Tampa, Fla. – Xavier Castaneda tallied a career-high 18 points and USF held Furman to under 36% shooting as the Bulls downed the Paladins, 65-55, Monday evening at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Fla.
 
Castaneda netted eight points during a 17-4 first half run that helped the Bulls erase an early 18-11 Paladin advantage and claim the lead for good. The guard hit on 4-of-5 attempts beyond the arc to key a 9-for-23 three-point performance by the Bulls (4-4).
 
Down 34-27 at the break, Furman hit five of its first seven shots in the second half to cut the margin to two points, but the Bulls used a 7-0 to open up a nine-point advantage. Trailing 53-46 with under seven minutes remaining, Furman's Clay Mounce crash the glass and scored on a put back to trim the lead to 53-48. After USF connected on 1-of-2 trips to the line, Noah Gurley drained a pair of free throws and Jordan Lyons slashed to the basket to cut the USF lead to 55-52 with 4:55 to play.
 
The Bulls responded with the decisive possession of the game moments later. Castaneda scored in the paint and David Collins stole Furman's inbounds pass, scored and converted the three-point play at the foul line to cap a five-point possession and push the Bulls' advantage to 60-52 with 4:32 left. USF held Furman (7-2) to just one field goal the rest of the way to seal the verdict.
 
Gurley connected on 7-of-12 shots to score a game-high 19 points, while Mounce notched his second straight double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Paladins, who hit 35.7% from the field, made just 7-of-28 three-point attempts and were outscored 10-8 on points off turnovers despite forcing 17 turnovers and committing only 10.
 
Collins finished with 16 points and Laquincy Rideau added 11 to join Castaneda in double figures. The Bulls shot 39.6% and managed a 46-31 rebounding edge.
 
Furman travels to face No. 14 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.