The game was broadcast before a national television audience on CBS Sports Network and coupled with Samford's 97-80 win over Wofford, the Bucs would take a two-game lead in the SoCon standings as result.
A crowd of nearly 5,000 fans (4,854) packed inside of Freedom Hall to take in the rivalry contest, and they wouldn't be disappointed, as both teams got after each other from the outset of the contest, and ETSU would take an early lead after McCullum scored seven-straight points to give the Bucs an early lead much to the delight of the rowdy crowd. The win by the Bucs also equaled its win total of head coach Brook Savage's first two seasons in charge of the Bucs.
However, ETSU experienced one of its patented opening half scoring droughts, as the Bucs missed 11-straight shots from the field and went almost seven minutes (6:54) without scoring from the field, as Chattanooga took a 15-13 lead when Colin Mullholland knocked down a jumper with 6:37 remaining in the half.
But ETSU got a corner three from Maki Johnson on the next trip down the floor, re-taking the lead, at 16-15, with 6:23 remaining in the half. The two teams then exchanged a pair of free throws on both ends, with Blake Barkley knocking down a pair for the Bucs, while Jikari Johnson went 3-for-3 on the other end for the Mocs, leveling the score, 18-18, with 5:42 left in the opening half.
From there, the Bucs used a quick 8-0 spurt to gain some control of the game and would eventually allow the Bucs to take the lead into the halftime locker room. The sparkplug of that run was a player that has seemingly been a sparkplug when the Bucs have needed a big shot or some offense of late, as Jaylen Smith connected on a triple with 5:15 left in the half to make it a 21-18 game.
However, ETSU would find its offensive efficiency, which it has featured more often than not in SoCon play this season, as the Bucs started to take control of the basketball game. After Chattanooga game out of halftime locker room and tied the game, 34-34, highlighted by a Brennan Watkins three and a Jordan Frison jumper at the 18:05 mark, it was McCullum that would end up helping ETSU regain the lead with two more free throws.
Chattanooga wasn't going away though, and a minute-and-a-half later, Collin Mulholland connected on a three to help the Mocs pull back in front, 39-38, with just under 15 minutes remaining. However, the Bucs hit right back with five quick points, as Morris converted a layup and a McCullum a three to put ETSU ahead 43-39.
The Mocs would continue to hang tough, however, but ETSU would slowly but surely begin to flex its muscle and pull away in the contest. Much like it did against Furman last Wednesday night, the Bucs defense led to some high-energy plays and transition opportunities and easy buckets on the other end, as ETSU would feed off the crowd's noise level and passion as the game wore on.
McCullum scored on a layup and then blocked a shot on the other end a couple of possessions later and then found Maki Johnson all alone up the court for the right-handed tomahawk slam and an ETSU 50-45 lead. That complimentary basketball helped ignite an 11-4 run, which eventually gave the Bucs a double-digit lead, at 59-49, following a pair of free throws by McCullum with 6:52 remaining.
Chattanooga mounted one final charge, getting back to within three with seven-straight points, which included five from Tate Darner on a jumper and a three-pointer, while Frison capped the mini-spurt by the Mocs to get Chattanooga to with 59-56 with 5:22 left.
However, with Mocs trailing by just four (64-60) following a Jikari Johnson layup with 3:29 remaining, the Bucs end the game on a 9-1 run, which started with a Brian Taylor II layup at the 3:08 mark and ended with a pair of Maki Johnson made foul shots with 38 seconds remaining, sealing ETSU's first season sweep of Chattanooga since the 2019-20 season.
McCullum led the way with a game-high 24 points for the Bucs, as he connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field, including a 2-for-5 effort from three-point range and an 8-of-9 effort at the line to finish with his 24 points. Also getting into the scoring mix was Barkley and Morris, who added 11 points apiece, while Maki Johnson came off the bench to add 10 for the Bucs.
ETSU finished the night connecting on just 38.9% (21-of-54) for the game, but did shoot 50% (12-of-24) from the field in the second half. The Bucs also finished shooting the ball 25.0% (5-of-20) from three-point range and 74.3% (26-of-35) from the charity stripe.
