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| Furman freshman guard Alex Wilkins |
With the win, the Paladins improve 16-7 overall and 7-3 in SoCon action, while the Mocs fall to 9-14 overall and 3-7 in league play. The win gives Furman the season sweep of the Mocs, and the Paladins have now won three-straight against the Mocs and four of the last six over Chattanooga. The Paladins defeated Chattanooga, 78-67, back on Jan 7 at McKenzie Arena.
Wilkins was the only Paladin player in double figures for the Paladins with his game-high 33-point effort, the native of Mattapan, MA., connected on 10-of-16 shots from the field, including a career-best 6-for-8 from three-point range. Wilkins was also 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Over the past three games, Wilkins is 26-of-43 (60.4%) from the field, including 13-of-19 (68.4%) from three-point range. He has also connected on 15-of-18 (83.3%) from the free throw line. All told, he's scored a combined 80 points in those three Paladin wins.
Wilkins' 33-point effort is the second-most points ever by a Paladin rookie, with only Jonathan Moore's 34 points and 14 rebounds against Georgia on Dec. 16, 1976. His 33-point marks the first 30-point effort by Furman freshman since Jason Stewart scored 30 points against Clemson on Dec. 16, 1995. Wilkins' 33-point effort now gives him 429 points in his freshman season. It ranks as the fourth-best freshman season in Furman basketball history, trailing only Jonathan Moore (561 pts), Karim Souchu (459 pts) and George Singleton (435 pts) for points in a rookie season.
Wilkins' 33-point effort is the second-most points ever by a Paladin rookie, with only Jonathan Moore's 34 points and 14 rebounds against Georgia on Dec. 16, 1976. His 33-point marks the first 30-point effort by Furman freshman since Jason Stewart scored 30 points against Clemson on Dec. 16, 1995. Wilkins' 33-point effort now gives him 429 points in his freshman season. It ranks as the fourth-best freshman season in Furman basketball history, trailing only Jonathan Moore (561 pts), Karim Souchu (459 pts) and George Singleton (435 pts) for points in a rookie season.
The career-high scoring output also marked Wilkins' 11th performance of 20 or more points in a game this season, which ties him for second in the league lead in that category alongside Wofford guard Kahmare Holmes (11) and just behind Samford's talented scoring guard Jadin Booth, who leads the league with twelve 20+point scoring performances this season. Wilkins leads the SoCon with 153 made field goals, with Samford's Dylan Faulkner a distance second with 136 through 23 games in the 2025-26 season.
Cooper Bowser, who was playing his first game since Dec. 18 against Manhattan, finished with nine points and four rebounds in 23 minutes of action, while Eddrin Bronson also finished with nine points. Ben Vander Wal finished off another "glue guy" performance by posting seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in the 'Dins win.
Chattanooga finished the afternoon with two players in double figures, with Brennan Watkins leading the way with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-for-8 from long-range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Watkins also added five rebounds to the Mocs' cause. Teddy Washington Jr. came off the bench to add 16 points and three rebounds.
Later in the second half Cooper Bowser found Cole Bowser for a layup and he was fouled to garner an opportunity at a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give the Paladins a 65-55 lead with 4:52 remaining to keep the game at a reasonable cushion.
Cooper Bowser, who was playing his first game since Dec. 18 against Manhattan, finished with nine points and four rebounds in 23 minutes of action, while Eddrin Bronson also finished with nine points. Ben Vander Wal finished off another "glue guy" performance by posting seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in the 'Dins win.
Chattanooga finished the afternoon with two players in double figures, with Brennan Watkins leading the way with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-for-8 from long-range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Watkins also added five rebounds to the Mocs' cause. Teddy Washington Jr. came off the bench to add 16 points and three rebounds.
Furman finishes the contest connecting on 50% (25-of-50) of its shots from the field, including 45.0% (9-for-20) from three-point land. The Paladins also finished the afternoon connecting on 76.2% (16-of-21) from the charity stripe.
Chattanooga completed the 40 minutes of basketball connecting on 41.0% (25-of-61) from the field and 27.6% (8-of-29) from three-point range. The Mocs were 75.0% (12-of-16) from the free throw line.
For the game, Furman held advantages in points in the paint (30-26), points off turnovers (13-10), fast-break points (12-4), and total assists (18-9). The Mocs finished the game holding advantages in total rebounds (33-30), second-chance points (15-11) and bench scoring (35-18).
How It Happened
In the opening 20 minutes of basketball, there was a palpable buzz about Cooper Bowser's return to the lineup, and a pair of early dunks--one which came on a lob from Alex Wilkins--gave Furman two of its largest leads of the afternoon.
How It Happened
In the opening 20 minutes of basketball, there was a palpable buzz about Cooper Bowser's return to the lineup, and a pair of early dunks--one which came on a lob from Alex Wilkins--gave Furman two of its largest leads of the afternoon.
The first one, the alley-oop from Wilkins, brought the student-only crowd to life and offered his official welcome back to the lineup, giving the Paladins a 27-7 lead with 9:03 remaining in the opening half. The second one came five minutes later, as his thunderous two-handed slam gave the Paladins a 24-point, 38-14, lead with 4:07 remaining in the half.
All told, after the Mocs scored the first basket of the game, Furman used a 29-5 run to take control of the game and eventually settled on a 42-23 halftime lead.
The second half was a different story, as the Mocs mounted a furious rally to get back into the game, but could never quite get over the hump. A 13-0 run early in the second half severely cut into Furman's lead, taking what was a 49-30 game at 17:33 mark of the second half to making it a 49-43 contest at the 13:24 mark.
However, the Paladins, who have been prone to blowing big leads, found a way to push the advantage back to 10 following a three from Cole Bowser with eight minutes remaining, at 60-50
Later in the second half Cooper Bowser found Cole Bowser for a layup and he was fouled to garner an opportunity at a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give the Paladins a 65-55 lead with 4:52 remaining to keep the game at a reasonable cushion.
The Paladins were able to maintain a six-to-10 point cushion until the final minute, as the Mocs threatened late. First, a Jordan Frison jumper with 50 seconds remaining cut the Paladin lead to just four, at 68-64. The Mocs weren't done, cutting it four following a Tate Darner triple to make it a 73-70 deficit for UTC with 17 seconds remaining.
However, Furman was solid at the line in the final minute of the game, connecting on 5-of-6 free throws in the final 42 seconds to help maintain its distance on the scoreboard from the Mocs and secure a 75-70 Southern Conference win. It was Ed Bronson's two free throws in a pressure situation that put the final two points on the board for a second-straight game to secure the home win for the Paladins.
The win sets up another SoCon showdown for first-place on Wednesday night in Johnson City at East Tennessee State (16-7, 8-2 SoCon) after the Bucs went so Spartanburg and knocked off a Wofford team that was without the services of leading scorer Kahmare Holmes, posting an 86-72 win over the Terriers in Spartanburg for their second-straight win at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in as many seasons.
The road win by the Bucs before a national television audience meant ETSU pulled into sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference, while dropping Wofford, which fell to 15-8 overall and 7-3 in league play, into a tie with both Furman (16-7, 7-3 SoCon) and Mercer (15-8, 7-3 SoCon) for second spot in the league standings.
Both ETSU and Furman split last season's meetings, with the Paladins posting a 73-70 win in Greenville on Jan. 15, 2025, while the Bucs avenged that earlier loss with a 72-69 win over the Paladins at Freedom Hall on Feb. 2, 2025.
Postgame Press Conference:
