Furman ends UNC Greensboro's eight-game winning streak

Following Furman’s 59-54 loss at Wofford in mid-January, Terrier head coach Mike Young said something simple, yet profound.

“This is a good basketball team, believe me. Not one of the other three has had had to go to play at East Tennessee State, at UNC Greensboro, and had to come to us yet except Furman,” Young said after the Furman game on Jan. 19.

Head coach Bob Richey echoed a similar sentiment to that of Young had hinted at following conference losses to UNCG, ETSU and Wofford on the road in the first time through conference play, urging his young team to not get down on itself, despite the media questioning just how good Furman was following the minor swoon last month.

You’ll find that good coaches in this profession can provide far greater perspective about the broader picture of a college basketball season than sometimes the hyper-focused, in-the-moment media can.

“I told our team that this team was going to turn in favor and that we just had to wait for it when people were starting to get down on us after a couple of losses,” Richey said.

“I think this group’s physicality and toughness has been questioned by a couple of people,” Richey added. “You don’t hold teams that are that good offensively under 60 without being physical and tough.”

Furman (21-5, 10-4 SoCon) needed to make another statement at Timmons Arena against another good opponent similar to Saturday’s win over ETSU. After all, the UNCG (22-4, 11-2 SoCon) Spartans had claimed four-straight against the Paladins. The Paladins did it with another strong defensive effort, downing UNCG, 67-57, Thursday night at Timmons Arena.

No doubt, it wasn’t easy for Furman to pick up its 50th win at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, including its 30th against SoCon competition. UNCG had accounted for two of Furman’s home losses to SoCon span over the past three seasons.

“Coach Richey did a great job of telling us and getting it in our minds that anything that happened in the past is irrelevant and that we have to do is focus on tonight and focus on the task at hand,” junior guard Jordan Lyons said.

Lyons and senior forward Matt Rafferty carried the offensive load for the Paladins in the first half, scoring 24 of the team’s 27 opening-half points, as the Paladins managed to take a 27-25 lead into the locker room.

It was a big half of basketball for the junior guard from Peachtree City, GA, as he scored 15 of his 22 points in the opening half of play, while the second half belonged to Rafferty, who 15 of his 24 in the second half. Rafferty added 10 boards for his 12th double-double of the season, and also recorded five steals. All told, Lyons and Rafferty accounted for 48 of Furman’s 67 points.

Clinging to just a two-point halftime lead, there was the feeling that at some point, the Paladins were going to have to weather a run by UNCG in the second half.

The Spartans showed their championship mettle with just over 12 minutes remaining, and Furman holding on to a 36-34 lead. It would spark an 8-0 run by UNCG, with a pair of three-pointers by sophomore guard Isaiah Miller, and a steal and a layup by Francis Alonso, suddenly staking the Spartans to a 42-36 lead, and prompting a Bob Richey timeout with 11:52 remaining.

Furman’s response was direct and to the point. Get Matt Rafferty touches. The timeout by Richey was meant to get the pace back to the way Furman wanted it, and more importantly, get Rafferty touches.

“There were also four, five or six trips where Matt didn’t touch it. So in the timeout, it was, ‘take care of the basketball and make sure our big fella gets it.’ I think we did that from that point forward and played a much cleaner game,” Richey said.

Rafferty answered Richey’s instructions off the timeout, connecting on a left elbow triple, cutting the Spartans’ lead in half, at 42-39, with 11:25 left.

Back-to-back misses on a layup by Kyrin Galloway and a three-pointer led to four more Rafferty points off layups, and all the sudden it was UNCG’s Wes Miller forced to take a timeout and Furman had a 43-42 lead with 9:52 remaining.

It was the turning point of the game. Furman would never relinquish its lead from that point forward in the contest. In, the Paladins would increase their to nine, at 57-48, following a Noah Gurley three-pointer with 4:10 left, and it was all part of a 21-14 run by the Paladins.

UNCG would have one charge left in it, however. Following a layup by Gurley, the Paladins led 59-50 with 3:13 left. A Demetrius Troy three-pointer and a Miller layup following a pair of Furman empty possessions got it back to a four-point deficit, at 59-55, with 2:15 left. Furman scored the next five points over the next 1:30 of game action to put the game away.

Richey’s club has now reeled off five-straight, and is trending upwards. The Paladins are starting to capture some of that attention they lost in the mid-major and national sports media. The Paladins were a bit of an afterthought for some after losses to ETSU (79-56), UNC Greensboro (89-79), and Wofford (59-54).

In truth, the Southern Conference’s top four teams were 82-19 coming into tonight’s games, which is comparable to the top four in any conference throughout the nation.

The Spartans, which had won eight-straight coming into tonight’s clash, were facing their toughest portion of the conference slate with their upstate swing to face a pair of 20-win teams.

Add to that the defending champions, who are chasing SoCon unbeaten Wofford down the stretch for top spot in the SoCon, and there was a slight bit of pressure coming into games against red-hot Furman and Wofford.

Despite some uncharacteristic turnovers, which were forced by Furman’s stout defensive effort, the Spartans were able to keep the game in front of them at crucial times.

This game was far different than the ETSU last Saturday for the Paladins, which saw the Paladins shoot percentage drop from 64%, last Saturday in a win over ETSU to just 43.1% Thursday night. This was a grinder. It was a phyiscal war.

UNCG had been 14-0 this when holding foes to less than 45% shooting from the field coming into the showdown in Greenville, but emerged 14-1. Meanwhile, Furman limited the Spartans to just 35.5% shooting from the floor.

The uptick for Furman on the defensive end has been noticeable over the past month. Over the past eight games, Furman is allowing just 59.8 PPG, holding four of those opponents to less than 60 points during that span, and all but one foe to less than 70 points.

Furman’s defensive performance Thursday night could be summed up by the play of redshirt freshman forward Noah Gurley, who posted just seven points, but finished with a career-high five blocks and four boards to highlight the Paladins’ defensive effort.

Furman had just five players score in the contest. Gurley’s progression as a defender and shot-blocker has noticeable.

“I’ve been trying to focus more on not fouling and just trying to let guys try and score over my length and I find that’s very effective and that’s one of the focuses that coaches have been working on with me lately,” redshirt freshman forward Noah Gurley said.

Miller, who had a career-high 25 points against the Paladins in the first meeting, was held scoreless in the opening half and finished with 16 points. Miller was one of four players in double figures in the loss. Furman’s defensive effort also limited Alonso, who averaged better than 17 ppg coming into the contest, to just 10 Thursday night.

The past couple of games the Paladins have done a nice job of turning opponent miscues into points, posting a 27-18 advantage off 16 ETSU turnovers on Saturday, and finished Thursday night with a 15-12 edge off an uncharacteristic 17 UNCG miscues.

The Spartans came in with the best assist/turnover ratio in the Southern Conference and one of the best in the nation, and the 17 forced turnovers by the Paladins were a season-high for UNCG.

Meanwhile, Furman, which saw a season-high 22 turnovers turned into 26 UNCG points in the loss to the Spartans last month, turned it over just 13 times Thursday night, surrendering just 12 points.

In years past, this league has been won with defense. I think about the John Kresse-led College of Charleston team of 1998-99, which gave up just 59.2 PPG to rank eighth nationally, or the 2017-18 Wes Miller-led UNCG team that surrendered just 62.5 PPG to rank fifth nationally in points allowed. If the Paladins continue their current trend on the defensive end, they’ll be right there in Asheville with a chance to make their first NCAA Tournament in 39 years.

Following Saturday’s game vs. VMI slated for 4 p.m. at Timmons Arena, Furman will have a week off to prepare for its showdown with Wofford on Feb. 23., as the Paladins look to continue their payback tour against the other top three teams in the SoCon.

UNCG will head just up the road to face Wofford Saturday night for a 7 p.m. contest in Spartanburg. With UNCG’s loss to Furman coupled with Wofford’s 95-84 win over VMI, the Terriers have now opened up a two-game lead in the SoCon standings in the chase for the regular-season league title chase.

Bucs Blitzed by Furman

Furman redshirt sophomore Clay Mounce

Furman made a statement. Maybe a statement the Paladins have been trying to make since a 76-68 overtime win over defending national champion Villanova. Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena, it was definitive, as the Paladins knocked off East Tennessee State, 91-61.

It was the biggest win by the Paladins in series history. Furman, which has not lost back-to-back home games since Feb. of 2015, was not interested in making it a home losing streak.

After all, the Paladins are now 49-9 at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, and 29-4 against SoCon foes in the friendly confines during that same span.