The Paladins fell into a three-way tie for fourth-place in the standings with its third-straight SoCon loss, as Furman falls to 16-10 overall and 7-6 in SoCon play. The win gives the Bears the series split against the Paladins, after dropping 74-72 meeting at Timmons Arena back on Dec. 31. Furman (7-6), Samford (7-6) and UNC Greensboro (7-6) are all now tied in the standings, with the Paladins holding the tiebreaker over Samford by virtue of sweep of the Bulldogs and over UNCG by virtue of a win over Mercer, which swept the Spartans.
For Furman, it marks its third three-game losing streak in league play in the past 11 seasons, and first since the 2021-22 campaign. The Paladins have now lost six SoCon games by a combined 21 points this season. The five-point margin of victory is the closest for the Bears at Hawkins Arena in 12 outings this season.
Mercer guard Baraka Okojie led all scorers with 25 points, which included a 6-of-16 effort from the field and was 12-of-14 from the charity stripe and finished 1-of-2 from beyond the three-point line. In addition to his 10th 20+point scoring effort of the season, including seventh in league play, complimented his scoring effort with four rebounds, three assists, one steal and only one turnover.
Okojie was one of three Bears players in double figures, as he was joined by Brady Shoulders, who added a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, finishing with all of his points coming in the second half, while Zaire Williams added 13. Shoulders' double-double marked his third of the 2025-26 season.
While he struggled once again offensively against Furman after getting into early foul trouble, Armani Mighty did end up making a big difference for the Bears in the end. He finished the night with just seven points but added 14 rebounds and two blocks. Mighty added five of the team's 14 offensive rebounds and now has seven blocks in two games this season against the Paladins, despite failing to find double figures in the scoring column in either matchup this season. He combined with Shoulders to grab 27 of the team's 44 total rebounds in the game.
Despite shooting just 35.9% (23-of-64) from the field, the Bears won the backboards by seven (44-37) and ended up with a slight edge in points in the paint (30-26). The Bears struggled from three-point range, connecting on just 25.0% (5-of-20) from beyond the three-point line.
Mercer held a substantial advantage in fast-break points (19-6) and outscored the Paladins by 10 at the free throw line (18-8) and attempted eight more free throws (21-13). The Bears held a slight advantage in points from turnovers (6-5), while the Paladins held a pretty substantial advantage in bench points (21-10). Furman held the advantage in total assists (13-7).
Meanwhile, Furman struggled shooting the basketball all evening, connecting on just 37.7% (23-of-61) from the field and only 30.3% (10-of-33) from three-point land. The Paladins also shot the ball at just a 61.5% (8-of-13) clip from the free throw line.
Furman finished with four in double figures, with Asa Thomas returning to the double figures scoring column in his second game back after being out for a month win a lower body injury, as he led the way for the 'Dins with 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting from the field, including 2-for-9 from three-point range. He also added three rebounds, an assist and a block.
Joining Thomas in double figures on Wednesday night were both Charles Johnston and Cooper Bowser, who added 11 points apiece, while Tom House added 10 off the bench. It was uncharacteristically quiet night from freshman point guard Alex Wilkins, who finished with just seven points after entering the contest averaging 18 PPG.
Wilkins finished the night just 1-of-7 from the field and was 0-for-2 from three-point range, however, added five assists with just two turnovers and added a pair of rebounds. The freshman from Mattapan, MA., posted just his fourth game in single digits this season for the Paladins.
The win by the Bears saw Mercer snap a three-game losing skid in the series, and it was Ryan Ridder's first win over Furman in his second year as the head coach at Mercer, with the Bears improving to 13-30 overall in the all-time series with Furman.
Both Furman and Mercer battled hard for a majority of the evening, however, the shooting left a lot to be desired on both ends, but it was the Bears that found a way to win the game in a contest that ended up being a rock fight for much of the game, as both teams played good defense, producing a physical encounter from tip-to-buzzer.
Like the loss at ETSU last Wednesday, the Paladins ended up holding the lead for a majority of the game, with the Paladins leading for roughly 30 of the 40-minute contest. However, over the final 6:39 of the game, the Bears would seize control of the game when Baraka Okojie's bucket in the paint gave the Bears their first lead since the 11:58 mark of the opening half, at 11-9), and the Bears would relinquish the lead only once more to hold on for the key five-point Southern Conference home win to remain perfect inside Hawkins Arena this season.
