Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Jaden Shackelford scored a team-high 25 points to help Alabama hold off Furman, 81-73, in the mainland portion of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis Tuesday evening at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
 
The loss marked the first of the season for Furman (4-1) and just the third loss for the Paladins in their last 23 regular season non-conference games. The Crimson Tide evened their record at 2-2.
 
Senior Jordan Lyons, who scored a 31 second-half points and finished with a season-best 33, tallied eight of Furman's first 10 points in the second half as the Paladins erased a 34-31 halftime deficit and grabbed a 42-36 advantage on the Peachtree City, Ga., native's three with 17:22 to go. The Paladins led by a 52-50 margin with under 10 minutes remaining following a 4-0 run by Lyons, but Alabama limited Furman to just one field goal over the next seven minutes to go on a 20-6 run and grab a 70-58 lead.
 
A three-pointer by Clay Mounce and a pair of triples by Lyons helped the Paladins trim the lead down to six points in the final minute, however, the Crimson Tide connected on nine straight free throws in the final 1:24 to hold off the late charge.
 
Lyons hit six three-pointers and converted on 13-of-13 trips to the foul line to score his game-high 33 points, while Mounce added 13. The Paladins recorded a season-best 12 steals and forced Alabama into 22 turnovers to stay within striking distance, but Furman shot only 30.9% from the field, including an 11-for-41 effort beyond the arc.
 
Kira Lewis, Jr. scored 19 points and John Petty, Jr. finished with 16 to join Shackelford in double figures for Alabama. The Crimson Tide shot 50.9% from the field and made good on 20-of-27 trips to the foul line.
 
The Paladins return home to host Columbia International at 7 p.m. on Friday before continuing play in the Battle 4 Atlantis with contests versus Elon and UT Arlington in Elon, N.C., November 26-27.
 
Tickets for Furman's 13 remaining home games are on sale now at the Timmons Arena Box Office and online at FurmanPaladins.com. Four-game packs for Furman's "Weekends at the Well" series at Bon Secours Wellness Arena are also on sale. Current Furman students will have access to free tickets on Furman basketball game days. Click here to learn about the student ticket policy for the 2019-20 season.