With the win, Furman improved to 20-5 overall and 9-4 in Southern Conference play. The loss drops ETSU to 19-7 overall and 9-4 in SoCon action. The Paladins and Bucs are now tied for third in the SoCon standings.

The win is Furman’s fourth-straight, and the Paladins became the fastest team to reach the 20-win mark since the 1952-53 season. The win helped avenge a 79-56 loss by the Paladins to the Bucs in Johnson City back on Dec. 29.

It all started with two seniors--Matt Rafferty and Andrew Brown--as the two roomates played like veterans all night, combining to score 36 points, and were two of five players in double figures Saturday night.

Rafferty finished the night doing what Rafferty does, as he finished with 19 points, three rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded three steals. With those three steals, Rafferty now has 67 this season, which set a new school single-season record at Furman, breaking the previous mark of 64 in a season set by Guillherme Da Luz in the 2001-02 season.

"When you’ve played for four years, it’s pretty easy to predict where the ball’s going to go or what plays are going to be run, especially if you start to know the systems,” senior forward Matt Rafferty said. “Getting hands on passes, rolls and post-ups, turning the ball over and getting out and running. I think it helps our team a lot.” The single-season steals record for Rafferty was indicative of the type of defense played the entire evening, coming up with 35 ball deflections--a stat the coaching staff charts meticulously.

Brown was simply on fire all afternoon,and connected on all six of his shots from the field and all five of his three-pointers, finishing with 17 points. Brown also recorded a steal.

Brown and Rafferty were joined in double figures by Clay Mounce (15 pts), Jordan Lyons (14 pts), and Alex Hunter (11 pts). Hunter continues to be the model of consistency at the point for the Paladins, as he dished out five assists and also recorded a pair of steals without registering a turnover in 30 minutes of floor time. All Lyons’ 14 points came in the second half.

"It was one of those nights where the ball just kept going in. It’s fun when that happens and it hasn’t happened a lot for me this year,” senior guard Andrew Brown said. “Credit to my teammates like Raff, who just kept finding me. Whenever I was open, the ball was in my hands.”

Furman rushed out of the gates quickly, as the Paladins returned to Timmons Arena for the first time since blowing a 10-point lead in the final 4:21 to drop a 75-73 decision to Samford. Three three-pointers by Mounce and a three-point play the old-fashioned way by Rafferty staked Furman to an early 12-4 lead with 16:13 remaining in the half.

The Bucs answered by scoring the next seven points in less than two minutes, cutting the Furman lead to one, using a Patrick Good three-pointer and a pair of layups by Jeromy Rodriguez to make it a 12-11 game with 14:35 remaining in the half. ETSU took its only lead of the game with 11:51 remaining in the first half on a layup by Tray Boyd.

Furman managed to take a 41-32 lead into the halftime locker room, despite the fact that Rafferty was saddled with two early fouls in the opening frame. Brown came off the bench to supplement Mounce and the Paladins’ first-half offense and perimeter scoring, posting 11 of his 17 points in the opening half of play.

In fact, Brown and Mounce combined to score 22 points of the Paladins’ 41 first-half points, as the duo combined to connect on 6-of-7 shots and from beyond the arc. The Paladins shot the ball at a 59.1% (14-of-27) clip in the opening half of play, while ETSU shot an impressive 51.9% (13-for-22) from the field.

ETSU would seemingly come out strong in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring the first four points of the second half, slicing Furman’s lead to five. A Boyd triple cut Furman’s lead to six once again (49-43) with 14:31 to go in the game, however, it was all Furman from there. The Paladins out-scored the Bucs 41-18 over the remainder of the game to provide the substantial winning margin.

Over the past seven games, the Paladins have allowed 70 or more points just once, which came in that aforementioned home loss vs. Samford, and are allowing just 60.2 PPG over that same span. The 61 points scored by the Bucs was their second-lowest total scoring output this season, as Illinois, which held the Bucs to 55, was the only game where ETSU was held to a lower point total over 40 minutes of basketball.

For the game, Furman shot a season-high 64% (32-for-50) from the field, while ETSU ended the contest connecting on 47.1% (24-for-51) from the field. The Paladins also held advantages in points in the paint (38-36), points off turnovers (27-18), fast break points (8-6), and bench points (23-22).

ETSU out-rebounded Furman, 26-23, and held a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points. The Paladins recorded 15 assists on 32 made baskets, while ETSU had just seven assists on 24 made buckets. Furman forced ETSU into 16 turnovers, while the Bucs forced the Paladins into 13 miscues. The Bucs connected on just 2-of-14 three-point attempts for the game, which converts to 14.3%.

ETSU was led by Rodriguez, who scored a game-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Tray Boyd was the only other ETSU player in double figures, finishing with 13 points.

"That was fun. Proud of our group. Proud of our team. Proud of our program and we’re playing as hard as we have played all year on the defensive end and they’ve just bought into it,” said head coach Bob Richey. “We obviously had to make some adjustments to the game plan after what they

[ETSU] did to us up in Johnson City and I thought we stuck to the game plan and all of our guys were connected for the most part,” Richey added.

Furman will be back in action Thursday night, welcoming UNC Greensboro to Timmons Arena for a 7 p.m. tip. ETSU is back in action Thursday, hosting The Citadel, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at Freedom Hall.

Thriller in Johnson City highlights Thursday night's SoCon action

Wofford senior foward Cam Jackson/Photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics

Wofford keeps at-large hopes alive with tough road win

In what was arguably the Southern Conference game of the year, the game that had been much anticipated for both fanbases since the SoCon schedules came out last summer, lived up to its billing, as Wofford remained perfect in the Southern Conference, with a thrilling, 78-76, win over East Tennessee State in Johnson City. 

The game had it all, and it would be Wofford's two big guns--senior guard Fletcher Magee and senior forward Cameron Jackson--that seemingly responded to each haymaker and potential knockout punch the Bucs could throw at them Thursday night before sold out crowd of 5,911 fans at Freedom Hall.  The duo combined to score 52 of the Terriers' 78 points in the contest. 

The win saw the Terriers improve to 20-4 overall for the season, while improving their Southern Conference mark to 12-0. ETSU fell to 19-6 overall and 9-3 in league action. The loss likely took ETSU out of the SoCon regular-season race, with just six games in conference play remaining. 

The regular-season championship will now likely be decided on Feb. 16, when Wofford hosts UNC Greensboro at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers have now won 11 games in a row. The win also gave Wofford the rare regular-season sweep of East Tennessee State, as the Terriers claimed a 79-62 win over the Bucs back on Dec. 1 in Spartanburg. 

The last time the Terriers swept ETSU in the regular-season was 2015, defeating the Bucs 72-64 in Spartanburg and 74-64 in Johnson City. The 2014-15 season, of course, marks the last time the Terriers went dancing. Maybe that's a good omen for head coach Mike Young and his Wofford Terriers. 

Magee posted 32 points came on 9-of-20 shooting from the field, including going 7-for-15 from three-point range. Magee was also 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. With his performance from three-point land, Magee moved into third place all-time in NCAA Division I basketball history, and now has knocked down 452 three-pointers. 

Jackson added 20 points on 7-for-12 from the field, and went 6-of-12 from the charity stripe, while also adding eight rebounds and four assists to the Terrier cause. 

The game was nip-and-tuck most of the way, with neither team holding more than a six-point lead the entire night. The Bucs took a narrow 38-37 lead into the halftime locker room. 

ETSU led for much of the opening frame, and extended that into the second half, and Wofford wouldn't assume its first lead since the 13:07 mark in the first half until a Nathan Hoover three from the corner, which was followed up by a Jackson layup, which gave Wofford a 51-50 lead with 8:31 remaining in the game. 

The lead would change hands four times over the next seven minutes, and it would be an electrifying dunk by Bo Hodges off an alley-oop that would tie the game, 60-60, with 1:46 left in regulation. A pair of Magee foul shots gave Wofford a 62-60 lead with 1:22 remaining. After Jeromy Rodriguez connected on 1-of-2 foul shots on the other end, a Keve Aluma layup gave the Terriers a 64-61 lead with just 37 seconds remaining.

That set the stage for Hodges. His three pointer from the left elbow with 22 seconds remaining tied the game, 64-64, and after a missed jumper by Magee with two seconds remaining, the game headed for overtime. 

In the extra session, most ETSU might have had some flashbacks. Flashbacks? Yes flashbacks to the 2017-18 season and Furman. Devin Sibley hit a three-pointer and was fouled with 1:25 remaining in the regular-season finale, completing the rare four-point play to help Furman to a 79-76 road win.

