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| Furman's Tom House converts a contested layup vs. Mercer in a physical SoCon Opener |
GREENVILLE, S.C.--You never know what to expect on the first day of a new conference season, and with roster turnover being what it is now in college basketball, that has become as unpredictable as it ever has been.
However, on the final day of 2025, both Furman and Mercer looked in postseason form, as the two battled back in forth in a game that had a March feel to it in a one-bid league. What we learned from Saturday's game is less about Furman and more about Mercer.
We knew Furman was going to be and is good, but what we discovered is that the Bears are for real. It's pretty easy to see that this Mercer team under second-year head coach Ryan Ridder is going to finish well above its projected spot of eighth by the league's head coaches.
With its sixth-straight win and ninth in the last 10 outings, Furman to 10-4 overall and 1-0 in league action, while Mercer fell to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Wilkins wasn't far behind Okojie for top scoring honors in the SoCon epic, as he finished with 20 points and seven assists to lead four in double figures for the Paladins. He connected on 7-of-15 shots from the field, including going 3-for-4 from three-point range and was also 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Okojie finished with his 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting for the game, including connecting on 2-of-5 shots from long-range in the loss. Okojie also made all six of his free throws in the game and add three assists and a pair of rebounds.
Wilkins would be joined in double figures by Asa Thomas, who finished with 19 points and five boards, while Tom House added 13 and Ben Vander Wal finished with 11. In true glue guy-like fashion, Vander Wal also added seven rebounds and dished out a pair assists.
As good as Wilkins was though, it's arguable that Charles Johnston was Furman's most valuable performer in the game. The 6-11 senior just missed his eighth double-double of the season, with nine points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals and only one turnover. With Furman thin depth-wise underneath, Johnston also did a great job of defending and being physical without getting into foul trouble.
It was the physical edge that Johnston provided in Saturday's game against a very physical Mercer team that proved especially vital in helping the Paladins secure their first SoCon win of the 2025-26 season.
Johnston's rebounding and his ability to defend a big man like Armani Mighty, keeping him from powering his way down in the paint with his strength was a big key to Furman's win. The big Aussie's play proved especially vital with Furman being without its other part of that twin-towers duo in the paint--Cooper Bowser--who missed his second-straight game with a lower-body injury. Johnston logged a total of 32 minutes and finished with a team-best +9 in the +/- category.
His defensive performance held Mighty, who entered the game ranking third in the nation with a field goal percentage of 70% this season coming into the matchup, to just 4-of-11 shooting from the field, which computes to 36.3%.
It was Mighty's lowest field goal percentage shooting performance in any game for the Bears this season, and his eight points in the game were five under his average of 13.2 PPG entering the contest. Mighty did show why he was one of the best defensive players in the league, swatting away five shots, as well as ripping down a game-high 13 rebounds.
It was also Vander Wal's ability to do everything from playing power forward to playing point guard in the game, helped Furman adapt to what it didn't have by maximizing the versatility of what it does have. It's the type of resiliency and ability that you have to have to win championships, and though it's only one game, if that continues to hold true for Furman, it likely foreshadows good things to come in January and February, as league teams jockey for positioning for the early March finale at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville.
While Okojie was outstanding for the Bears, he got some solid help from Zaire Williams, who finished with 13 points to finish out the double-figure scorers in the game for Mercer. Brady Shoulders just missed double figures with nine, while also adding nine rebounds and added five steals. Connor Serven added eight points, three boards and blocked three shots, while Kyle Cuffe Jr. finished with seven off the bench for the Bears.
The Paladins ended the game connecting on 44.1% (26-of-59) from the field and finished 39.1% (9-for-23) from three-point range, and connected on 59.1% (13-of-22) from the charity stripe.
Mercer finished the night connecting on 41.4% (29-of-70) from the field and 35.0% (7-of-20) from long-range. The Bears also finished 77.9% (7-of-9) from the charity stripe.
The Bears held advantages in points in the paint (38-28), points from turnovers (15-9), second-chance points (17-8) and bench scoring (16-2). The Paladins finished holding advantages in total rebounds (41-37), total assists (16-9) and fast-break points (17-10).
How It Happened:
Furman and Mercer battled through a tough opening twelve-and-a-half minutes of play, and after eight-straight points from Alex Wilkins, the Paladins built a 23-14 lead midway through the opening half, the Bears responded with a 7-2 run to cut the Paladin lead to four, at 25-21, following an Armani Mighty rebound and putback in the paint.
