Greenville, S.C. – UNCG used a 25-7 run midway through the game to build a 16-point advantage as the Spartans handed Furman its first Southern Conference loss of the season in an 86-73 decision Saturday evening at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville, S.C.
The loss dropped Furman to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in the SoCon, while the Spartans improved to 13-5 overall and 3-2 in league play.
After Furman erased a five-point deficit with a 7-0 run that gave the Paladins a 25-23 lead with 3:31 left in the first half, UNCG finished the period on an 11-2 spurt to carry a 34-27 lead into halftime. The Spartans answered Furman's opening basket of the second half with a 14-3 run to build a 48-32 advantage on Isaiah Miller's layup with 16:49 to play.
The Paladins trailed 67-55 with under eight minutes to play when a pair of
Mike Bothwell three-pointers helped ignite a 13-5 run that trimmed the UNCG lead to 72-68 when
Noah Gurley finished in the paint on a Bothwell assist with 2:55 to go. The Spartans' Kaleb Hunter put UNCG back in control with a three-pointer on the next possession and a three-point play following a steal. James Dickey's dunk at the 1:30 mark pushed the margin back to 80-68.
Miller led five Spartans in double figures with 18 points, five assists and six steals. Hunter scored 15 points and Michael Hueitt Jr. drained three triples to post 13 points. Angelo Allegri and Mohammed Abdulsalam rounded out UNCG's double figure scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Spartans scored 24 points on 17 Furman turnovers and shot 52.4% from the field. UNCG also converted on 13-of-16 trips to the foul line.
Gurley, who added eight boards and four assists, paced the Paladins with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Bothwell and
Clay Mounce scored 13 points apiece. Furman shot 49% from the field, but made just 16-of-27 trips to the foul line.
The Paladins return to Timmons Arena to host Western Carolina on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available now at
FurmanPaladins.com.
