Paladins cruise to first win in new Timmons

Alex Wilkins scored 26 points in Furman's 89-59 win over
Columbia International Monday. Photo courtesy of Furman

Following a bit of a sickening opening week of the college basketball season for Furman, the Paladins got a little healthy Monday night. Alex Wilkins scored a game-high 26 points to lead Furman to an 89-59 win over NAIA member Columbia International. Four other Paladins scored in double figures to help record the first win at the refurbished Timmons Arena.

Wilkins posted the most points in a single game by a Furman freshman since Devin Sibley scored 29 at East Tennessee State on Feb. 14, 2015. Perhaps just as important, he only had two turnovers and the Paladins (1-2) only had nine as a team. While the competition level was significantly different, it was still a positive sign for a Furman team that threw the basketball away all over the place in losses to High Point and Troy in the opening week.

"We needed a win. We just needed to get on the right side of the hyphen," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "I thought for the first 16 minutes of the game, I thought we played some really good basketball. I thought we played with a tight floor and some good defensive intensity."

After falling behind 7-5 just 82 seconds into the game, Furman went on a 24-1 run over the next 10:32 to take command. The lead grew to 26 on a jumper by Wilkins with 3:17 left in the first half. Wilkins' three-pointer with 20 seconds left gave the Paladins a 49-25 lead at the half.

"It's just a growing period. I don't really look at the points. As long as we win the game, that's what really matters. It's pretty cool to have a 20-point college game though," Wilkins said. "I'm just happy that the guys put a lot of trust in me over the offseason. Coach Richey puts a lot of trust in me. I'm just blessed to have this amazing opportunity."

Toward the end of the first half and into the second, the Rams changed up their defense a bit. Furman had a more than five-minute stretch in the second half where its only points were a Baba Franklin layup after offensive rebounds by Charles Johnston and Wilkins on the same possession. That helped Columbia International cut the lead to 16 with 12:57 left, but it could not get any closer.

Wilkins had a steal and a breakaway dunk to cap a 13-3 flurry by the Paladins that stretched the lead to 80-52 with 6:10 left. After that, Richey went deep into his bench. Mason Smith had a dunk off an assist from Franklin with 2:50 left. On the next trip down, Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Gunnar Lewis for a three. Just before that score, the Furman student section demands of "We want Tillman" were granted when senior walk-on Thomas Tillman entered with 2:11 left.

"They decided to go zone and that got us a little stagnant offensively. I thought that also affected some of our defensive intensity," Richey said. "I thought the worst part of the game was how we came out at halftime. That was a little disappointing, but we're working through everything. We're just trying to get consistency.

"That middle eight is critical - those last four (minutes of a half) and first four. You've got to make sure you go into the tunnel right and make sure you come out of the tunnel right."

Franklin finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in just 14 minutes off the bench. Cooper Bowser also scored 11 on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, with seven rebounds, three steals, an assist and no turnovers. Johnston recorded another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists, one steal, one block and no turnovers. Asa Thomas also scored 10 off the bench and grabbed six rebounds.

The Paladins enjoyed a 51-26 rebounding advantage, including 21 offensive boards. The glass-half empty side of those offensive rebounds is the fact that Furman made just 11-of-45 three-pointers.

"I would say 30 of those (three-pointers) were really, really good ones," Richey said. "I thought some others were too deep or too quick."

The Paladins return to action Friday at Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. The Panthers (2-0) have home wins over Cal State-Northridge and South Dakota State this season.

Molnar to be out "a while"

Richey went with an eight-man rotation in the first half Monday. It's not typically what's been done at Furman in the past, but the Paladins are still seeking to get a consistent nine. Richey said consistency in practice will determine who that ninth guy is.

Another reason they're searching for that ninth guy is the serious knee injury suffered by Davis Molnar in the exhibition game against Alabama.

"Davis was definitely in that nine-man rotation. He worked his way to where he would've been the first big off the bench," Richey said. "It's a tough loss for us. He brought leadership, continuity and knows what's important to our program. I think we've definitely missed his presence over these first 10 days. ... He's going to be out for a while and that's really the most I have on it at this point."

Paladins sign two guards

Furman signed a pair of guards on Signing Day this week, it was announced Thursday by Richey. Set to join the Paladins next season are Cameron Elwer, of Delphos, Ohio, and Jerrin Samuel, of Winder, Ga.

Elwer was a first team All-Ohio player last season and was runner-up for the state's Mr. Basketball award. Playing for his father, Aaron Elwer, at Delphos St. John's High, the 6-foot-2 Elwer averaged 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game as his team went 23-3. He led the state in three-point shooting with a single-season state record average of 55.8 percent. Elwer ranked second in the state in foul shooting at 93 percent.

Samuel is the No. 5 ranked player in the Class of 2026 for Georgia. As a junior last season at Winder-Barrow High, the 6-foot-5 Samuel collected second team Atlanta Journal-Constitution AAAAA All-State accolades after averaging 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game. Samuel shot 45% from three-point range and led his team to a 26-4 record.

Paladins' defense struggles in loss at Chattanooga

Furman noseguard Caldwell Bussey (94) is recovering well following a scary
injury suffered at Chattanooga Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

For the second consecutive week, Furman's defense helped an opposing freshman quarterback earn Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. After getting torched by Mercer's Braden Atkinson a week earlier, Chattanooga's Battle Alberson brought the gasoline and matches on Saturday.

