Greensboro, N.C. – Sophomore Jalen Slawson poured in a career-high 17 points and fellow sophomore Noah Gurley added 17 of his own to pace five Paladins in double figures as Furman toppled UNCG, 81-67, Wednesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
The victory over the Spartans, ranked No. 61 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings, gave Furman (24-6, 14-3 SoCon) sole possession of second place in the Southern Conference standings and secured the No. 2 seed for the Paladins in the upcoming Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship in Asheville, N.C. The Paladins matched school records with their 24^th regular season win of the year and 14^th league victory. UNCG slipped to 23-6 overall and 13-4 in the SoCon.
 
Furman shot 51% from the field, connected on 10-of-21 three-point tries and converted on 17-of-19 trips to the foul line, including all 14 in the seconds half, to notch its ninth win in its last 10 outings. The Paladins forced the Spartans into 17 turnovers and outscored UNCG 28-17 on points off turnovers and 30-24 in the paint.
 
On the strength of a 16-6 game-opening run, Furman built a 40-24 lead before the Spartans ended the opening period on a 7-0 run as Isaiah Miller buried a three-pointer from beyond halfcourt at the buzzer to trim the Furman lead to 40-31. Slawson scored 13 points in the first half to help the Paladins to the nine-point advantage.
 
Furman pushed the lead to double digits twice in the second half before a 10-2 run helped UNCG cut the deficit to 60-58 on Angelo Allegri's basket with 7:55 to go. Leading 67-63 with under five minutes to go, Furman reeled off a 14-4 run to end the game that started with a pair of Mike Bothwell free throws and a three-point play from senior Jordan Lyons.
 
Slawson went 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line to finish with 17 points, nine boards and three assists. Gurley scored 17 on 6-of-10 shooting and Lyons added 14. Bothwell and Alex Hunter finished with 13 and 11, respectively.
 
James Dickey paced UNCG with 15 points, while Kaleb Hunter and Allegri scored 11 points apiece.
 
The Paladins return home to host The Citadel in the regular season finale on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena. Furman's lone senior Jordan Lyons will be honored prior to the game, which will follow Furman women's basketball's 2 p.m. contest versus Wofford.
 
Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale 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.