Now cue Magee. Like Sibley last season, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year provided the ultimate dagger, as with just eight seconds remaining and the game tied, 73-73, Magee connected on a three-pointer from the right elbow and was fouled. He connected on the free throw to give Wofford a two-possession lead, at 77-73. That play came on the heels of another three-pointer for the senior marksmen, and he would score the final seven points of the night for Wofford, which was of little surprise. 

Following a Patrick Good triple with two seconds left, Magee was fouled following a long pass down court with 1.1 seconds remaining. He converted 1-of-2 foul shots to give Wofford the 78-76 lead, and ultimately, the win. Jackson rebounded the second missed free throw by Magee and time expired on a memorable game and win for Wofford basketball.

The Bucs were led in the contest by Good's 18 points, while Rodriguez continued his strong play this season with 15 points and 17 boards. Bo Hodges and Mladen Armus rounded out the double-figure scorers with 15 and 12 points, respectively. 

Paladins grind one out in Cullowhee

Matt Rafferty scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while also tying the school’s single-season steals record, as Furman defeated Western Carolina, 64-45, in Southern Conference action Thursday night at the Liston B. Ramsey Center. 

With the win, Furman improved to 19-5 overall and 8-4 in Southern Conference action, while Western Carolina dropped to 6-19 and 3-9 in Southern Conference. For the Paladins, it was their ninth true road win of the season. 

Rafferty finished the night connecting on 6-of-10 shots from the field and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. 

In addition to his scoring night, the senior from Hinsdale, Ill, also added two assists,a block and a steal. Rafferty’s one steal gave him 64 for the season, which tied Guillherme Da Luz’s 64 thefts during the 2001-02 season for the school-record for single-season steals. With one steal vs. East Tennessee State Saturday, Rafferty will be the single-season record holder.

It also marked Rafferty’s 11th double-double of the season, which is second-most in the Southern Conference this season. Furman’s defense has been noticeably improved during its past five games, holding opponents to just 59.4 PPG over that stretch.  

One of Thursday night’s goals for the Paladins collectively as a defensive unit was to make sure Carlos Dotson, who posted 27 points and 14 boards against Furman in the first meeting between the two teams back in December, was to make sure a game like that didn’t happen again for the talented junior college transfer.

“We kinda modeled what we wanted to do against him after the first half at our place,“ senior forward Matt Rafferty said. “He didn’t have a great first half there [in the game at Furman] and then we started letting the ball get into him in the second half and that’s when he really started cooking.”

“So today was all about limiting his touches and shrinking the floor when he got it in there .He’s a great offensive rebounder, but others helped me and Noah on the boards by crashing down. Our guards also did a great job shutting down their shooters,” Rafferty added.

Dotson finished the contest with just seven points, but did counter with 14 rebounds, including six offensive boards, showing his overall strength as a rebounder. Furman also forced Dotson into committing five turnovers. 

The Paladins were able to force 22 Western Carolina turnovers, and held the Catamounts to just 31.4% shooting from the field, and in doing so, polished off another win heading into Saturday’s showdown with East Tennessee State. 

Furman set the defensive tone from the outside, and it was Rafferty on the offensive end, posting eight of Furman’s first 11 points of the game, and helping the Paladins to an early 11-2 lead following a layup on a fast break, forcing Western Carolina head coach Mark Prosser to take a timeout with 12:08 remaining in the opening half. 

Noah Gurley, a redshirt freshman forward, who finished with a team-leading 14 points, added a triple moments later to stretch Furman’s early advantage to 14-2 with 10:44 remaining in the opening frame.  

From there, Furman never looked back, taking as much as a 15-point lead in the opening half before eventually taking a 26-13 lead into the halftime locker room. 

The 13 points in a half were the lowest point total for the Catamounts in a half this season, and were the lowest total a SoCon opponent has scored in a half vs. Furman in a half in 40 years. The Paladins also held the Catamounts to just 19.2% from the field and just 14.3% from beyond the arc.

The second half would see the Paladins grow their lead to as many as 25 points, before settling for the 19-point road triumph. 

Gurley finished the night by connecting on 5-of-10 shots from the field, including a pair of thunderous dunks, with one coming in traffic as he drove straight down the middle of the lane in the opening half. 

The redshirt freshman from Fayetteville, GA, was also 2-of-5 from three-point range and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe, while also adding four rebounds, two blocks and an assist. 

Joining Gurley and Rafferty in double figures for the Paladins was point guard Alex Hunter, who finished with 10 points.

Western Carolina was led in scoring by Marcus Thomas, who finished with a game-high 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. The only other Catamount to reach double figures in the contest was talented freshman guard Kameron Gibson, who posted 10 points.

The Paladins will back in action Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. before a sold-out crowd, when the Paladins square off against East Tennessee State (19-6, 9-3 SoCon) at Timmons Arena. The Bucs claimed a 79-56 win over Furman back on Dec. 29, and are coming off a heartbreaking, 78-76, overtime loss to Wofford in Johnson City. Western Carolina will be on the road at Wofford, facing the Terriers at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.

Quotables from Western Carolina:

Mark Prosser on his first year at WCU:

"There have been some exciting things that have happened along the way and I mean it's a lot of fun. We work at a really great institution with a great administration and athletic department so they make it fun to come to work every day. We have good kids that do very well academically and they come in and give effort every day. The ups and downs of any season are hard. We're going through some transistion and learning a brand new style of play offensively and defensively. You know any win at the Division I level is hard and understanding how to win and that's something we have to expect from one another on a day-to-day basis because winning is hard. "

Onno Steger on his recent SoCon Player of the Week honor

"The player of the week honor is pretty special and I have been working my butt off and I am seeing its paying off and I think Carlos Dotson put it really well earlier in the season when he said you'd rather trade in your personal accolades for team accolades and I would much rather win games than get those personal awards."

Other SoCon Action Thursday Night:

UNC Greensboro improved to 21-3 overall and 10-1 in the SoCon with a 75-67 win over the Samford Bulldogs at the Greensboro Coliseum Thursday night. It's the best start for the Spartans in school history through 24 games. The 10 Southern Conference wins for the Spartans marks the third season in a row which UNCG has accomplished the feat. 

The Spartans held the Bulldogs to just 38% shooting for the game en route to the season sweep of Samford, and sophomore guard Isaiah Miller led four Spartans in double figures with 22 points, three steals, an assist and a block. Miller was joined in double figures Kyrin Galloway (13 pts), Kaleb Hunter (12 pts) and Demetrius Troy (11 pts).

Samford, which fell to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in SoCon action, was led by point guard Josh Sharkey, who scored a game-high 24 points and added seven assists, but also turned it over 11 times. Sharkey was joined in double figures by freshman forward Robert Allen, who continued his strong play of late, with a double-double of 16 points and 14 boards, while Deandre Thomas rounded out the Bulldogs in double figures with 11.

UNCG returns to action Saturday at Chattanooga, with tipoff time slated for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. Samford will be in Lexington, VA to face Samford for a 1 p.m. game with the Keydets at Cameron Hall Saturday afternoon.

The final game of the night to recap is Chattanooga and VMI, which was also an exciting affair. While most had their eyes trained on what was happening in Johnson City, they might have missed the Mocs' thrilling 71-70 win at VMI Thursday night. 

That win saw Lamont Paris' club get to 11 wins on the season, which officially eclipsed last year's 10-win campaign. It also helped the Mocs improve to 6-6 in SoCon action, taking a firm grip on fifth place in the league standings, which at this point, would guarantee Chattanooga an opening-round bye in the SoCon Tournament next month in Asheville. Meanwhile, VMI fell to 7-16 overall and 1-10 in SoCon action. 

Thomas Smallwood led four Mocs in double figures with 16 points, including connecting on all four of his three-point attempts, while David Jean-Baptiste, Ramon Vila and Donovann Toatley all added 11 points to the UTC cause.

SoCon leading scorer Bubba Parham paced four Keydets in double figures with 21 points. Myles Lewis (15 pts), Sarju Patel (14 pts) and Jake Stephens (12 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Keydets.

Updated Power Rankings Following Thursday's Action:

1. Wofford (20-4, 12-0 SoCon)

2. UNCG (21-3, 10-1 SoCon)

3. ETSU (19-6, 9-3 SoCon)

4. Furman (19-5, 8-4 SoCon)

5. Samford (14-11, 4-8 SoCon)

6. Chattanooga (11-14, 6-6 SoCon)

7. Mercer (8-15, 3-8 SoCon)

8. Western Carolina (6-19, 3-9 SoCon)\

9. The Citadel (10-12, 2-9 SoCon)

10. VMI (7-16, 1-10 SoCon)

Furman picks up tough road win at Mercer

Furman junior guard Jordan Lyons

For the second straight game, Jordan Lyons led Furman to a road Southern Conference win, finishing with 24 points, as the Paladins completed the season sweep of Mercer with a 74-63 win Saturday night at Hawkins Arena.