Making his first collegiate start, Alberson completed 15-of-22 passes for 277 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions as the Mocs won, 45-28. On the few times Alberson couldn't find a receiver, he improvised his way to 85 yards rushing on seven carries. He was UTC's second-leading rusher as it had 252 yards as a team on the ground. It was led by Wofford transfer Ryan Ingram, who had 94 yards and improved to 3-0 against Furman over the past three seasons.

Furman's defense, which still has the FCS leader in sacks and tackles-for-loss in Joshua Stoneking, finished with one tackle-for-loss and no sacks Saturday. The Paladins (5-5, 3-4) fell to 0-4 in games in which they haven't recorded a sack and 1-3 in games in which they haven't forced a turnover. After Mercer went 10-of-16 on third down a week earlier, the Mocs (5-5, 4-2) converted 8-of-16 third downs and 3-of-4 fourth downs. That lone fourth-down stop came on the opening drive of the game, which lasted 16 plays and took 9:43 off the clock. 

"To say I'm disappointed in how we played would be an understatement. First off, give (Chattanooga) a bunch of credit. They had a new quarterback and the kid played really well and they executed at a high level," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said at his weekly press conference Tuesday. "(Defensive coordinator) Coach (Duane) Vaughn and I agreed that in my nine years (as head coach), that was the worst-played defensive game we've had.

"Third down continues to hurt us with missed tackles and other fundamental stuff. Obviously, I wasn't very happy after the game and it was a long bus ride home. I had some time to think things through before we met on Sunday afternoon. Then at that team meeting, I told our team 'sometimes you think about what you said (after games) and I did, and I still felt the same way.' We were out-physicaled and out-executed. I'm really disappointed in that and disappointed in myself."

While they got manhandled statistically for the second week in a row, the Paladins once again weren't really out of it until the final minutes. They trailed Mercer 31-28 midway through the third quarter and trailed UTC 31-28 midway through the fourth.

Chattanooga pushed the lead to 38-28 with 7:23 left on a one-yard touchdown run by Journey Wyche on fourth down. On Furman's ensuing possession Trey Hedden was sacked on first down, but on 2nd-and-17 he found Joshua Burrell for a 29-yard gain. As Burrell turned around to head up the field, he was drilled. The ball popped out and the Mocs recovered.

On its next possession, Chattanooga faced a 3rd-and-7 when Wyche took a simple screen pass from Alberson for a 25-yard touchdown and a 45-28 lead with less than three minutes remaining. The Paladins drove to midfield on its next possession, but Hedden's last pass was intercepted by Amanuel Dickson off a deflection with 1:49 left. Kam Baah-Slay drilled Devin Hester at precisely the same time the ball hit Hester to cause the deflection.

After having the ball for more than 12 minutes in the opening quarter, Chattanooga had it more than 12 minutes in the fourth quarter as well. For the entire second half, Furman possessed the ball for less than eight minutes. Mercer had a 15:58 edge in time of possession against the Paladins, while the Mocs had a 16:52 advantage.

"It felt like we were doing some good things offensively ... we just didn't have the ball that much. ... I was in some of those service academy games where you just stand over there and stand there and stand there, and you just can't get people off the field," Hendrix said. "But in those games, it's a lot of third-and-shorts and fourth-and-shorts. There were some of those (Saturday), but we let their backs run into the back of a guy, bounce out of the pile and get 15 yards. That's disheartening and it takes a toll on you mentally."

While possession time was not ideal in the first and final quarters, the most detrimental portion of the game for Furman came right in the middle. The Paladins were seemingly in control leading 14-7 with less than four minutes left in the first half before Alberson threw a 66-yard touchdown to Josh Williams.

After a 76-yard kickoff return by Caleb Easterling to the UTC 23, Furman answered five plays later when grad student Kerry King caught the first touchdown of his career on a nine-yard throw by Hedden. That gave the Paladins a 21-14 lead with 1:21 left. On the fourth play of the Mocs' next possession, Alberson threw another bomb. This one went 47 yards to Markell Quick to help tie the game with 47 seconds left.

Jayquan Smith had a 31-yard return to UTC's 43 on the kickoff. Furman made separate first downs to the Mocs' 30, 15 and 4-yard lines, but never tried one pass into the end zone. The Paladins settled for an Ian Williams' 21-yard field goal, but it was blocked to end the half.

On the first snap of the second half, Hedden found Evan James for a 31-yard gain to midfield. On a 3rd-and-3 three plays later, Hedden's pass to James went straight into the gut of Chattanooga lineman Ky Tayo. Tayo returned the interception 51 yards for a touchdown to give the Mocs their first lead at 28-21.

As it seems to often do lately, Furman's offense responded to the huge swing in momentum by going three-and-out. On a shotgun handoff on 3rd-and-2, CJ Nettles was stopped for a gain of one yard.

Late in the third quarter, James caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Hedden to help cut the lead to 31-28 heading into the fourth quarter.

Hedden completed 19-of-27 passes for 296 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. James finished with 146 yards receiving on five catches. Nettles rushed 11 times for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Ben Croasdale had 10 carries for 43 yards and his first collegiate touchdown. It was a rare case of two Furman running backs averaging more than four yards per carry, but the Paladins couldn't run it more simply because they didn't have it enough. Furman had 51 offensive plays while UTC had 74.