The opening half saw a tight, physical game unfold and it would be the Paladins that would pull ahead by as many as 10 in the opening 20 minutes of action, at 25-15, following a Collin O'Neal three-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer with 5:43 remaining in the half.
The Bears would then get a quick five points on a layup by Connor Serven and an Okojie three in transition, which was part of a 11-1 run, as the Bears pulled even late in the first half on another Okojie free throw, at 26-26, with 1:55 remaining in the half.
After having gone scoreless from the field over four minutes, Asa Thomas' three-pointer on the next trip down the floor restored Furman's lead, at 29-26 with 1:38 remaining. However, Zaire Williams was able to convert a three-point play the old-fashioned way to tie the game, 29-29, with 1:19 remaining before Cooper Bowser's layup in the paint with 48 seconds remaining would eventually give the Paladins a slight 31-29 halftime lead.
Early in the second half, a pair of free throws by Alex Wilkins helped extend Furman's lead back to two possessions (33-29) and later a Cole Bowser extended the lead to six, at 45-39, as he knocked down a three with 15:54 remaining.
The Bears appeared ready to take control of the game following a 7-2 spurt, which was capped by a Zaire Williams three-pointer, getting the Bears to within a point, at 47-46, with 13:16 remaining. Tom House and Okojie exchanged free throws to keep the margin at one in favor of the visiting Paladins and a driving layup by Thomas at the 10:39 mark gave the Paladins a 51-48 lead, as the Paladins would go scoreless for the next five minutes in the contest, and that would eventually see the Bears make their decisive move in the game.
Quinton Perkins II again got Mercer to within a point, at 51-50, with 9:35 remaining before Okojie's layup three minutes later finally gave the Bears their first lead of the second half at the 6:39 mark with a layup.
Then following a missed layup by Wilkins and Mighty rebounded for the Bears, with the ball finding its way Brady Shoulders in transition for a wide open three and a four-point lead, at 55-51, with 6:12 remaining. It gave the Bears' sparse midweek crowd something to cheer about that wasn't a dozen box of Krispy Kreme doughnut giveaway organized by Mercer's marketing team, as the crowd came to life in unison for the first time about something actually happening in the game.
The doughnuts were sweet, but victory would be sweeter. Mercer's four-point lead almost became six when Shoulders came up with a steal on Furman's ensuing inbounds pass, however, he missed the layup and the Paladins got a big corner three from Cole Bowser to snap a five-minute scoring drought, cutting the deficit back to one, at 55-54, with 5:39 remaining.
Just as he had done in a late-game situation at ETSU a week earlier, Charles Johnston came up with a big block to give the Paladins a chance to re-take the lead, and after corralling the rebound, passed to Alex Wilkins who took a couple of dribbles and then flicked his wrist with a pass from mid-court to find Cooper Bowser on about a 35-foot lob pass and the 6-11 junior flushed it home to give the Paladins a 56-55 lead with 5:05 remaining, which was much to the dismay of Ryan Ridder, who immediately called timeout.
Following the timeout, the Bears were settled and would reel of seven-straight points in a decisive run, as Williams split the lane with a driving layup, and following a Serven block of a House layup attempt, Shoulders again found himself open for three in transition from the top of the key to extend Mercer's lead to four, at 60-56, with 4:19 left.
On Furman's ensuing possession, Thomas' three was off the mark and Okojie under-handed a beautiful assist after forcing a Furman defender to commit in the air, and Mighty did the rest by rocking the rim with a two-handed flush to give the Bears a six-point, 62-56, lead with 3:37 left. After a House layup, Williams scored Mercer's final points from the field of the game, keeping the margin at six, at 64-58, with 2:58 remaining.
The margin remained at two possessions until a Wilkins free throw followed by a layup got the Paladins back to within three, at 65-62, with 1:24 left. Following an Okojie missed three on the other end, which would have likely been enough to put the game out of reach for the Bears, the Paladins tried to draw within a point on a Thomas layup attempt, however, Mighty swatted the ball out of play towards the athletic offices and behind the Furman bench in Hawkins Arena.