Two minutes later, Mercer regained the lead on a pair of Baraka Okojie foul shots, at 29-27, with 5:37 remaining in the opening half. It marked the first time the Bears had held the lead in the game since it was 9-8 following a Brady Shoulders layup in the paint at the 15:49 mark in the opening half.
With just over two minutes remaining in the half, Mercer took its largest lead of the afternoon when Shoulders got inside position to gain an offensive rebound and proceeded to follow through with the putback, giving the Bears a 35-32 lead with 2:06 left in the half.
Furman, however, would play good defense over the final two minutes of the half, and would score the final four points of the half, as Wilkins converted a layup in transition before Tom House got fouled on a three with 40 seconds remaining in the half, connecting on 2-of-3 from the line to give the Paladins a 36-35 lead, and the Paladins would play good defense, forcing a Connor Serven missed three on a contested shot from the top of the key. The Paladins went to half with a lead by the narrowest of margins.
The game would teeter back-and-forth as the high echelon play would escalate in execution with the progression of the half. The Paladins assumed the initial momentum, building nine-point, 47-38, lead following a Wilkins triple in transition less than three minutes into the second half. It would be the last time the Paladin lead would reach that margin, although on five other occasions throughout the course of the second half it would widen to seven, however, the Bears' road resilience and tenacity never let the Paladins get any sort of comfortability, despite being in front a larger than expected, loud crowd for a New Years Eve noon tip time.
A Tom House off-balance jumper from about the free throw line at the 7:46 mark saw the Paladins threaten to build enough of a cushion to put the game out of reach, as the senior guard's shot put the Paladins ahead, 59-52.
This is the point in the game where things would change, and the offensive efficiency for the Bears would be at its peak level. After Asa Thomas missed a three and a missed shot off an offensive rebound, the ball went out of play after a scramble of bodies battling to possess the ball before it drifted out of play and the ball was initially awarded to Furman, It was at this crucial point that the Bears felt it crucial enough to utilize their challenge, and it would prove to be a good decision, as the call was overturned and given to the Bears with 6:52 remaining.
With the ball back in their possession, Baraka Okojie banged a top of the key three and the Bears gained a little momentum. After a pair of Furman turnovers, the Bears got to within two when Mighty got the offensive rebound on a Zaire Williams missed three and put it back in to cut Furman's lead to 59-57 with 5:32 left.
Furman's next possession would see House fouled on a three just in front of the Furman bench and just like towards the end of the opening half, House would knock down two of three to put Furman back up by four, at 61-57, with 4:38 remaining. The Paladins would build the lead to five on three different occasions over the next two-and-a-half minutes, with the final coming after Asa Thomas was fouled on a three with 1:37 remaining on a beautifully designed play, that as Bob Richey said in his postgame press conference, was taken from Dan Hurley during UConn's Championship runs, and the Clemson transfer knocked down 2-of-3 from the line to make it a 71-66 lead for the Paladins.
The Bears took a timeout and then another Okojie three, which rolled around the rim several times before going in, got Mercer to within a bucket, at 71-69, with 1:29 left. Wilkins then had a layup blocked by Mighty, but Thomas came up with a key steal before being fouled to put him at the line for a pair of free throws in the double bonus. He would make one out of two to put the Paladins ahead 72-69.
Following Thomas' miss on the second free throw, the Bears advanced it quickly across the timeline and Okojie lobbed a beautiful jump pass to the opposite corner to a wide open Brady Shoulders, who connected on a left elbow three, tying the game, 72-72, with 40.9 seconds left.
Furman took timeout to set up what would prove to be the game winning play, and after Mighty chased Johnston out to the three-point line in the corner, it cleared enough space for Wilkins with a Bears defender on his hip to connect on the running jumper off the glass with 19 seconds remaining, giving the Paladins the 74-72 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Mercer tried several options off an offensive set to get an open look at a three, and when that didn't happen, Ryan Ridder burned a timeout with 5.4 seconds left to set up a better look at a two, which the Bears got. However, Okojie's tear-drop jumper from about 12 feet out caromed off the front and then back of the rim and Mighty grabbed the rebound, but Johnston swatted away his attempted shot after the buzzer and Furman held on for a gutsy, 74-72 win.
Furman returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 3, facing off against Western Carolina (4-8, 0-1 SoCon). Tip-off for that contest is set for 4 p.m. EST at Timmons Arena. Mercer will be in Johnson City to face another of the SoCon's top teams, in East Tennessee State (9-5, 1-0 SoCon). Tip-off for that contest is set for 2 p.m. EST at Freedom Hall.
Postgame:
Head coach--Bob Richey
Players--Charles Johnston, Tom House and Alex Wilkins
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