"The thing that continues to haunt us is just giving up explosive plays. ... And then offensively, it's turnovers. Over the first five games, we committed six and got eight. Of those six, we committed three in one game and you can guess (Presbyterian) which game that was," Hendrix said. "Over the last five games, we've committed 12 and gotten two. That's a recipe to get beat.

"You watch us this year and last year and it's not even close how much better we are. Finding our edge and getting over that hump is what we're still trying to do. "

Bussey recovering

Saturday's game had a scary interruption midway through the third quarter when defensive tackle Caldwell Bussey was injured after taking a blow to the head. There was a delay of more than 11 minutes while Bussey was checked on, placed on a stretcher and departed the field in an ambulance. Hours after the game, Furman issued a statement that following evaluation and tests, Bussey was released from Chattanooga's Erlanger Hospital.

"He's doing great. He's been able to get out and watch practice and should be able to make a full recovery. We're forever thankful for that," Hendrix said Tuesday. "As for (Furman Director of Sports Medicine) Mike Brown and our training staff ... I told our team if that was me or my kid down, that's exactly how I would like to be cared for. So I want to thank him for that.

"I can say the same thing about Chattanooga and (Coach) Rusty Wright. They were phenomenal trying to assist any way they could - even into Saturday night. I'm really appreciative of them."

Senior Day Saturday

Furman can double its overall and SoCon win total from last season with a victory over last-place VMI Saturday at 1 p.m. on Senior Day at Paladin Stadium. Furman's seniors will take the field with their families to be honored prior to kickoff of what will be the final home game for some, but not all.

"We've got some fourth-year guys walking, some grad guys walking and some guys who graduate in the spring but have already told me they're coming back (next season) to grad school," Hendrix said. "It's been an incredible group. That's the great thing about Furman, just the quality young men you get to coach. Furman does a phenomenal job of preparing guys for life after this place and we certainly hope that football has a big say in that too."

Furman rally falls short against Troy

Eddrin Bronson scored 14 points off the bench in Furman's
64-61 loss to Troy Friday. Photo courtesy of Furman

When the Furman basketball team has only one missed shot over the first five minutes of a game over about the last decade, that's probably cause for celebration for the Paladins. On Friday night against Troy? Not so much.

In the first regular season men's game of the refurbished Timmons Arena, Furman spent the first five minutes treating it more like a new dodgeball court as basketballs flew and bounced everywhere. By the time the first media timeout came at the 15:47 mark, the Paladins were 0-for-1 from the floor, 0-for-2 from the line, had five turnovers and trailed 8-0. Also by that point, Charles Johnston - Furman's best player over the one exhibition and one regular season game thus far - was on the bench with two fouls and three turnovers.

In the second half, the Paladins cleaned up their play immensely and came all the way back from what was a 15-point deficit to tie the game with three-and-a-half minutes left. Furman could never take the lead though and went on to a 64-61 loss.

"Well, that was a tale of two halves. Give Troy credit. That's two really, really good road wins for them to start the year. They went up to Kent State and won an overtime game on Monday," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "We basically just threw the ball all over the place and spotted them 13 turnovers (in the first half). ... Troy was playing hard, but it was more of us just being a little frantic. We didn't look like a confident group to start the game."

The Paladins (0-2) finally got on the board when Eddrin Bronson came off the bench to hit a three at the 14:58 mark. More turnovers and missed shots followed for the next three minutes though. Furman trailed 15-3 before freshman Abijah Franklin's three-point play at the 11:48 point. A Paladin starter finally scored 34 seconds later when freshman Alex Wilkins drove for a layup off a steal by Johnston.

With 7:26 left in the half, Wilkins converted a three-point play that cut Troy's lead to 23-20. It remained that same score for the next minute, but Furman had back-to-back layups blocked and then missed a three.

Over the final 6:12 of the half, the Trojans (2-0) went on a 13-3 run to take a 36-23 lead into halftime. The Paladins only score over the final seven-plus minutes with a Wilkins' three-pointer with 1:57 remaining.

"Obviously Monday (a blowout loss to High Point) was not what we wanted from an offensive or defensive standpoint. We knew it was a big deal for us to take care of the ball and we didn't start this game (Friday) like we needed to. All those turnovers gave them easy buckets and let them get in a flow," Ben Vander Wal said. "Once we settled in (in the second half) and started really playing defense and taking care of the ball, we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. The biggest learning point we can take from this is that we can't just do that for a half."

Richey sarcastically said that he had a really profound message for his team at halftime.

"It was, 'don't give the ball to the other team,' " Richey said. "But they listened in the second half. ... We won the second half by 10, but unfortunately had dug too big of a hole."

Troy, the reigning Sun Belt Conference champions, took a 42-27 lead on a three-pointer by Cooper Campbell just over three minutes into the second half. Furman emphatically answered on the other end when Cooper Bowser slammed home an alleyoop from Wilkins.

That dunk got the crowd stirring again and started a 13-2 run by the Paladins over the next 7:45. Bronson keyed the run with back-to-back threes, while fellow reserve Asa Thomas hit another. Wilkins' jumper with 8:50 left cut the lead to 44-42.

