Chattanooga, Tenn. – Junior Mike Bothwell scored a game-high 22 points and made all four of his free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to help Furman hold off Chattanooga, 77-73, in the Southern Conference men's basketball opener for both schools Wednesday afternoon at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga. Tenn.

By knocking Chattanooga from the ranks of the unbeaten, Furman improved to 7-3 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Mocs dropped to 9-1 overall and 0-1 in the SoCon.

Trailing 68-67 with just over three minutes remaining, freshman Garrett Hien replaced Noah Gurley, who had fouled out, and promptly scored back-to-back baskets in the paint to put Furman ahead 71-68 on his second of two layups with 2:24 left. After Jalen Slawson converted on 1-of-2 free throws to push the lead to 72-68 with 48.3 seconds to go, Chattanooga's David Jean-Baptiste drained a free throw line jumper to trim the lead to just two points and the Mocs called timeout.

Bothwell made good on two trips to the line with 29.3 seconds left to restore the four-point Paladin lead, but UTC's Malachi Smith answered with a three-pointer with 20.3 remaining to cut the margin to 74-73. Following a Chattanooga timeout, Bothwell was fouled on the inbounds pass and converted two more trips to the charity stripe with 14.1 on the clock. Smith missed from long range on the Mocs' next possession and Hien hit 1-of-2 free throws with 5.1 seconds left to seal the Paladin victory.

Furman shot 51.8% from the field and outscored the Mocs 50-18 in the paint to overcome a 13-for-26 effort by Chattanooga from three-point range. The Paladins, who converted on 15-of-20 trips to the foul line, managed a 33-26 rebounding edge that led to a 14-2 advantage in second chance points.

Bothwell, who had posted a career-high 27 points in a victory at Chattanooga last season, scored his 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and a 4-for-6 effort at the foul line. Slawson hit on 7-of-8 free throws to score 16 points and Gurley added 13 points, five boards and three assists in just 21 minutes of action. Alex Hunter and Hien contributed nine points apiece, while Clay Mounce finished with eight points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Furman shot better than 53% from the field in the first half to carry a 35-34 lead into halftime. The Paladins led by as many as seven points early in the second half before a 9-2 run gave the Mocs a 66-63 lead with 5:36 to play. A 14-7 run by the Paladins over the final 5:30 that included eight points in the paint helped secure Furman its eighth consecutive win over the Mocs.

Jean-Baptiste netted a team-high 18 for Chattanooga, while KC Hankton added 17 points. The Mocs shot 47.3% from the field, including 50% from behind the arc.

Furman returns to Timmons Arena to host the Mercer Bears on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can listen to the "Voice of the Paladins", Dan Scott, 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.
 
Furman's "Weekends at the Well" Series Returns In 2021
Furman basketball returns to downtown Greenville once again during the 2020-21 season with four "Weekends at the Well"! The Paladins host SoCon rival ETSU at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on January 16 before entertaining the Chattanooga Mocs at the Well on January 30. On February 6, Wofford and Furman will stage a rematch of last season's thrilling showdown at the Well. The final trip to BSW in 2021 takes place on February 13 versus Western Carolina. Get your tickets now for all four "Weekends at the Well"!