Greenville, S.C. – Junior
Mike Bothwell tallied 24 points and senior
Alex Hunter added 22 as Furman captured its 14
th consecutive win at Timmons Arena with a 91-63 triumph over USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon.
The victory improved the Paladins to 2-0 and gave Furman its 17
th straight non-conference victory at home.
Furman used a 14-0 run midway through the first half to take control and carried a 43-25 advantage into halftime. The Spartans trimmed the margin to 71-57 with 4:47 to go before Hunter netted seven straight points to key a 20-6, game-ending run to give the Paladins a 28-point victory.
Bothwell, who posted 13 first half points in Wednesday's season-opening win over Tusculum, scored 14 first half points versus the Spartans. He finished 7-of-12 from the field, connected on a career-best 9-of-9 free throw attempts and registered a career-high four steals.
Hunter drained 4-of-6 shots from behind the arc and converted on all six of his trips to the foul line to score 22 points. The Raleigh, N.C., native added six rebounds and four assists.
Furman shot 53.8% from the field and connected on 27-of-34 trips to the charity stripe. The Paladins posted a 41-33 rebounding edge outscored the Spartans in the paint, 38-30, and managed a 27-16 edge in points off turnovers despite committing 20 miscues.
Center Nevin Zink led USC Upstate with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Cartier Jernigan also netted 12 points. The Paladins held the Spartans to just 37.9% shooting and forced 21 USC Upstate turnovers.
Furman caps its three-game homestand hosting Southern Wesleyan at Timmons Arena on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to "Voice of the Paladins"
Dan Scott call the action on ESPN Upstate at 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM/ 950 AM in Spartanburg, and thru the Radio.com app. Links for the video live stream and ESPN Upstate broadcast will be posted at FurmanPaladins.com.