"We played better defense. I got some open shots and my teammates trusted me to knock them down," Bronson said. "I shot with confidence and I just want to keep playing like that. On any given night, I think any one of us can step into that role."

The Trojans maintained a two- to five-point lead over the next five minutes before Furman finally tied it up at 55-55 when Bowser scored off another lob from Wilkins with 3:32 left.

After 13 turnovers in the first half, the Paladins only had four in the second half. Unfortunately for Furman, three of those came the rest of the way. Furman had three possessions with the game still tied over the next 2:10. The first ended on a bad pass turnover. The second had two offensive rebounds, but the Paladins missed two layups and then a three-pointer. The third ended on another bad pass turnover.

That pass was intercepted by Campbell, who raced to the other end for a layup to give Troy a 57-55 lead. After Bronson missed a three, the Trojans' Victor Valdes hit a dagger of a three with 31 seconds left to push the lead to 60-55. Another bad pass turnover led to a pair of free throws by Troy to extend the lead to 62-55.

Thomas and Johnston hit three-pointers in the final 12 seconds. Johnston's three with three seconds left was the final score of the game as Furman couldn't get a foul or the ball back.

"That second half looked like us and the team that we've got to grow into. This is a marathon and a journey," Richey said. "Nobody hates losing more than me, but this is a team that's going to continue to get better. We need games, experience and game film. ... I challenged them on Tuesday because clearly we played no defense Monday night. Tonight, we looked like a team that could guard a little bit."

Campbell led Troy (2-0) with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Wilkins finished with 16 points, eight assists and four turnovers - none in the second half. Bronson had 14 points and two steals, Bowser had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Thomas scored nine points also for the Paladins. Wilkins had a plus-minus of plus-four, while Bronson and Thomas were each at plus-five.

Wilkins seemed to be maturing before our very eyes in the second half. At one point, Vander Wal got frustrated by a no-call by officials, and it was the true freshman who went up and put his arm around the senior to remind him of Richey's longtime mantra about mistakes or things beyond your control - "next play."

"Alex wants to be so good so bad. He's a very talented player and he's got some major gifts out there," Richey said. "He's not afraid of the lights or the moment, but just like all young players ... it's a lot harder than they think.

"He doesn't even know the playbook right now, so just wait. ... It's hard for me (to wait), hard for him and hard for his teammates, but that's just what it is. He's got some things that you can't coach and he's just going to keep getting better and better."

Furman returns to action Monday when they host NAIA member Columbia International at 6:30 p.m.

After loss to Bears, Furman seeks rebound at UTC

Furman tight end Jackson Pryor was set to have season-ending surgery
this week. He will redshirt this season. Photo courtesy of Furman

There may no longer be a shot at a Southern Conference championship or an FCS playoff bid left to play for Furman this season, but a winning record is. The Paladins (5-4, 3-3) can take a big step toward ensuring that with a victory at Chattanooga Saturday when the teams square off at noon. A reminder that a 6-6 record isn't a winning one. It's not a losing one either, but not winning.

As is often the case when Furman faces the Mocs, it's going to be a test. UTC (4-5, 3-2) has won three out of its last four games. Its only loss was last week, 35-28, to a Western Carolina team that obliterated Furman.

"They're always talented. ... I think they have a little bit of a younger group than they're used to playing with and they've had an incredibly tough schedule," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said about Chattanooga in his weekly press conference. "They've played (FBS member) Memphis, (9-0) Tennessee Tech and (9-1) Tarleton (State), who just got their first loss last week. Just kind of watching them, they've gotten a little better each week."

Getting to the quarterback and actually making sacks could obviously provide a much-needed boost for the Paladins. It obviously has had the opposite effect when they don't.

In last Saturday's 52-28 loss to Mercer, Furman didn't record a sack for the third time this season. The Paladins have lost all three of those games. In Furman's other loss, the Paladins had two sacks during a scoreless first quarter at Western Carolina. They had none the rest of the day as the Catamounts put 52 points up on the scoreboard.

What makes those numbers all the more maddening is the fact that Furman sophomore defensive end Joshua Stoneking still leads the entire FCS in tackles-for-loss (19) and sacks (12.5). With the amount of double teams - and uncalled holds by offensive linemen - that Stoneking faces every Saturday, you'd think someone else on defense would step up in the sacks department.

They haven't.

Sophomore captain Raleigh Herbert has 1.5 sacks and no other Paladin besides those two have more than one. Compare that to SoCon-leading Mercer, which has a tremendous pass rusher of its own in Andrew Zock (15 tackles-for-loss, 10 sacks). Nine other Bears have at least 1.5 sacks, including Kobe Mcinnis with five and two others with 2.5 apiece.

Every quarterback who hasn't been sacked in the final three quarters of any game this year has made Furman severely pay for it. Last Saturday, Mercer freshman Braden Atkinson completed 28-of-49 passes for 426 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. It marked the first time in school history that the Paladins allowed 50-plus points to at least two SoCon teams in the same season.

"We just got to win more one-on-ones. That's the thing that keeps showing up - how many of those we keep losing," Hendrix said. "Our sport is a sport of one-on-ones and you're not going to win them all, but you've got to win your share.

"Looking back at the (Mercer) film, we actually hit him more than I thought we did. We just always seemed to be a half-step short. There were a couple of times it was a bang-bang hit and they ended up being big, big plays for them."

