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| 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.