Wilkins threw a difficult inbounds pass and the ball found its way to the opposite side of the floor to Thomas, who launched a three that looked true, but the ball spun in and then out, as it went halfway down before caroming out, but Johnston was their for the offensive rebound and second-chance opportunity, getting the Paladins to within a point, at 65-64, with 22 seconds left.
Furman was forced to foul at this point, and after Okojie was fouled by Bronson and made both freebies to extend the Mercer lead back to three, at 67-64, Thomas' long three-pointer was no good and was right into the waiting arms of Shoulders, who was fouled by Cole Bowser with 12 seconds remaining. The 67% foul shooter connected on both and Mercer held off Furman for a 69-64 win at Hawkins Arena, improving to 12-0 inside the friendly confines this season.
Prior to the five-point thriller against Furman, Mercer's only other single-digit win at Hawkins Arena this season was a 75-67 win over current Sun Belt leader and former SoCon member Appalachian State back on Nov. 26.
The game would see the Bulldogs emerge as an 82-72 winner in OT, as the Bulldogs captured their fifth-straight win to remain in a three-way tie for fourth in the league standings, while ETSU maintained its two-game lead over second-place Wofford in the standings, as a Terriers were a loser at UNC Greensboro on Saturday.
The Bulldogs got off to another hot start in the Saturday noon tip (11 AM Homewood time) at Freedom Hall before better than 5,000 fans on-hand, as Samford ran out to an early 23-10 lead following a Dylan Faulkner layup in transition with 8:59 remaining in the opening half.
However, a 21-7 run by the Bucs would see them take a 31-30 lead when Brian Taylor II, who scored a career-high 28 points, connected on a jumper with 3:40 remaining in the first half. Samford would eventually take a 38-37 lead into the halftime locker room.
In the second half, the game remained a nip-and-tuck, Southern Conference battle throughout, and it would be the only matchup on this SoCon Saturday worthy of tuning into and worthy of a national television audience.
While both teams shot the ball well in the opening 20 minutes of basketball, in the second half, the game settled into a defensive struggle. The second half would see both teams should in the low 30s percentage-wise from the field.
With Samford trailing by three with a minute to play, it was Jadin Booth that came up with maybe the biggest shot of the game--a long, contested three-pointer from the top of the key--which tied the game, 68-68.
Some key defensive stops would send the game into overtime, highlighted by Zion Wilburn's swipe-steal from Taylor on ETSU's final possession, forcing overtime. It was Samford's defense that kept them afloat down the stretch in the second half, as the Bulldogs went for nearly eight minutes without a basket from the field until the three by Booth.
The Bulldogs did enough on defense and converting from the charity stripe (31-of-40 for the game/15-of-20 in second half) to stay in the game.
In overtime, Samford looked the much fresher and more energized team, out-scoring the Bucs, 14-4, in the extra session to escape with an 82-72 win. The loss marked ETSU's third home loss of the season, including its second in SoCon play.
The Bulldogs got another huge performance out of Dylan Faulkner, who posted his 10th double-double of the season with 24 points, 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. He finished the game by going 10-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
Three other Bulldogs joined in double figures, with Jadin Booth adding 19 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-for-9 from long-range, while finishing 8-for-10 from the line. Cade Norris and Keaton Norris rounded out the Bulldogs in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
ETSU's Brian Taylor II led all scorers with a career-high 28 points, as he connected on 11-of-18 from the field and was 3-of-7 from three-point range and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe. He added a pair of steals and two assists, but did commit a team-high five turnovers in the game, which was the only blemish on his otherwise stellar, memorable performance for the Bucs.
Taylor II was joined in double figures by Blake Barkley's 15 points and seven rebounds, while Cam Morris III added 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
The Bulldogs finished the game with only 10 turnovers, which led to just nine ETSU points, while forcing 12 Bucs turnovers that Samford turned into 16 points in a game of turning the tables against the normally steal-happy Bucs, who have been one of the best in the nation at turning the opposition's miscues against them, ranking in the Top 10 in steal rate for most of the season.