Mercer recap

Despite what ended up being a fairly lopsided loss and ridiculously lopsided stats, Furman got off to a fast start and only trailed by three in the third quarter against Mercer.

Furman's defense opened the game with a three-and-out and Taylen Blaylock returned the punt 35 yards to the the Bears' 20-yard line. Three plays later, Trey Hedden hit Evan James over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown. After the Bears were offsides on the successful extra point, Furman's offense came back out and went for two but Jayquan Smith lost his footing well short of the goal line.

On the Paladins' next possession, freshman CJ Nettles took a handoff, paused for a split second as he shifted right and then burst through a hole. He raced 67 yards to the end zone to push Furman's lead to 13-0. Mercer answered by converting four third downs on its next drive which culminated in a 21-yard touchdown pass by Atkinson.

The Bears outscored Furman 17-0 in the second quarter to take a 24-13 lead into halftime. The Paladins got right back in it when special teams sensation Caleb Easterling returned the second half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Mercer had an immediate answer on a 63-yard touchdown pass by Atkinson three plays later.

The Paladins answered with essentially the same drive. On their third play, Hedden and Ja'Keith Hamilton connected for a 64-yard score. Hedden then found Kerry King on a two-point conversion to cut the Bears lead to 31-28 with 12:41 left in the third quarter.

Once again, Mercer answered with a touchdown on its ensuing drive and additional touchdowns on each of its next two to close out the scoring.

"I was proud of our effort. I thought we played hard and had all kinds of chances, but in the third quarter it just got away from us," Hendrix said. "We couldn't get stops and couldn't stay on the field on offense."

For the game, Mercer had a new Paladin Stadium-record 36 first downs, went 10-of-16 of third down, scored four touchdowns on four trips to the end zone and finished with 628 total yards of offense on 89 plays. Furman had eight first downs, went 3-of-13 on third down and finished with 227 total yards on 43 plays.

Nettles finished with 105 yards on 15 carries, the highest rushing output by a Paladin since Gavin Hall rushed for 121 against VMI last season. Despite the rare 100-yard rusher for Furman, it finished with just 72 total yards on the ground thanks to Hedden being sacked four times. Hedden finished with 155 yards on 12-of-18 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.

Injury update

Furman leading rusher Gavin Hall had wrist surgery last week and will miss the rest of the season. Tight end Jackson Pryor was scheduled to have season-ending surgery this week. Having only played four games this season, he will take a redshirt according to Hendrix. The weekly status of wide receiver Ethan Harris and safety Caleb Williams remain questionable. Hendrix said starting left tackle Eli Brasher could return this week after missing the Mercer game.

On a non-injury note, Easterling's last game this season will be Saturday at Chattanooga. That's because it will be his fourth game, which will allow him to also red-shirt this year.

High Point's high rollers drill Paladins

Charles Johnston had 16 points and 12 rebounds in Furman's loss to
High Point to open the season Monday. Photo courtesy of Furman

ROCK HILL - Furman opened the men's basketball season Monday by facing High Point at the Field of 68 Tip-Off Marathon at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center. After going 29-6 last season, the Panthers were tasked with replacing a departed head coach and essentially an entire new roster.

As Monday's game wore on, the brand new High Point group looked more and more like a seasoned veteran group. The game was tied 12-12 after Furman freshman Alex Wilkins drilled a three-pointer five minutes in. The Panthers responded with a 10-0 run and never looked back as they laid up Furman to death on their way to a 97-71 win.

"It was pretty competitive and then they hit us. Chuck (Charles Johnston) got that second foul and we had to sub. A couple of things went poor and all of a sudden, they've created a little bit of a cushion," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "I didn't think we fought back. That's what I was most disappointed in. We just didn't have that next hit."

Looking on Monday, it was hard not to notice just how much older High Point is than Furman. That's because it is. Of the eight Panthers who logged double-digit minutes, only one can't legally have a drink yet. The other seven range in age from 22 to 25 years old. Quite a few of those have earned all-conference honors at prior schools throughout the country.

Of the eight Paladins who played double-digit minutes, three are true freshmen. The experience certainly seemed to pay off at both ends of the court for High Point. The Panthers shot 64 percent from the floor in the first half to take a 55-40 lead into halftime. They finished at 58 percent for the game making 40-of-69 field goals, including 9-of-20 three-pointers to go with their 52 points in the paint.

"Collectively, I thought we played soft defensively. Offensively, we played timid and selfish at times," Richey said. "We just didn't play with the grit defensively. ... They just played harder than we did tonight."

Facing Alabama's pressing defense in an exhibition last Sunday at Timmons Arena, Furman only had nine turnovers. On Monday, High Point forced 22 while only committing six. That helped the Panthers have a 25-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

While he was disappointed his squad didn't punch back after that first wave from High Point, Richey wasn't surprised by the Panthers' talent.

"They've accumulated an unbelievable roster. That's a $3 million roster and a high-level team," Richey said. "They brought a lot of talent to the game and we let their talent play pretty comfortably and we played right into their hands. ... They got to do what they wanted to do all night."

Charles Johnston was a bright spot for Furman as he finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. One regular season game and one exhibition into the season, it appears that Johnston made rebounding an offseason focus. Other Paladins in double figures were Ben Vander Wal, Asa Thomas and Wilkins with 11 points apiece. Cooper Bowser finished with six points, nine rebounds and a team-high four assists. After playing just 14 minutes against Alabama before fouling out, Wilkins only logged 20 minutes Monday as he suffered six turnovers.

