), total rebounds (41-38), fast-break scoring (17-14) and bench points (24-18). Elon held advantages in points from turnovers (16-10) and second-chance points (15-10). Furman also finished the night with slight advantages in free throw attempts (31-25) and free throw points (25-19).
The win marked Furman's 75th true road win over the past nine years, which ranks in the top 10 nationally over that same span, including ranking second in the SoCon, trailing only UNCG, which has 76 total true road wins over the past nine years.
Furman's 97 points marked a season-high, eclipsing the previous season standard of 90 points against Queens (W, 90-79), while narrowing Elon's all-time series edge to 11-8 following the impressive midweek road win. It marked Furman's fourth-straight win in the series, which included matching the 97 points Furman scored in its previous meeting with Elon at the Schar Center some six years ago, as Clay Mounce and Mike Bothwell posted 20 points apiece, helping Furman to a dominant 97-61 win on Nov. 26, 2019 in what was the mainland portion of the Battle4Atlantis.
With the win, Furman improved to 5-4 overall and have now won four out the last five games after a 1-3 start to the campaign. The loss sees Elon even its record at 4-4 on the young season, which includes having lost each of its past two games to SoCon foes. The Phoenix also dropped a 91-84 decision to Mercer this past Saturday.
Thomas completed the evening by connecting 6-of-12 shots from the field, including a 5-for-11 effort from three-point range in the win. The Clemson transfer was a big reason Furman was able to overcome that big deficit down the stretch in the opening half of play, as Thomas connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range in the opening half of play, helping Furman surge back from an 18-point deficit over the latter half of the opening half, helping ignite a 20-4 run for the Paladins to close the half to tie the game, 44-44.
Thomas would be joined in double figures for the Paladins by junior forward Cooper Bowser, who filled a Jalen Slawson-like stat-line, finishing the evening with 19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two assists in 33 minutes of work. Furman senior center Charles Johnston added his SoCon-leading sixth double-double of the campaign, posting 12 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Ben Vander Wal added 13 points and eight rebounds to round out four of five starters that ended in double figures for the Paladins in the game.
Tom House delivered his most productive outing of the season for the Paladins, as he came off the bench to add 12 points, which included a near-flawless performance from the charity stripe, as he was 9-of-10 from the stripe. Collin O’Neal came off the bench to add nine points for the Paladins, while freshman phenom Alex Wilkins finished with eight points and three assists after getting in foul trouble in the opening half, which limited his production. It was the first time this season that the freshman from Mattapan, MA failed to reach double figures.
Elon senior big man Chandler Cuthrell, who came into the game ranking sixth nationally in scoring average, led all scorers in the game with 25 points, as he was one of three Elon players in double figures, and was one of two with 20 or more points in the contest. Cuthrell finished his night by connecting on 8-of-14 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point land. He was also 7-of-9 from the charity stripe in the contest.
Cuthrell was joined in double figures in the game by Randall Pettus II, who added 21 points and Ja’Juan Carr rounded out the double-figure scorers for Elon, with a solid performance, adding 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.
The Paladins completed the night by connecting on 50.8% (31-of-61) from the field, including a 32.4% (11-of-34) effort from three-point range in the win. Furman, which came into the game ranking 356 out of 361 teams in free throw shooting, reverted to the sound shooting team from the stripe that it had been over the course of eight previous seasons under head coach Bob Richey, as the Paladins finished the night connecting on a season-best 77.4% (24-of-31) from the charity stripe. The Paladins were especially impressive down the stretch in the game, finishing off the win by connecting on 18 of their final 20 charity stripe shots in the game.
Elon, meanwhile, finished the game connecting on 42.6% (29-of-68) from the field, while matching Furman’s 32.4% (11-of-34) effort from beyond the arc. The Phoenix was also good from the charity stripe, finishing the night by knocking down 76.0% (19-of-25) from the free throw line.
Elon came into the contest as one of the top offensive rebounding teams in college basketball in the early part of the season. Cuthrell had eight of his first 11 points from second-chance points before the first media timeout, as the Phoenix snagged five of their 14 offensive rebounds for the game in the opening five minutes of the game. The Paladins would close strongly, however, getting outscored just 15-10 in second-chance points after falling behind 13-2 at the half.
For the game, Furman finished with slight edges in points in the paint (40-36), total assists (20-16), total rebounds (41-38), fast-break scoring (17-14) and bench points (24-18). Elon held advantages in points from turnovers (16-10) and second-chance points (15-10). Furman also finished the night with slight advantages in free throw attempts (31-25) and free throw points (25-19).
The win marked Furman's 75th true road win over the past nine years, which ranks in the top 10 nationally over that same span, including ranking second in the SoCon, trailing only UNCG, which has 76 total true road wins over the past nine years.
