Johnson City, Tenn. – ETSU held Furman without a field goal for almost nine minutes to key a 13-0 run as the Bucs earned a Southern Conference regular season series split with a 71-62 victory over the Paladins on Saturday afternoon at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn.
 
With their second straight loss, the Paladins dropped to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon. ETSU improved to 9-5 overall and 5-1 in league play.
 
After trailing 30-21 late in the first half, Furman used a 13-0 run to grab a 34-30 lead. ETSU regained the lead before a Clay Mounce dunk and Mike Bothwell basket put the Paladins in front with 14:58 to play. The Bucs, however, held Furman without another field until the 6:20 mark as ETSU fashioned a 15-2 run to take control of the game. 
 
Mounce ended the run with a triple and Bothwell trimmed the margin to 52-48 with a basket on the Paladins' next possession, but ETSU responded with an 11-2 spurt to grab a 63-50 advantage on Ledarrius Brewer's dunk and three-point play with 2:27 remaining.
 
Damari Monsanto paced the Bucs with 22 points, while Brewer tallied 17 points and Silas Adheke added 14 points and nine rebounds. ETSU shot just 44.4% from the floor, but the Bucs connected on 10-of-24 three-point attempts and 13-of-18 trips to the foul line.
 
Mounce posted his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Paladins. Bothwell scored 17 points and Noah Gurley finished with 13 on 6-of-12 shooting.
 
The Paladins shot just 41.7% from the field, including 8-for-31 behind the arc. Furman outscored ETSU 34-24 in the paint and committed just 11 turnovers, but the Paladins lost the rebounding battle 38-30.
 
Furman returns home for a nationally televised matchup on ESPNU versus UNCG at Timmons Arena on Monday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and fans can listen to the "Voice of the Paladins", Dan Scott, deliver the play-by-play call on ESPN Upstate at 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM/ 950 AM in Spartanburg, and thru the Radio.com app.