"Johnston really competed and played hard. ... He had a really good offseason," Richey said. "We had a couple of freshman that played really hard, but we can't depend on freshmen. We've got to have other guys playing physical and hard, playing with the toughness that it takes to win games like that.

"A lot of people didn't want this game, but we're never afraid of a challenge. I think we'll see a lot on film and we will get better from this game."

Furman will have it's official home opener Friday when it faces reigning Sun Belt champion Troy at 7 p.m.

Paladins fall to Alabama in Timmons 2.0 debut

Furman takes on Alabama in an exhibition game Sunday,
the first game at the refurbished Timmons Arena.

It might have been listed as an exhibition Sunday at Furman, but it sure didn't feel like it. A sellout crowd of 2,750 packed into the incredibly renovated Timmons Arena for the building's first basketball game in 604 days. That's how long it had been since the Paladins' 2023-24 regular season finale on March 2, 2024.

Sunday felt a lot more like another March game than one in October. Facing an SEC power that's ranked 15th in the country in Alabama in essentially a new arena neither team had played in before, it was like Furman was back in another 4/13 March Madness matchup. The atmosphere was electric. Coaches' arguments with officials were in midseason form. Both teams fought hard and got banged up hitting the floor for loose balls.

There was no miraculous buzzer-beater this time around for the Paladins though. Alabama rallied from an nine-point deficit to take a 12-point lead into halftime and the Crimson Tide rolled on to a 96-71 victory.

"What an unbelievable arena atmosphere. It's something you really couldn't have imagined a decade ago. ... It felt like a big-time environment and that's that vision for what we want in this program," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "I was proud of our guys' effort. I thought we competed and stayed in the fight.

"It's pretty tough to have your point guard foul out in 14 minutes. It's hard to think you're going to play a guy for 30 minutes and have your backup point guards out there for 10, but then it flips."

A loud crowd - that included a raucous student section - at tip-off got even louder when the Paladins came roaring out the gate. The first 10 minutes of the game was essentially Furman Offense 101. After Cooper Bowser won the opening tip, true freshman point guard Alex Wilkins got the ball down low to Ben Vander Wal. Vander Wal kicked it back out to Wilkins for a three from the right wing and the Paladins led 3-0 less than 10 seconds in.

On the next trip down, the same action happened on the other side. Bowser kicked it out to Clemson transfer Asa Thomas for a three from the left wing. Furman made it 9-0 just 71 seconds in when Charles Johnston drilled a three off an assist from Thomas.

"They (Furman) came out of the gate obviously, ready to go and we weren't as ready to go as we needed to be. After they got up nine-zip, we answered the bell pretty well," Alabama coach Nate Oats said. "Give these guys at Furman a lot of credit. They've got a really good roster. I thought they played really hard and forced us into 15 turnovers. They're going to be a good team this year."

After Alabama got on the board, Furman answered when Bowser dunked an alleyoop pass from Wilkins to make it 11-2 three minutes in. The Paladins' next bucket came when Bowser made a beautiful bounce pass in the paint to Johnston for a dunk. That pushed Furman's lead to 13-7 at the 15:47 point of the first half.

The Tide rallied over the next five minutes as the lead changed a couple of times. After each of Furman's first six field goals were assisted, the first that wasn't was totally worth it to see a glimpse of Wilkins' talent. Being closely guarded by Aden Holloway, one of three McDonald's High School All-Americans on Alabama's roster, Wilkins dribbled from one end of the court to about six feet from the Furman basket. As Wilkins stopped, Holloway fell backwards. While Oats argued for a push-off, Wilkins sank the suddenly open short jumper to give Furman a 17-16 lead.

With 11:27 left in the first half, Bowser laid it in off a lob pass from Thomas to give the Paladins a 20-19 lead. Unfortunately for Furman, that was its last lead of the day. A little over a minute later, Holloway made a layup and that started a 14-2 run for Alabama over the next four minutes. A key play in that run was Wilkins picking up his third foul, which sidelined him for the final 9:31 of the first half.

A Thomas three-pointer cut Alabama's lead to 44-36 with 1:49 but the Crimson Tide took a 48-36 lead into halftime. The Paladins could never get the lead under 12 the rest of the way and didn't do themselves any favors at the foul line as they made just 10-of-25 (40 percent) free throws. After returning to the court to start the second half, Wilkins picked up his fourth foul with 13:15 left and then fouled out 52 seconds later.

Wilkins finished with 10 points and was one of two Paladins to finish in the positive in plus-minus as Furman outscored Alabama by five when he was on the court. The Paladins outscored the Tide by two during fellow freshman Collin O'Neal's 12:29 of playing time.

"(Wilkins) earned the starting job. We didn't go into the summer and fall anticipating starting a freshman point (guard), but it became pretty clear about a month ago that he earned the job," Richey said. "He's got a real presence about him. He's got a unique confidence to him and when you combine it with his ability to play with really good pace and to have really good vision, ... he's been a treat.

"Collin O'Neal played his absolute guts out today. ... One of the big observations today is that we had some young guys play harder than some old guys. As proud as I am of our collective effort ... we can't have freshmen playing harder than old guys. We've got to all go out there with the same approach and play to the standard." 