Samford finished 41.5% (22-of-53) for the game, which included just a 29.2% (7-for-24) from long-range. The Bulldogs did shoot a solid 77.5% (31-of-40) for the game, attempting 18 more free throws than the Bucs and out-scoring ETSU, 31-17, at the stripe. ETSU finished the contest with a nearly identical shooting percentage from the line, finishing the afternoon at a 77.3% clip (17-of-22).
ETSU finished the day shooting 41.0% (25-of-61) for the game, including just 25% (5-of-20) from three-point range. ETSU held a 34-26 advantage in points in the points in the paint category, however, Samford won the battle of the boards, 38-34, and held a slight 14-10 edge in second-chance points.
LEXINGTON, VA.--Furman got a season-high matching 25 points from Asa Thomas, and the Paladins held off rally from VMI midway through the second half, as the Keydets trimmed an 18-point Furman lead to seven with just under eight minutes left, but the Paladins found a way to stretch its lead back out to as much as 20 down the stretch, ending a three-game losing streak with a 90-72 SoCon win Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall.
The Paladins remained in fourth place in the standings as a result of Samford's (15-12, 8-6 SoCon) 82-72 overtime win at East Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon at Freedom Hall. It was the Bulldogs' fifth-straight win, but Furman maintains the lead over Samford by virtue of a season sweep of the Bulldogs in the opening month of conference play.
With the win, Furman improves to 17-10 overall and 8-6 in league play, while the Keydets fell to 6-21 overall and 1-13 in Southern Conference play. The win marked Furman's 80th true road win over the past 11 seasons, which is tied with Gonzaga (80) for the fourth-most in NCAA Division I College Basketball, as the Paladins improved to 5-4 in true road games this season. The win also guaranteed Furman's 11th-straight above .500 finish to a season.
Thomas finished his afternoon by connecting on 8-of-16 shots from the field, including 6-of-13 from three-point land, as well as 3-for-3 from the line. The redshirt sophomore transfer from Clemson also added five rebounds and five assists to his overall stat line. Thomas' 25-point effort tied his season-high for scoring. It was VMI that would see Thomas suffer his initial lower body injury, which kept him out a month in Furman's 69-48 win over the Keydets at Timmons Arena back on Jan. 10.
Also finishing in double figures were both Cooper Bowser and Charles Johnston, who added 14 and 11 points, respectively. Bowser finished his afternoon connecting on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and was 2-for-2 from the line, while leading the Paladins on the defensive end with three blocks, while pulling down four rebounds and issuing out three assists. Charles Johnston posted 11 points and 10 rebounds to record his ninth double-double of the season.
Alex Wilkins was held below double figures in scoring for the second-straight game, but managed to post eight points, including hitting a crucial three-pointer late in the game after the Keydets had trimmed the Furman lead to single digits. The freshman from Mattapan, MA., also finished the game with a team-leading six assists, with only two turnovers and had one rebound in 28 minutes of work.
Wilkins, who is the second-highest highest scoring freshman in program history, needs just 22 more points in the final four games to reach 500 points in his freshman season. He is 84 points away from setting a new freshman scoring record, surpassing former Paladin great Jonathan Moore's 561 points in 1976-77.
Tom House (9 pts), Cole Bowser (7 pts) and Eddrin Bronson (6 pts) combined for 22 bench points on a combined 7-of-15 shooting from the field, including going a combined 5-for-13 from three-point range. That allowed the Paladins to hold a 24-16 edge in bench scoring in the contest.
After being held scoreless for the first time all season, Furman senior forward and ultimate glue guy Ben Vander Wal was back to his usual self for the Paladins, as he finished with eight points on 1-of-1 shooting from the field, which was a two-handed slam late in the second half against the full-court press, while also going 6-for-8 from the charity stripe. He also added seven rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in 30 minutes of action to finish off another well-rounded effort.
VMI finished the afternoon led by TJ Johnson, who led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, including a 5-for-14 effort from three-point range and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. In addition to his 26 points, Johnson also added six rebounds and two steals to the VMI cause.
Johnson would be joined in double figures in the scoring column by Linus Holmstrom and Tan Yildizoglu, who added 13 points apiece, while Cal Liston rounded out the Keydets in double figures with 10.