With the win, Furman improves to 18-5 overall and 7-4 in Southern Conference play, while Mercer falls to 8-15 overall and 3-8 in league action. The win marked Furman’s eighth true road win of the season.

After being held to just eight points last week in a loss to Samford, Lyons has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back to games for the first time all season.

Following his 20-point effort in a 71-61 win over The Citadel, Lyons posted 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-for-10 from three-point land in the win.

Additionally, the Peach State native added a season-high four assists, two steals and a rebound playing in front of rowdy section of family and friends. All told, it was Lyons’ eighth game with 20 or more points this season.

Furman shot a season-high 57.8% from the field (26-of-45) and shot a blistering 50% (12-for-24) from three-point land. Meanwhile, defensively, the Paladins were stellar, holding the Bears to just 34.8% (24-of-69) from the field for the game, including just 20.8% (5-of-24) from three-point range in the win.

Lyons was joined in double figures by Clay Mounce and Matt Rafferty, who added 16 and 12 points, respectively. Mounce was an impressive 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, as the redshirt sophomore recorded his third-straight game in double figures. Mounce also added four rebounds and a block.

Rafferty, who spent most of the night saddled with foul trouble, made the most of his 27 minutes of court time. The senior from Hinsdale, Ill, did half of his work at the charity stripe, connecting on 6-of-7 from the free throw line and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Additionally, Rafferty added eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.

The Paladins were strong from the outset of the contest, assuming as much as a 15-point lead in the first, at 31-16, following a free throw by freshman forward Jalen Slawson with 4:55 remaining in the first half.

However, Mercer bounced back with a strong five minutes, finishing the half on an 11-3 run to go to the halftime locker room with all the momentum, following a Jaylen Stowe layup to make it a 34-27 contest with 25 seconds remaining in the opening frame, and that would remain the score at the intermission.

Mercer’s strong play would continue into the second half, as the Bears sliced the Furman lead to just one possession, at 43-40, following an Ethan Stair dunk that brought the crowd to its feet and prompted a Bob Rickey timeout with 14:11 remaining in the game. All told, Stair’s dunk was part of a 24-9 run from the Bears spanning two halves to get Mercer back into the game.

Off the timeout, Furman answered the bell to extend the lead back to eight following two Rafferty free throws, and a key three-pointer from Noah Gurley off a penetrate and kick out from Lyons, extending Furman’s lead back to eight, at 48-40, with 13:11 left.

It was perhaps the most crucial sixth second portion of the basketball game for Furman, and the Paladins’ response looked much more like what we witnessed early in the season in non-conference wins over Villanova and Loyola Chicago.

The Paladins were much more crisp on both ends of the floor, and were beginning to dictate the game defensively from this point forward in the second half.

“We have each others’ back,"  head coach Bob Richey said. “I mean that’s been the whole mantra of this team and that’s one thing I stressed to them about this weekend’s road swing. “

“I thought we got away last Saturday from playing for each other and this week it’s all been about ball movement and making sure I am helping others have success and defensively I’ve got my teammates back and offensively I am going to trust and move and that the ball’s going to come back to me and the ball’s going to find energy and that’s what we’ve done this weekend.”

“We’ve been committed that it starts with defense and we’ve gotten back in transition and we’ve had each others’ back in rotations and offensively we just moved it.”

Furman would see the Bears continue to hang around over the next few minutes, however, Mercer could never get back within a one possession basketball game the remainder of the game. Furman answered the bell each time.

Mercer had a chance to perhaps close the game on the Paladins with just under 8:30 remaining, following an Alex Hunter missed three-pointer and Furman holding a 56-49 lead.

However, a missed three-pointer by freshman forward Luke Hamilton was answered with a transition three-pointer from Andrew Brown on a nice find by Rafferty to put Furman back up by double digits, 59-49, with 8:02 left. Furman would grow that lead to as much as 17 points, at 66-49, over the next 3:16 of game clock following a Lyons triple with just under five minutes left.

All told, it was a crucial 10- 0 run for the Paladins, and that allowed Furman to close out the win in a tough environment with relative ease. The Bears were never able to close the gap inside double figures over the remaining five minutes.

“They [Furman] were really good and shot the ball extremely well. We got it down to three and missed scoring on our next four opportunities. They shot 58 percent and they do a really good job of executing their stuff,“ Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman said.

One positive that came out of the game for the Bears was the strong play of junior guard Ross Cummings, who finished the game with his 14th-straight double-figure scoring performance, posting 16 points, with 14 points coming in the opening half.

“He’s been amazing,“ Hoffman said of Cummings. “He probably plays too many minutes and we just can’t sub him because you never know when he might get open for a three."

“He’s playing at such a high level right now and our guys have done a tremendous job of running plays and getting nice stuff for him and we keep trying to experiement and figure out new things. He is a blessing to coach and we’re blessed to have him,” Hoffman added.

Cummings finished the contest scoring 16 points on 5-of-13 from the field, including going 3-for-10 from long range. He scored nine of the first 17 points for the Bears to open the game. Cummings also added five boards and an assist.

As good as Lyons was on the offensive end of the floor, it was his defense on Cummings, particularly in the second half, that ended up being a defining point in the Furman win.

“Cummings is a really good player,” Jordan Lyons said. “Once he gets going, he can be a problem.”

“The thing about guarding a prolific scorer like him is it’s never just a 1-on-1 matchup. It’s a whole team collective effort guarding. I think the way all five of us defended him in the second half was a big contributor to how we were able to extend the lead.”

Furman returns to the floor Thursday night, completing a three-game road trip with contest at the Ramsey Center against Western Carolina with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. Mercer returns to action next Saturday when it hosts The Citadel in a 4 p.m. contest at Hawkins Arena.

Furman and Wofford get road wins

Furman Holds Off The Citadel For Season Sweep

Jordan Lyons led three players in double figures, as Furman picked up a 71-61 Southern Conference victory over The Citadel Thursday night at McAlister Field House.

With the win, the Paladins collected the season sweep over the Bulldogs and improved to 17-5 overall and 6-4 in Southern Conference play, while The Citadel fell to 10-11 overall and 2-8 in league action. The road win by Furman marked its seventh true win of the season.

Lyons, who was held to just eight points last time out in the loss to Samford, scored his 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-10 from three-point range in the win and was also 1-for-2 from the line. Additionally, the junior guard from Peachtree City, GA, finished with two steals, two assists and a block.

Lyons was joined in double figures for the Paladins by sophomore point guard Alex Hunter and redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce, who added 17 points apiece. Hunter and Mounce both dished out five assists apiece, and Mounce also had six rebounds and two steals.

Senior forward and Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Matt Rafferty was held below double figures for just the second time all season, and the first time in SoCon play, but he was clutch in other areas in the win. The senior from Hinsdale, Ill, finished the night with eight points, a team-leading 10 rebounds, dished out four assists, and had three steals and a block.

Furman would break open the game from the outset of the second half, using a 16-2 run to open the second half, building as much as a 19-point lead (50-31) following a Mounce triple with 14:56 remaining in the game.

 The Bulldogs, however, went on a run of their own, whittling the Furman lead inside 10 points, with a 13-2 run of its own, using a Lew Stallworth layup to cut the Paladin advantage to eight, at 52-44, with 9:06 remaining.

The lead for the Paladins would fluctuate between 8-14 points over the next five-and-a-half minutes until a pair of Zane Najdawi free throws with 3:31 remaining cut trimmed The Citadel deficit to its slimmest of the second half, at 67-61.

However, layups by Rafferty and Lyons, along with some strong defense from the duo, which included a Lyons steal and a Rafferty block over the final 3:31, allowed Furman to escape Charleston with the 71-61 Southern Conference win.

The Paladins went to the halftime locker room with a 34-29 lead on the strength of the play from Hunter, who scored 11 of his 17 points in the opening half of play. The Paladins were also stellar defensively, holding the Bulldogs to just 38.5% (10-for-26) and forcing 12 Citadel turnovers in the opening frame.

For the game, Furman held advantages in shooting percentage (45.5%-40.4%), second chance points (11-10), assists (19-7) and fast-break points (14-6). The Bulldogs held advantages in points in the paint (30-24), points off turnovers (20-15), bench points (18-9) and total rebounds (36-29). The Citadel turned the ball over 19 times in the contest, while Furman committed 15 miscues.