After getting outrebound 29-15 in the first half, Furman closed the gap to 50-38 for the game. Half of the Paladins' rebounds came on the offensive end. The effort on the boards in the second half was led by Johnston, while finished with 14 points and a game-high 12 boards. Bowser had the most complete line of the night as he finished with 14 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), seven rebounds, a game-high six assists, two blocks, two steals, just one turnover and just one foul.

"I think that's the hardest Charles Johnston's ever played in a Furman uniform. For him to get 14 and 12 and be at minus-5 in 30 minutes of action, he really competed. Coop did an unbelievable job playing physical," Richey said. "We were down 25-10 on the glass at one point in the first half and we end up with 19 offensive rebounds. That goes to our effort and shows how hard our guys played. ... Now, we only got 10 points off of those (offensive rebounds), so we've got a lot to clean up.

"We had 21 assists and nine turnovers against a very aggressive defense that pressed. They were really physical with us and they're going to have a really good season in the SEC, so our ball security was great. ... Clearly we had a horrendous free throw shooting night. When you miss that many, it puts you in a tough spot."

Tom House gave Furman four scorers in double figures with 11 off the bench, while Thomas scored nine. Vander Wal had his typical solid outing with seven points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists. While Abijah Franklin went 0-for-6 from the floor, the freshman from Wren High had four assists in just 10:26 off the bench.

Furman suffered a tough blow when Davis Molnar went down midway through the first half and grabbed his knee in pain after he fell. 

"Davis has had an unbelievable preseason. He's really tried to compete, fight and go out there and be a great teammate. I've been so proud of his joy and how he's led," Richey said. "I hurt for him if it's something that will hold him out because I thought he'd play you know, 17 or 18 minutes today. He's a huge piece of the game plan in terms of his toughness off the bench."

Holloway scored a game-high 18 points for Alabama, while Labaron Philon added 16 points and five assists.

Furman opens the regular season Monday against High Point at 6:30 p.m. The game will be played at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center as part of The Field of 68 Tip-Off Marathon and will be streamed live on YouTube.

All three phases power Furman past Citadel

Furman's Taylen Blaylock tackles Citadel's Quentin Hayes. Blaylock had 10 tackles,
including 2.5 tackles-for-loss, in the Paladins' 24-14 win. Photo courtesy of Furman

Coming off back-to-back rough losses on the road, Furman returned home Saturday with a belief that four quarters of smart, hard-played football could turn things around. As it turns out, three-and-a-half sufficed.

On offense, one Paladin returned from an injury and picked up right where his terrific debut season stopped a month earlier while another returned to the scene of a gruesome injury suffered two years ago in triumphant fashion. Outside of a six-minute stretch to start the second half, Furman's defense was outstanding. Meanwhile, Ian Williams did Ian Williams' things on special teams. It all added up to a 24-14 win for the Paladins, their fifth consecutive victory in the 105-game series with rival The Citadel.

"Certainly thrilled with a win in a tough, tough ball game, like I knew it would be. Like many of them before, especially the 32 I've been a part of," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said in the postgame press conference. "I'm really proud of our team. They were resilient and it really took everybody. Our defense played really, really well, especially if you take a few plays away which you can't do."

Freshman sensation Evan James returned to action after missing the past three-and-a-half games with a shoulder injury. He wasted no time getting back to what he's done best. On the third play of the game, James converted a 3rd-and-7 when he caught a 36-yard pass from Trey Hedden. That led to a 45-yard field goal by Williams.

Furman's defensive tone for the day was set on Citadel's second play. Taylen Blaylock, who said after Saturday's game that he'd never faced an option team before, looked like he's faced nothing but option teams when he dumped Bulldogs' quarterback Cobey Thompkins for a loss of three. That helped lead to the first of six three-and-outs forced by the Paladins (5-3, 3-2 Southern Conference).

Furman leading rusher Gavin Hall was injured on the opening series and didn't return. With second-leading rusher CJ Nettles also banged up, Ben Croasdale was the next man up. The junior, who never played this season until junk time at Western Carolina two weeks ago, made the most of his opportunity. Croasdale carried five times on the Paladins' ensuing possession and Kerry King had a big 27-yard catch, which led to a 36-yard field goal by Williams.

"I knew I was going to have a bigger workload because we didn't have CJ. Then Gavin goes down on the first drive, so I knew I had to step up. I knew me and Jayquan (Smith) could get it done for us today," Croasdale said. "We just kept our head down and fought hard."

Early in the second quarter, the Paladins' defense looked to have stopped Citadel once again deep in its own territory and Blaylock had a fair catch of the punt at the Bulldogs' 47. However, Furman was flagged for leaping over the three-man shield that protects the punter. The personal foul gave Citadel (3-5, 2-3) its first first down and a bit of life. The Bulldogs drove to the Furman 30 where they faced a 4th-and-3 and went for it. Raleigh Herbert pressured Thompkins forcing a quick throw to Javonte Graves-Billips, who was immediately stopped by Blaylock for a loss of two.

Late in the half, Croasdale's 27-yard run set Furman up at the Citadel 12. On the next play, Croasdale ran left to the end zone but the score was wiped out by an illegal shift penalty on the opposite side of the field. The Paladins once again had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Williams. Despite a 203-88 advantage in total yards and a 9-3 edge in first downs, Furman took just a 9-0 lead into halftime.

