Furman vs. USF Game Notes

Greenville, S.C. – Furman men's basketball returns from a brief Thanksgiving break when it travels to face the South Florida Bulls on Monday night in Tampa, Fla. Tip-off at the Yuengling Center is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
The Paladins claimed their third straight victory and improved to 7-1 on the season with their most dramatic win of the campaign last time out versus UT Arlington in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis in Elon, N.C. Less than 24 hours after a 97-61 rout of the Elon Phoenix, Furman trailed UT Arlington by 13 points in the second half before trimming the margin to 57-55 in the final minute. Sophomore Mike Bothwell completed the comeback by converting on a three-point play with just 3.8 seconds remaining to lift the Paladins to a 58-57 triumph.
 
The victory over UTA marked Furman's ninth win in its last 10 regular season games away from Timmons Arena and helped the Paladins match last season's school record of seven wins during the month of November. With the victory, head coach Bob Richey's team moved to 23-3 in its last 26 regular season non-conference contests.
 
Senior Jordan Lyons, who leads Furman averaging 16.1 points per game, paced the Paladins with 14 points versus UTA. Junior Clay Mounce, averaging 14.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game thru Furman's first eight games, notched his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 boards against the Mavericks.
 
Monday's game will mark the third meeting versus USF, a member of the American Athletic Conference, in a series that is knotted at 1-1. Furman downed the Bulls, 91-60, in the first meeting between the schools at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium on December 2, 1978, before USF topped the Paladins, 76-48, on December 29, 1980, in Tampa. Furman is 18-17 all-time versus current AAC members, including a 16-7 mark versus former Southern Conference foe East Carolina. In its last meeting versus an AAC opponent, Furman dropped a 76-72 decision to Wichita State in the opening round of last season's NIT at Timmons Arena.
 
USF, picked fifth in the AAC preseason poll, is 3-4 on the season following a 74-67 loss to Nebraska in Thursday's final round of the Grand Caymans Classic. The Bulls have scored a 69-55 victory over Wofford and 66-55 triumph over Loyola Chicago this season.
 
Following Monday's tilt versus USF, Furman travels to face nationally-ranked Auburn on Thursday, December 5, in a game that will be televised live on the SEC Network at 9 p.m. ET. The Paladins return home to host USC Upstate at Timmons Arena on Sunday, December 8, at 2 p.m.
 
Tickets for all of Furman's 12 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.