Stallworth led three Bulldogs in double figures, posting 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 shooting from the charity stripe. The senior point guard also had six rebounds, dished out five of the team's seven assists, and recorded a steal. He was joined in double figures by both Najdawi (14 pts) and Kaiden Rice (13 pts). Najdawi, a senior center, narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds.

Furman returns to action Saturday afternoon when it travels to Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA, to face Mercer, with tip-off set for 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will prepare to host league-leading Wofford in a 1 p.m. tip-off at McAlister Field House on Saturday afternoon.

Wofford Keeps Rolling

Furman's travel partner Wofford kept things rolling in the right direction in Southern Conference play, improving to 18-4 overall and remained a perfect 10-0 in league play, with a 76-67 win over Mercer Thursday night at Hawkins Arena. The loss saw the Bears fall to 8-14 overall and 3-7 in Southern Conference play.

Wofford finished the month of January a perfect 8-0, and the Terriers have won nine-straight heading into their Southern Conference game Saturday afternoon at The Citadel.

The Terriers were powered by a prolific performance from beyond the arc in both makes (13) and attempts (40) from three-point range in the contest, with sharp-shooting guards Nathan Hoover and Fletcher Magee combining to connect on 10 of the Terriers' 13 triples in the contest.

Magee led the Terriers with 23 points, which included connecting on 5-of-9 from long range, while also finishing 7-of-14 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Hoover went 5-for-8 from downtown, and was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line to finish the contest with 18 points.

Senior center Cameron Jackson finished out the Terriers in double figures, posting 12 points, while grabbing six boards.

Wofford held just a 40-37 lead at the half, but Wofford was able to widen the gap in the second half, as Magee and sophomore point guard Storm Murphy helped the Terriers open the second half in strong fashion, with back-to-back three-pointers and a 6-0 Wofford run, helping the Terriers to extend their lead to nine (46-37) early on in the frame.

Mercer would eventually cut into the Wofford lead in the second half, cutting the deficit to two, at 63-61, following a pair of Djordje Dimitrijevic free throws with 6:35 remaining. On the ensuing trip down the floor, Hoover was fouled attempting a three-pointer, and went to the stripe, calmly converting all three charity shots to stretch the Terriers' lead back to five, at 66-61 with 6:24 left.

Two more free throws by the Bears cut Wofford's lead back to three, setting the stage for a big three from Magee from the left elbow, extending Wofford's lead back to two possessions (69-63) with 3:52 remaining. A Jackson layup and a Magee layup extended Wofford's lead to nine, at 72-63, with 2:49 remaining, as the Bears had three-consecutive empty possessions.

An Ethan Stair jumper trimmed Wofford's lead to seven (72-65) with 2:26 left, but a pair of Keve Aluma free throws stretched the Wofford lead to nine (74-65) with 2:02 remaining. After a Cory Kilby layup with just under two minutes left, the Terriers were able to close out the win with a pair of Storm Murphy free throws with 36 seconds remaining, providing the final score of 76-67.

Mercer was led in the contest by Cory Kilby's 16 points, and he led four Bears players in double figures. He was joined by Ethan Stair (14 pts), Djordje Dimitrijevic (12 pts) and Ross Cummings (11 pts). For Cummings, it was his 13th-straight game in double figures.


Wofford actually opened up a 15-point first-half advantage, at 37-22

Furman drops first home game of the season to Samford

Josh Sharkey scored 17 of his game-high tying 21 points in the first half, while also recording 12 assists for his second-straight double-double, as Samford posted a 75-73 Southern Conference win over Furman Saturday night at Timmons Arena.

With the win, Samford improved to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the Southern Conference, while Furman fell to 16-5 overall and 5-4 in the Southern Conference. The Paladins have now dropped three out of their last four.

Furman held a 71-61 lead following a Matt Rafferty layup with 4:21 remaining, however, it would be the Paladins' final field goal of the game, as the Bulldogs closed on a 14-2 run to take the win. Key in the stretch run was the play of forward Robert Allen, who scored six of the 14 points on two crucial three-pointers, including hitting the game-winner with five seconds remaining from the right elbow. 

Furman inbounded the ball quickly to Jordan Lyons, but the ball slipped out of Lyons' hand when he tried to get off the potential game-winning three-pointer just beyond mid-court as time expired. Allen's game-winning three-pointer was set up by a Furman turnover, as the ball was inbounded to Lyons, but he his foot was on the line giving the ball over to Samford.

Only moments earlier, the Paladins had assumed a 73-70 lead with 21 seconds remaining following a pair of Matt Rafferty free throws following an intentional foul by Sharkey on Rafferty following a video review. 

Samford fouled Lyons immediately on the in-bounds pass, putting the junior guard at the free throw line for a 1-and-1. His first shot rimmed in-and-out, and the ball was rebounded by Brandon Austin, who found a streaking DeAndre Thomas streaking up the floor for a layup off the left side, cutting the Furman lead to one (73-72) with 14.2 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, the Paladins had a chance to in-bound the ball, and Rafferty passed to Lyons, but his foot was on the inline, resulting in the Paladins' 15th turnover of the night. Samford would take advantage of the turnover on Allen's game-winning three-pointer with five seconds remaining.

Furman, which trailed 39-32 at the half, started the second half with some of their best basketball of the day, scoring six-straight points out of the locker room, capped by a double-pump slam dunk by Clay Mounce off a Samford turnover, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to one, at 39-38, and prompting a Scott Padgett timeout less than three minutes into the second half. 

An 8-3 run by Samford, which was highlighted by an Austin three-pointer and a Myron Gordon dunk stretched the Bulldogs' lead back to six, at 47-41, with 14:26 left. With 8:48 left, Furman would take its first lead since 2-0 when Rafferty was scored and was fouled, converting the three-point play the old-fashioned, as Furman took a 58-57 lead. 

The Paladins would eventually increase that lead to 10 (71-61) a little over four minutes later, however, the Paladins would see Samford respond down the stretch with a 14-2 run to win in dramatic fashion. 

In the opening half of play, Samford came out and took the game to the Paladins taking a 39-32 lead on the strength of those 17 first-half points from Sharkey. Furman point guards Alex Hunter and Tre Clark picked up three first-half fouls, disrupting the Paladins rhythm on offense, as well as severely affecting the ability to consistently defend Sharkey. 

"It hurt us, but that's on us. There weren't any schematic changes we made at halftime to our ball-screen coverages," Furman head coach Bob Richey said. "It's not what we do, it's how we do it. In the first half, we were just a half-step slow. We didn't have active hands and only had 10 deflections by halftime," he added.

For the game, Samford shot the ball at a 44.8% (26-of-58) and connected on 40% (10-of-25) from three-point range. Furman shot the ball at a 42.9% (27-of-63) and 25.8% (8-for-31) from three-point range. 

Furman hit its first five of six second half three-pointers to take a 63-57 following a Lyons triple with 7:59 remaining, prompting a Samford timeout and sending the 2,300 in attendance cheering on the Paladins into a frenzy. However, Furman would go on to miss its final nine three-pointers to close the game. 

Samford held advantages in points off turnovers (18-11) and bench points (8-5). Furman held advantages in points in the paint (38-30), second chance points (13-4), rebounds (39-31) and fast-break points (11-10). Furman turned the ball over 15 times, while Samford committed 13 miscues. The two teams had 17 assists apiece.

Sharkey, who was sensational in the overtime loss at Wofford Thursday night, scoring 19 points and dishing out a school-record 16 assists, was equally as outstanding against Furman. His 21 points came on 7-of-19 shooting from the field, which included going 1-for-6 from three-point range. 

He was joined in double figures by Allen, who had 14 points and nine boards, while Gordon and Austin chipped in with 12 points apiece.

Rafferty at it again for Furman, turning in yet another performance that have seemingly become expected of him this season for the Paladins. He finished with a game-high tying 21 points to go with nine rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. 

For the game, Rafferty connected on 7-of-14 from the field, including 0-for-1 from three-point range. Rafferty was one of four Paladins in double figures, as he was joined by Noah Gurley (15 pts), Mounce (13 pts), and despite being saddled with foul trouble most of the afternoon, Hunter chipped in 11 points.  Hunter also added six rebounds, four assists and had just one turnover in 31 minutes of floor action.