"I felt like we should've been up 17-0," Hendrix said. "Other than some wasted opportunities, we played well offensively. We've just got to clean up those penalties and other things that are causing them."

With Furman's self-anointed status of being a "one half team on defense" lately, there had to be a feeling the Paladins might pay for not cashing in more on their first half chances. Those fears came to fruition quickly after halftime.

Citadel opened the second half by matching its number of first half first downs with three in only four plays. The last one resulted in Jihad Marks simply running past his man to catch a 46-yard touchdown pass from the Bulldogs' left-handed quarterback Quentin Hayes.

Furman's offense responded with a three-and-out, which included a second down sack in which Hedden held the ball too long. The Bulldogs took over at their own 42 and three plays later, Hayes and Marks once again connected for a 46-yard touchdown that looked. It took just 5:17 off the second-half clock for Citadel to take a 14-9 lead and to completely erase that statistical advantage in total yards that Furman had in the first half.

After failing to convert on 3rd-and-1 near midfield, the Paladins had another three-and-out. One of the biggest plays that won't really be remembered followed when Williams' punt was downed at the six-yard line. A holding penalty against the Bulldogs backed it up to their three.

"That was huge. I think we've done a much better job covering (punts) lately. Caleb Easterling is a guy that just came out nowhere," Hendrix said during his weekly press conference Tuesday. "He's had a couple of tackles-for-loss on punt returns. That's really hard to do and I think that gets in people's heads a little bit."

Dylan Chiedo just missed forcing a safety on the next play as he dropped the Citadel's Corey Ibrahim for a two-yard loss to the one. The Bulldogs ended up punting from their end zone and Blaylock returned it 11 yards to the Citadel 40.

On the next play, Furman remembered that its offensive MVP this season was back as James caught a 16-yard pass. That was followed by a beautifully-designed play in which Hedden threw to Hester for a 20-yard gain. Two plays later, Smith finally got the Paladins in the end zone with a two-yard run. After Citadel was offsides on Furman's first failed two-point conversion attempt, Smith successfully converted the next try as Furman took a 17-14 lead with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

After Citadel missed a 48-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the teams exchanged punts before the Paladins delivered a knockout blow. For the third time in the game, a Furman scoring drive began with a big catch by James. This one went for 38 yards to the Citadel 42.

"It felt good to be out there for my team making plays again," James said. "It's been hard sitting on the sideline watching the past couple of weeks, but I just tried to encourage my teammates. ... Today, I felt like our running backs helped us a lot. Their running helped open up the passing game."

Croasdale ran twice before Hedden found James for a 10-yard gain to convert a third down. Croasdale ran twice before Hedden found James for a seven-yard gain to convert another third down. Furman's last third-down conversion came courtesy of a seven-yard touchdown run by Smith to help push the lead to 24-14 with only 3:21 remaining.

On the Citadel's ensuing possession, the Bulldogs drove to the Furman 34 before Joshua Stoneking had a strip sack that Herbert recovered. After scoring the go-ahead touchdown and the game-sealing touchdown, Smith's six-yard gain for a first down allowed the Paladins to kneel out the clock.

It could not have been a more fitting way to end a victory over Citadel. Two years ago on the same field against the same foe, Smith tore every ligament in his knee and was sidelined until preseason camp this year.

"It means a lot to just be able to prove to myself and others that it's possible to return to this level of play. It's also a testament of my faith to still trust in God with the plan, even when it's up in the air," Smith said. "I'm just blessed to be in this culture, in this locker room with these coaches and teammates that are like a family to me."

Hedden completed 16-of-22 passes for 211 yards and most importantly, no turnovers. James finished with 126 yards on eight receptions. While he wasn't heavily involved in the passing game with one catch Saturday, Ja'Keith Hamilton (ankle) also returned to action. Croasdale finished with a career-high 91 yards on 19 carries, while Smith ran 11 times for 52 yards.

In addition to making all three of his field goals, Williams put five of his six kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks and pinned three of his five punts inside Citadel's 20-yard line. The effort led to Williams earning SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the third time this season and sixth in his career.

Blaylock and AK Burrell shared the team lead in tackles with 10 each, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss for Blaylock. Stoneking had four tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry to also claim his third SoCon Defensive Player of the Week award this year. Stoneking still leads all the FCS in sacks (12.5) and tackles-for-loss (18) and he's also second on the team in tackles (47).

Furman's defense held Citadel to 133 rushing and 3.8 yards per carry. The only teams to hold the Bulldogs to a lower yards-per-carry average this season have been North Dakota State and Mercer.

"The way we practiced this week, shout out to our scout team. They gave us a great look all week," Blaylock said. "So when we went out there, it was slow motion. We knew exactly what we were going to get and everybody played their gaps soundly.

"That's the key to stopping the option - everybody doing their job. It may look like I've made a play, but if you like inside, you see a d-lineman holding his gap and making the run bounce (outside) and I just happen to be there."

Next up for Furman will be a test against the first-place team in the SoCon as the Paladins host Mercer Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bears (6-1, 5-0) are coming off a SoCon-single game record performance with 834 yards of total offense in a 62-0 win over VMI Saturday.