Postgame Press Conference

Greenville, S.C. – Senior Jordan Lyons scored 20 points to pace six Paladins in double figures as Furman claimed an 83-79 victory over Southern Conference leader Western Carolina on Wednesday evening at Timmons Arena to regain first place in the league standings.
 
The Paladins' eighth consecutive triumph over the Catamounts improved Furman to 15-4 overall and 5-1 in the SoCon, while Western Carolina fell to 12-4 overall and 4-1 in league play.
 
Tied at 69-69 with under 4:30 remaining, Furman sophomore Noah Gurley scored back-to-back baskets in the paint. Following a third consecutive defensive stop by the Paladins and a timeout with 2:46 left, Gurley followed his own miss by grabbing an offensive board and converting on two foul shots to up the margin to 75-69 with 2:18 to go. Western Carolina trimmed the Paladin lead back to four points, but Furman answered by connected on 8-of-12 free throw attempts over the final 1:42 to keep the Catamounts from clawing any closer.
 
Lyons made 7-of-16 shots from the field to net his team-high 20 points and junior Clay Mounce added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Gurley and point guard Alex Hunter posted identical lines with 13 points and five boards apiece, while Jalen Slawson contributed 12 points and eight rebounds and Mike Bothwell added 10 points.
 
The Paladins, who allowed 24 points on 17 turnovers in Saturday's loss to UNCG, outscored Western Carolina 15-2 on points off of turnovers and committed just seven miscues in the game, including just two turnovers in the second half. Furman shot 45.9% from the field, converted on 19-of-25 trips to the charity stripe and fashioned a 36-32 scoring advantage in the paint.
 
Forward Carlos Dotson led Western Carolina with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Onno Steger and Matt Halvorsen scored 14 points each. Mason Faulkner added 12 points and 10 assists. The Catamounts shot 47.6% from the field and made 13-of-31 three-point tries
 
Furman will enter the national spotlight on Friday when it travels to Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C., to face Wofford in a SoCon matchup that will be televised live on ESPNU at 7 p.m.
 
Tickets for all of Furman's remaining home games are on sale now at the Timmons Arena Box Office and online at FurmanPaladins.com. 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.