After not breaking the 40% shooting barrier in its most-recent road loss at Mercer, Furman finished the contest connecting on 52.5% (31-of-59) from the field, which included a 34.2% (13-of-38) effort from three-point range. The Paladins were also a solid 15-of-20 (75%) from the charity stripe in the game.
VMI, meanwhile, finished the game connected on 33.3% (21-of-63) from the field and 30.2% (13-of-43) from three-point land. The Keydets were a strong 85% (17-of-20) from the charity stripe.
The Paladins finished the afternoon holding advantages in total rebounds (42-30), points off turnovers (8-6), fast-break points (11-3), total assists (21-14), points in the paint (32-12) second-chance points (12-5) and bench points (24-16).
CHARLESTON, S.C.--Despite scoring just 18 points in the opening half of play, Mercer found its offensive rhythm in the second half on the road to clinch its second-straight win, with the Bears exploding for 52 second-half points, outscoring The Citadel, 52-29, in the second half to come away with their 17th win of the season and pull into a tie for second-place in the Southern Conference standings.
The Bears put the clamps down defensively on the Bulldogs for most of the afternoon, holding the home team to just 34.0% (18-of-53) from the field and 28.0% (7-of-25) from three-point range. The Bears held the Bears to just 25 points in the opening half and only 29 in the second. The 54 points allowed by the Bears were the lowest total allowed all season by the Bears against a SoCon opponent.
However, at the half, the Bears found themselves trailing by seven, 25-18, once again on the road. Both teams suffered shooting struggles in the opening 20 minutes of basketball at McAlister Field House, as the Bulldogs held just a 6-2 lead seven minutes into the game.
A pair of Connor Serven free throws in the final minute of the opening half got the Bulldogs to within seven, at 25-18, at that would remain the score as the two teams went into the halftime locker room.
A Kyle Cuffe Jr. three-pointer in the opening minute of the second half would almost suddenly ignite the Bears' offense, as the Bears suddenly cut the Bulldogs lead to just three, at 27-24, a little less than a minute into the second half.
With Mercer trailing, 37-32, following a Christian Moore three-pointer at the 14:47 mark, the Bears responded with a quick 8-0 run to take a 40-37 lead, with a Baraka Okojie triple at the 13:14 mark giving the Bears the lead. It was the second of his two threes during the mini spurt for the Bears. The lead marked Mercer's second of the game and first since the score was 2-0.
The Bulldogs wouldn't go away, however, and would re-take the lead in the contest, at 44-42, as Braxton Williams knocked down a pair of free throws at the 10:20 mark of the second half. From there, the Bears would put together a decisive 14-0 to take control of the game for good, starting with a dunk from Armani Mighty and ending with a three from Quinton Perkins II, giving Mercer a comfortable 56-44 with 6:33 remaining.
A second Perkins three would increase the Mercer lead to 14, at 63-49, with 3:49 remaining, and the Bears were able to maintain a safe marginal distance on the scoreboard to escape Charleston with the season sweeping win over the Bulldogs. Mercer also claimed a 101-63 win over the Bulldogs back on Jan. 7.
The Bears shot 76% (19-for-25) in the second half of basketball in Charleston after shooting just 26.1% (6-for-23) in the opening half, finishing the day with a solid 52.1% (25-of-48) shooting clip for the game, which included a 52.9% (9-of-17) from three-point range, as the Bears knocked down all nine of their triples in the second half (9-of-11 in 2nd half). The Bulldogs held a slight 32-30 edge on the glass and out-scored the Bulldogs, 30-16, in the paint.
Okojie led all scorers for Mercer, as he posted 22 points to go with six assists and five rebounds, while Armani Mighty contributed his 13th double-double of the season for the Bears, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also added a career-high four assists. Rounding out the Bears players in double figures were Perkins and Serven, who added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Bulldogs got a team-leading 17 points from Braxton Williams, as he knocked down 5-of-12 shots from the field, including going 2-for-7 from three-point range and was 5-for-6 from the line to finish out with his 17-point effort. After missing the previous three games with an injury, Christian Moore came off the bench to add 15 points to the Bulldogs cause.
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