The game was a struggle offensively for junior guard Jordan Lyons, however, Furman head coach Bob Richey was quick to point out the job Lyons did defensively to get the Paladins back into the contest. Quite simply, Lyons put Furman in position to win the game with his performance on the defensive end of the floor. Lyons finished with eight points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-7 from three-point range. The Peachtree City, GA native also dished out three assists and had a steal. 

"We're not back in that game if Jordan doesn't come out and play the defense he played in the second half," Richey said. 

"We couldn't guard Sharkey in the first half. Nobody could. Jordan's intensity and his defense, along with Matt Rafferty and some other guys, that's what turned that game around."We didn't have the right collective mentality defensively tonight and that's on me, but he did and I was proud of him for that. There's a multitude of reasons why we didn't get this done."

Furman and Samford return to action Thursday night, with the Paladins heading to Charleston to face The Citadel at McAlister Field House to face the Bulldogs in a 7 p.m. contest, while Samford hosts East Tennessee State in a 7:30 p.m. EST contest at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham.

Storm extinguishes sizzling Samford with second game-winner in less than a week

Storm Murphy hits game-winner/photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics

Despite shooting a blistering 66.7% for the game and getting a career-high 31 points from Samford guard Brandon Austin, it was Storm Murphy and Wofford that walked away with a thrilling, 107-106, Southern Conference win in overtime to remain unbeaten in Southern Conference play.

Samford scored on a jumper by point guard Josh Sharkey, taking a 106-105 lead with four seconds left, however, the ball was quickly in-bounded to Murphy and he quickly dribbled into the forecourt, pulling up for a left elbow, fade-a-away jumper from about 17-feet as time expired, and the ball hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.

Murphy, who didn't even know if he would play due to illness, was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from long range to finish with 11 points, and was one of five Terriers to reach double figures.

It was the second time in less than a week that Storm has rained on another league foe's potential upset aspirations, hitting a triple with 18 seconds remaining Saturday night in helping the Terriers to a 59-54 win over league arch-rival Furman inside the friendly confines of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Murphy's jumper to win the game was only part of the drama in the contest, however, as the Terriers trailed by six (93-87) with 44 seconds remaining following a pair of Robert Allen foul shots. However, that set the stage for senior guard Fletcher Magee to shoot the Terriers back into the game.

Following a timeout, Wofford got its first of two triples to close out the game and send the game to overtime courtesy of Nathan Hoover, who made it a 93-90 following a wide-open three from the corner with 30 seconds left.

Following a Chevez Goodwin block on the other end on a driving layup attempt by Sharkey, Wofford had the chance to tie the game on the final possession. Magee and the Terriers made the most of it. The senior from Orlando found himself uncharacteristically wide open from the top of the key with eight seconds remaining, tying the game, 93-93, and ultimately sending the game ot overtime.

Wofford, which claimed its seventh-straight win, improved to 16-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the SoCon, while Samford dropped to 12-9 overall and 2-6 in league play.

Game Leaders:

--Samford's Josh Sharkey had quite the outing for the Bulldogs, completing the contest with 19 points and a school-record 16 assists. Brandon Austin scored a career-high 31 points for the Bulldogs. Robert Allen (19 pts), Ruben Guerrero (16 pts) and Myron Gordon (14 pts) closed out the Samford Bulldogs in double figures.

--Wofford was paced by a 31-point peformance from Fletcher Magee. Magee finished going 11-of-24 from the field and 7-for-19 from three-point range. He was also 2-for-2 from the line. Magee was one of five Terriers in double figures, as he was joined by Nathan Hoover (23 pts), Cameron Jackson (19 pts, 9 assists, 8 rebs),  Keve Aluma (12 pts) and Storm Murphy (11 pts).

Dogging it from Three-point range. 

Both Wofford and Samford combined to sizzle the nets at 55% from three-point range for the contest, connecting on 28-of-51 attempts. The Terriers finished the night knocking down 17-of-36 shots from long range, while the Bulldogs were 11-for-15 from three-point land.


Samford's struggles in Spartanburg:

Based on some recent heartbreakers in Spartanburg, it might be a good time for Scott Padgett to start checking under his hotel pillow for voodoo dolls. Samford has not come away from Spartanburg with a league win since 2012. Below are a look at some of the recent results. Who will ever forget that four-overtime game in 2017?

Samford vs. Wofford in Spartanburg since 2012
2012-  (W) 66-61
2013-  Did Not Play Wofford in Spartanburg
2014-  (L) 77-58
2015-  (L) 72-62
2016 - (L) 69-64 

2017 - (L) 131-127 (4OT) 

2018 - (L) 93-89 

2019 - (L) 107-106 (OT)


Paladins Get Back To Winning Ways:

Furman junior guard Jordan Lyons

Furman had four players in double figures, including the 10th double-double of the season from Matt Rafferty, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, as the Paladins picked up a 73-58 Southern Conference win over Chattanooga Thursday night at Timmons Arena.

With the win, the Paladins improved to 16-4 overall and 5-3 in Southern Conference play, while the Mocs fell to 10-11 overall and 5-3 in league action. Furman also remained perfect at home, improving to 10-0 on the home hardwood this season.

Furman is the lone unbeaten remaining on its home floor in the SoCon this season, and improved to 48-8 overall and 28-3 against SoCon foes since the start of the 2015-16 season. The win was also Furman's fourth-straight against Chattanooga.

Rafferty and fellow senior Andrew Brown enjoyed a milestone night, as the two now have 81 wins in their career at Furman, accounting for the winningest senior class in school history, surpassing the 1979-80 class, which compiled an 80-37 record over a four-year span. Rafferty and Brown have now compiled a mark of 81-42 record over their four years in the Purple and White.

"When you talk about Matt and Andrew those two are obsessed with 'whatever it takes to win a game' that's what I'm here to do," head coach Bob Richey said. "There's just a huge desire to compete and to win at all costs with whatever their role entails. It's all about 'we've got to win,' and they're going to be able to say nobody has ever won more games," Richey added.

Rafferty finished the night connecting on 7-of-11 shots from the field, including going 1-of-1 from long range, and also dished out six assists and recorded six steals.

Furman was led in scoring by junior guard Jordan Lyons, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point land. Lyons also dished out a pair of assists. He was joined in double figures by Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley, who added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Paladins.

The Paladins would take a 31-23 lead to halftime locker room after Furman broke open what had been previously been a close game late in the frame. Leading by five, at 22-17, with 9:21 remaining in the opening half, the Paladins used a 9-2 run over the next five minutes, taking a 31-19 lead on a Jalen Slawson triple.

"That's crazy. Ten minutes and to have four steals!," said senior forward Matt Rafferty on Slawson's performance. "We stat everything including ball deflections and he had a crazy amount of those today and I think he had eight in the first half which is phenomenal."

"He's probably had his best week of practice and he's been in the gym a lot more and something clicked and he's really focused now and we're all proud of him," Rafferty added.

Slawson's triple came in combination with one of his four steals on the other end, and he was was rewarded for running the floor, as Clay Mounce found Slawson on a perfect feed up the floor, and Slawson did the rest by scoring his only points of the night. All told, Slawson played 10 minutes, recorded four steals, a block and three points.

Chattanooga finished the half with the final four points, with the final bucket coming from Maurice Commander with three seconds to play in the half, providing the final eight point margin (31-23) as the two teams entered the halftime locker room.

In the second half, it looked as the Mocs might get back into the game following a four-point play by Thomas Smallwood, as the center hit a three from the top of the key and was fouled by Rafferty with 12:47 left, and following the free throw, Furman's lead had been cut to seven, at 47-40.

From there, however, Furman would stretch its lead back out to double-digits on buckets by Hunter and Gurley, pushing the Paladins' lead back to 11 with 11:47 remaining, at 51-40. The Mocs would cut the margin inside double digits three times the rest of the way, doing so for the final time on a jumper by Jerry Johnson Jr. with 6:17 remaining, making it a 63-54.

However, Furman would extend its lead back out to double digits taking its largest lead of the night at 15 points on a pair of Mounce foul shots, which gave the Paladins a 71-56 lead with 1:46 remaining.

Johnson Jr. ended up leading the Mocs and was the only Chattanooga player to finish the contest in double figures, posting 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including going 1-of-5 from three-point range.

All 13 of Johnson's points came in the second half. Kevin Easley, who was the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week and averaged a team-leading 15.1 PPG coming into the contest, was held to just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field, and 1-of-4 from three-point land.

The Paladins ended the night by holding advantages in shooting percentage (53.7%-40.0%), points off turnovers (15-5), second-chance points (10-9), fast-break points (7-0), and assists (17-10). Chattanooga claimed advantages in points in the paint (32-28) and bench points (19-10). The two teams each had 30 rebounds. Furman forced Chattanooga into 14 miscues, while the Mocs caused 11 Paladin mishaps.