Furman's 97 points marked a season-high, eclipsing the previous season standard of 90 points against Queens (W, 90-79), while narrowing Elon's all-time series edge to 11-8 following the impressive midweek road win. It marked Furman's fourth-straight win in the series, which included matching the 97 points Furman scored in its previous meeting with Elon at the Schar Center some six years ago, as Clay Mounce and Mike Bothwell posted 20 points apiece, helping Furman to a dominant 97-61 win on Nov. 26, 2019 in what was the mainland portion of the Battle4Atlantis.
Elon's loss to the Paladins would see it fall below .500 at the Schar Center since the beautiful facility opened its doors for basketball for the 2018-19 season, as the Phoenix are now 48-49 all-time in arguably the CAA's nicest home arena.
The Phoenix also fell to 1-2 against former SoCon rivals this season and will face its third-straight from the league it called home for 11 years (2003-14) when it travels to Wofford for a Saturday afternoon tilt against the Terriers.
How It Happened:
Furman visited Elon to take on the Phoenix for the first time since 2019, and on that occasion, the Paladins came to the Schar Center as a ranked team for the first time in school history and would leave by a winner by 26. Former stars Clay Mounce and Mike Bothwell did their thing on that pre-Thanksgiving road blowout win, scoring 20 points apiece in the latest win over Elon in the series prior to Wednesday night's Paladin triumph.
Six years later, it appeared Elon was going to exact a similar revenge to that 26-point home loss to Furman on Nov. 26, 2019, as the Phoenix jumped out to a 33-15 lead following a put back in the paint by Bryson Cokley, as the Phoenix were on cruise control with 9:45 remaining in the opening half.
How It Happened:
Furman visited Elon to take on the Phoenix for the first time since 2019, and on that occasion, the Paladins came to the Schar Center as a ranked team for the first time in school history and would leave by a winner by 26. Former stars Clay Mounce and Mike Bothwell did their thing on that pre-Thanksgiving road blowout win, scoring 20 points apiece in the latest win over Elon in the series prior to Wednesday night's Paladin triumph.
Six years later, it appeared Elon was going to exact a similar revenge to that 26-point home loss to Furman on Nov. 26, 2019, as the Phoenix jumped out to a 33-15 lead following a put back in the paint by Bryson Cokley, as the Phoenix were on cruise control with 9:45 remaining in the opening half.
However, despite facing its second double-digit opening half deficit in as many games, it wouldn't phase the Paladins, who played lock down defense over the final nine minutes of the opening period, as Furman went on a 29-11 run over the final stretch of the half, which included a 20-4 spurt at one point to tie the game, 44-44, at the break.
The Phoenix held a 43-27 lead following a pair of Randall Pettus II free throws with 5:16 remaining in the opening half, but Furman closed the half on a 17-1 run and held the Phoenix scoreless from the field over the final 5:49 of the opening 20 minutes of basketball to pull even on the scoreboard, as the two teams headed for the halftime locker room.
Furman's final surge over the latter half of the opening half would be a harbinger of good things to come on the offensive end, as it served as a precursor to what would be the Paladins most explosive 20 minutes of basketball against an NCAA Division I opponent all season, as Furman scored 53 second-half points on 51.6% (16-of-31) shooting from the field, out-scoring the Phoenix, 53-44, in the frame to take home its first true road win of the season.
Early in the second half, the Paladins trailed by a single point, at 54-53, following a Chandler Cuthrell free throw with 14:58 remaining.
However, Furman would take complete control of the proceedings after Cooper Bowser threatened to tear the already loose rim from the backboard with a two-handed rim-rattler to give the Paladins a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night, as it would be the start of what would turn out to be a 16-2 run. The Paladins assumed a comfortable 69-56 lead following tip-in by Ben Vander Wal off a missed Alex Wilkins three-point attempt with 9:26 left to before a Randall Pettus II three finally stopped the bleeding for the Phoenix, getting the home team back to within 10.
That brief Elon respite didn't deter Furman's momentum, however, as the visitors took its largest lead of the night at15 points a little over a minute later, when Asa Thomas converted a layup in the paint to give the Paladins a 74-59 lead with 8:13 left.
The Phoenix would trim Furman's lead to six twice over the final eight minutes, but could get no closer, with the latest being with 2:22 remaining when Ja'Juan Carr converted a reverse layup in the paint. The Paladins responded with four-straight made free throws from Bowser and Thomas to go back ahead by double digits with 1:06 remaining, as Elon never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
The Paladins won their 228th game since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is the most in the SoCon. It was also the 209th win for Furman over the past 10 seasons, which ranks among the Top 20 in all of NCAA Division I college basketball.
Furman returns to action on Saturday, welcoming Ivy League member Harvard (5-5) for a 2 p.m. EST contest.
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