Highlights

Head Coach Niko Medved's Press Conference

Player Interviews

Greenville, S.C. -- Senior Kris Acox netted a career-high 21 points to go with 11 rebounds and Furman held The Citadel to its second lowest offensive output of the season as the Paladins toppled the Bulldogs, 83-68, in Southern Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

Acox connected on 9-of-10 shots from the floor and all three of his free throw attempts while recording his third double-double of the campaign. Junior Devin Sibley hit on 7-of-11 field goal attempts to tally 20 points and sophomore Matt Rafferty added 10 points and 10 boards for his second double-double of the year. Juniors John Davis III and Daniel Fowler rounded out Furman's double figure scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Paladins shot 53.4% from the floor and converted on 18-of-24 trips to the foul line to secure their 10th consecutive SoCon home victory. The Citadel, who entered the game averaging 102 points per game, recorded its second lowest total of the season with 68 points, while Furman held the opposition under 70 points for the 11th consecutive game.

Furman (8-6, 1-0 SoCon) trailed by four points with under five minutes to play in the first half when Fowler's layup started a streak of 12 consecutive made field goals for his team. The Paladins finished the period on a 12-0 run to carry a 37-27 advantage into the halftime break and stretched their run to 14-0 with the first basket of the second half. Four straight makes helped Furman extend the margin to 12 points and the Paladins followed their first miss of the final 20 minutes with back-to-back layups from Sibley and Jonathan Jean to up the lead to 51-37 with 15:41 remaining.

The Citadel (7-8, 0-2 SoCon) clawed back within eight points as Preston Parks, who netted a game-high 24 points, hit consecutive triples with under 10 minutes left, but Furman connected on all nine of its free throw attempts over the final 7:51 to hold off the Bulldogs.

Furman limited The Citadel to 31.4% shooting, including just 8-for-36 from behind the three-point arc. Head coach Niko Medved's squad fashioned a 44-37 rebounding edge and outscored the Bulldogs 52-26 in the paint. Furman's superb defensive effort included 12 blocked shots, which was the most by a Paladin team since recording 14 versus Utah Valley on December 29, 2009. Acox and freshman Jalen Williams led the way with three blocks apiece.

The Paladins continue their homestand on Monday, January 2, when they host Mercer at 7 p.m. at Timmons Arena. The game has been designated as a "Purple Out" and all fans are encouraged to don their purple. Furman is offering a special buy one, get one free ticket special at FurmanPaladins.com by using the promo code: Purple.

Fans can watch Monday's game on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Dan Scott and Jim Davis calling the action. The radio broadcast will air locally on FOXSports 1440AM and is also available around the world via the TuneIn Radio app.

Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information