The Paladins outscored Chattanooga 33-15 from the perimter. Furman shot 44% (11-of-25) from long range, while holding the Mocs to just 23.8% (5-of-21) from long range.

Records Watch:

With his performance Thursday night, Jordan Lyons now has 71 three-point field goals on the season. He needs just 19 more three-pointers this season to break Furman's single-season mark of 88 set by Anthony Thomas back in the 2001-02 season.

The Other Games:

UNC Greensboro held The Citadel, which had entered the game as the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 92.1 PPG, to a season-low 60 points en route to an 83-60 win at the Greensboro Coliseum Thursday night. The Spartans were led by Kaleb Hunter's 21 points, and he posted 17 of those points in the opening half. UNCG improved to 18-3 overall and 7-1 in the SoCon, while The Citadel dropped its eighth-straight contest, falling to 9-10 overall and 1-7 in league play. The Bulldogs were led by Matt Frierson's 15 points, while Zane Najdawi added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Mercer made easy work of VMI Thursday night, posting an 88-68 SoCon win over the Keydets Thursday night at Hawkins Arena. Ross Cummings, Ethan Stair and Jaylen Stowe combined to score 58 of the Bears' 88 points in the win, with Cummings leading the way with 24 points, while Stair and Stowe added 18 and 17 points, respectively, in the win. VMI got 17 points from Bubba Parham to lead the way for Dan Earl's Keydets, while fellow backcourt mate Garrett Gilkeson chipped in with 15. The win saw Mercer improve to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in SoCon action, while VMI fell to 7-13 overall and 1-7 in the SoCon.

Power Rankings Following Thursday night:

1. Wofford (16-4, 8-0 SoCon)
2. UNCG (18-3, 7-1 SoCon)
3A. ETSU (16-5, 6-2 SoCon)
3B. Furman (16-4, 5-3 SoCon)
5. Chattanooga (10-11, 5-3 SoCon)
6. Mercer (8-12, 3-5 SoCon)
7. Samford (12-9 overall, 2-6 SoCon)
8. Western Carolina (5-16, 2-6 SoCon)
9. VMI (7-13, 1-7 SoCon)
10. The Citadel (9-10, 1-7 SoCon)

Saturday's slate:

VMI at The Citadel, 1 p.m.
Samford at Furman, 4:30 p.m.
Mercer at UNCG, 5 p.m.
East Tennessee State at Western Carolina, 7 p.m.
Chattanooga at Wofford, 7 p.m.

Wofford remains perfect in SoCon with tight win over Furman

Recap: Wofford 59, Furman 54

Storm Murphy hit a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining, giving Wofford a 57-54 lead, and the Terriers were able to hold off pesky Furman for a 59-54 Southern Conference win Saturday night before a sellout crowd at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

With the win, Wofford remained perfect in the Southern Conference, improving to 7-0 and improved to 15-4 overall in SoCon play. Furman dropped its second-straight, falling to 15-4 overall and 4-3 in league play.

The game was one that was not for the faint of heart. Both teams had had a week off to prepare for each other, and it was obvious from the grinder of a Southern Conference war that ensued Saturday night in Spartanburg in the first of two installments between the I-85 rivals this season.

The game was equivalent to a Southern Conference war in a season that has seen so much success for the top half of the league. The battle between the Terriers and Paladins saw 15 lead changes and eight ties. The biggest advantage for either club the entire night was a whopping five points, which just happened to be the final margin of victory for Wofford. 

Someone must have told Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Matt Rafferty Furman hadn't won in Spartanburg since 2011, as he put the Paladins on his back offensively down the stretch. Rafferty scored the final 11 points of the game for the Paladins, and gave Furman the lead on an easy layup after collecting a loose ball in the lane following a Cameron Jackson block on a Clay Mounce dunk attempt with 1:02 remaining, giving the Paladins a 54-52 lead. 

Rafferty posted a game-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point land. Rafferty also went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, added eight boards, two assists, two steals and a block. He was one of three Paladins in double figures, and was joined by senior guard Andrew Brown and junior guard Jordan Lyons, who added 10 points apiece. 

“Rafferty is so good,” Wofford head coach Mike Young said. “He sniffs out so many things. I catch myself considering what action we’re going to run and how we can get Rafferty out of the way.”

“That was a heck of a ballgame. Back and forth. Hard-fought. Nobody was going to give an inch,” Young added.

After a Wofford timeout, Terrier veteran head coach Mike Young drew up an action for Jackson, and he would show his veteran leadership. He faked a pass left, spun into an open lane and slammed it home emphatically, tying the contest, 54-54, and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. 

Following a Jordan Lyons missed three-pointer on the other end for the Paladins, Jackson coralled the rebound for the Terriers and timeout was taken. Young once again drew up the right play, and it wasn't Fletcher Magee, who led the Terriers with 22 points, but was sophomore point guard Storm Murphy. 

"I am telling you now, he [Storm Murphy] and Fletch [Fletcher Magee], Hoover [Nathan Hoover] and Trayvyon Hollowell lead our team in shots before and after practice and he's confident and you see it. Storm Murphy wins as many of them as [nods towards Fletcher Magee in the background] that guy," Young said of his trust in Murphy on the game-winning shot. "He can shoot the fire out of it and he's a confident little cuss," he added. 

Murphy finished with just six points. He scored Wofford's first three-pointer of the game and its last. The last came on a beautiful screen set on Lyons by Jackson, freeing up Murphy, a 46.3% shooter from three-point range coming into the game, for the game-winner. Jackson added a layup at the buzzer on the final play of the game when the result was already academic. 

The Paladins actually took a 30-28 lead into the halftime locker room, but it was the Terriers to seem some momentum to the break following a Hollowell banked in triple at the buzzer. That had dampened the mini 5-0 run by the Paladins, which came via a Brown triple and a Rafferty layup. 

The start of the second half saw the Paladins struggle to score, posting just four points in the first 8:17 of the second half, and the Paladins found themselves trailing the contest, and Magee helped give the Terriers a 37-34 lead following a fade-a-way jumper with 12:45 to play. 

The Paladins started to get things going from that point forward, although the Terriers would match their largest lead of the night moments later, following a Magee three-point play the old-fashioned play, as the senior's free throw gave the Terriers a 40-35 lead with 11:15 remaining. 

To their its, Furman never folded and never gave into a boisterous crowd of 3,400 inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, and when gut-check time came, the Paladins responded through its two seniors, as Rafferty and Brown put in layups to get the Paladins with a point, at 40-39, with 10:12 left. 

Then, with 7:22 remaining, Rafferty got the ball at the right elbow and was left open for three, he hesitated and the squared up the shot and knocked it down and giving the Paladins the 46-43 lead. 

But Magee had an answer of his own. He got the ball at the right elbow off a screen, shot a fade-a-way three, made it and was fouled in the process. After the made free throw, Magee had given the Terriers a 47-46 lead with the rare four-point play with 6:52 remaining. A minute later, a pair of Nathan Hoover free throws increased Wofford's lead back to three, at 49-46. 

Two Rafferty layups gave Furman the one-point lead, 50-49, with 3:43 remaining. Another Magee three--his fourth of the night--helped the Terriers regain a two-point lead with 3:25 remaining. Two more Rafferty foul shots and a Rafferty layup gave Furman a 54-52 lead with 1:02 to play, setting the stage for the thrilling final sixty seconds of action. 

"They [Wofford] made the play down the stretch and we [Furman] didn't, but man it was a heck of a college basketball game. Storm made a big shot. You've got to give him his credit," Furman head coach Bob Richey said. 

Wofford held slight advantages in shooting percentage (38.9%-35.1%), bench points (12-10) and total rebounds (35-31). The Paladins edged the Terriers in total assists (12-11), points in the paint (24-22), points off turnovers (14-4), second chance points (17-11) and fast break points (6-2).

Wofford and Furman both return to action Thursday night, with the Paladins hosting Chattanooga at Timmons Arena with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Wofford will play host to Samford in a 7 p.m., as the Terriers look to remain un-beaten in SoCon play.

UNCG takes down hot-shooting Furman

Furman senior forward Matt Rafferty

If you haven’t figured out the SoCon race is going to be a war this season, you have been served fair warning.

The top four teams in the SoCon...Furman, UNCG, Wofford and East Tennessee State are going at it against each other this season. Home court, so far, has been a fortress save UNCG’s hiccup to Wofford Thursday night, making Saturday’s game on the home floor against the Paladins somewhat of a must-win, or at least in the regular-season title chase.

Sophomore guard Isaiah Miller would make sure the Spartans didn’t fall too far behind in the standings, however, following a 29-point loss on the home floor last time out, which snapped UNCG’s 17-game winning streak inside the friendly confines.
Miller scored a career-high 25 points, as UNC Greensboro held off Furman, 89-79, in a Southern Conference battle Saturday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. That allowed the Spartans to win their fourth-straight game in the series against Furman.

With the win, UNCG 15-3 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Conference, while Furman dropped to 15-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.

Miller, a sophomore guard from Covington, GA, was sensational throughout the game, finishing the contest going 10-for-19 from the field, including 4-for-8 from three-point land. In addition, Miller also added five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Miller was one of four Spartans in double figures in the contest, as Francis Alonso (16 pts), Eric Hamilton (15 pts), and Demetrius Troy (10 pts).

Furman, despite shooting the ball at a 52.9% clip (27-of-51) and, connected on 55.6% (10-of-18) from three-point land in the contest, however, Furman turned it over 21 times, which led to getting outscored to a 26-11 advantage for UNCG in points off turnovers.

The Paladins were led by another outstanding night from Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate Matt Rafferty, as the senior forward posted 22 points, 10 boards, dished out five assists and recorded two steals to lead the Paladins. He was one of three Paladins in double figures in the contest.

Rafferty finished 6-for-10 from the field and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Joining Rafferty in double figures Saturday night was Jordan Lyons with 16 points, while senior guard Andrew Brown added 14.

Tre Clark’s dunk off a run-out on a long pass from Brown with 9:13 remaining in the contest. The Spartans responded with a 12-2 run to take 73-61 lead following a Kaleb Hunter three-pointer with 5:19 remaining.

The Paladins cut to five on two occasions in the final two minutes, with the last time coming after an Alex Hunter layup driving layup, which cut UNCG’s lead to 81-76 with 1:13 remaining.

Six-straight made free throws on the heels of a turnover, two missed shots and a UNCG blocked shot spelled the end of an otherwise solid shooting night for Furman, with the Spartans assuming an 87-76 lead on the second shot of a two-shot foul from Hamilton with 25 seconds remaining. UNCG would maintain that double-digit lead to close out their 15th win overall and fourth win in league play.

The Paladins were red-hot in the opening half of play as well, connecting on 58.3% (14-for-24) from the field and 75.0% (6-for-8) from three-point land, however, 11 first-half turnovers, including five offensive fouls, led to a 15-4 UNCG advantage in points off turnovers, and a 41-37 halftime lead for the Spartans.

“They’re a tremendous offensive team and well they’re a tremendous team,“ said UNCG head coach Wes Miller. “On the offensive end they’re just a tremendous team and there’s a reason they were in the Top 25 just two weeks ago. If you aren’t active defensively with your hands and with your play, you can’t guard them even if you’re in the right position,” Miller added.

The truth of this basketball game is Miller could have even been talking about his own team, which shot the ball at a 51.6% clip (32-of-62) for the game, showing some of that championship form on both ends of the floor to gut out a tough Southern Conference victory.

The Spartans were able to affect the game with their defense, and for the first time since early in the season, James Dickey looked like he was back to his old form prior to his foot injury, and his four blocks were the most in a single game for the junior reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year since the season opener against North Carolina A&T, when he swatted away seven shots.

For head coach Bob Richey and Furman, it’s back to the drawing board for his young team, which will now have a week off to prepare for its big game at Wofford next Saturday.

With a season-high 21 turnovers, which is uncharacteristic for the normally composed Paladins, it will give something for head coach Bob Richey to prepare for and work on during the week ahead prior to squaring off with their I-85 rival.

It’s something that Richey admits UNCG was able to do with great effectiveness, which was put Furman in uncomfortable situations with forcing the tempo.

That’s the thing about the SoCon. Teams find unique ways to push other teams’ buttons. Mercer does it different than The Citadel and UNCG does it different than the previous two, with a 1-2-2 press reminiscent of some of those Murry Bartow ETSU clubs in the mid-2000s before the Bucs left the league for the Atlantic Sun.

“It’s there pressure and they tried to speed us up and when people pressure you they are trying to get you to play faster than you want to play.” Furman head coach Bob Richey said.

“Unfortunately today they had success doing that and so we’ve got to be better there and that’s one of our achilles heels and going back to some of these guys that haven’t been in these situations before and five underclassmen of our eight that are playing out there and that’s one of those deals where you’ve got to learn to just stay composed. The pressure is only pressure if you let it pressure you,” Richey added.

UNCG returns to action Thursday night with a trip to face Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center, with tip-off slated for 1 p.m. Furman will take on league unbeaten Wofford at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium next Saturday in Spartanburg. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Furman Thumps VMI in Lexington

LEXINGTON, VA--Furman held VMI to 37% shooting and the SoCon’s leading scorer Bubba Parham to just six points, as the Paladins defeated the Keydets going away, 89-57, in Southern Conference action Thursday night at Cameron Hall.

With the win, Furman improves to 15-2 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Conference, while VMI fell to 6-10 overall and 0-4 in league action. The win marked Furman's seventh-straight triumph over the Keydets in the series.

The Paladins had five in double figures, led by Jordan Lyons, who led the Paladins with 21 points, connecting on 7-of-15 from the field and 4-for-11 from three-point range. Lyons was also 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Lyons also added two rebounds, two assists and a steal

Joining Lyons were Clay Mounce (16 pts), Tre Clark (13 pts), Andrew Brown (11 pts) and Matt Rafferty (10 pts). For Mounce, it was his second-straight game in double figures, as he also posted 13 points and 15 boards Saturday. He also contributed a team-high tying six boards tonight. Rafferty also had six boards, five assists and three steals.

Clark's 13 points are a new career-high, eclipsing the 11 points he scored in a win over Charleston Southern earlier this season. He led the Paladin charge off the bench, and his 13 points marked his third double-figure scoring effort this season.

Furman used a 17-6 run to close the opening half to take control of the basketball, with the run buoyed by Jordan Lyons, who scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the opening half, as the Paladins took a 38-24 to the halftime locker room.

With Furman clinging to a 21-18 lead with 4:12 remaining in the half following a Jake Stephens layup for the Keydets. Clark responded with the a dunk of the right side to start the run, giving the Paladins a 23-18 lead. The run would end with a top of the key jumper from Lyons, as the Paladins saw their lead balloon to 17, at 38-21, with just 52 seconds remaining in the half. A Connor Arnold banked in three from the top of the key on the ensuing possessionn set the halftime deficit at 14 for the Keydets.

A 7-0 run to begin the second half would see Furman's lead balloon to 45-24, and the run dating back to the closing minutes of the first half,  became a 24-6 spurt by the Paladins, as Rafferty notched two of his 10 points with a wide-open layup.

Furman redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce

Furman never looked back from that strong start to the second half, shooting 52.2% from the field in the second half, as the Paladins connected on 16-of-30 from the field in the second half alone, and that included connecting on 8-for-19 from (42.1%) three-point range. All told, the Paladins finished the contest shooting the ball at a 45.3% (29-of-64) clip for the game, while connecting on 15 triples, shooting a sizzling 44.1% (15-of-34) from long range for the game.

Meanwhile, the Paladins put the clamps down defensively on the Keydets for much of the night, holding the Keydets to just 36.8% (21-of-57) for the game, and just 22.7% (5-for-22) from three-point range.

VMI sophomore guard and reigning SoCon co-Freshman of the Yeaar Bubba Parham, who came into the contest leading the SoCon in scoring average, at 21.9 PPG, was held to just six points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from long range. Parham's six-point performance was his lowest of the 2018-19 season thus far.  It eclipsed his previous season-low of seven points in a loss to Longwood.

VMI ended the night having been led by sophomore wing guard Myles Lewis, who posted 11 points, while fellow classmate Garrett Gilkeson closed out the Keydets in double figures with 10 points, while adding a team-high seven boards.

The Paladins held advantages in points off turnovers (20-10), fast break points (11-8), bench points (34-26), shooting percentage (45.3%-36.8%) and assists (21-10). The Paladins forced 18 VMI turnovers, while committing 11 miscues of their own. The two teams were even on the boards (37-37) and in points in the paint (28-28).

Furman returns to action Saturday with a key contest at UNC Greensboro, with tip-off set for 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum, while VMI will host Wofford at Cameron Hall in a 1 p.m. SoCon clash at Cameron Hall Saturday afternoon.