Macon, Ga. – Forward
Noah Gurley posted his second double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds to power Furman to a 70-60 victory over Mercer and regular season sweep of its home-and-home series with the Bears on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
The victory marked the Paladins' 12
th consecutive triumph versus Mercer and improved Furman's record to 15-7 overall and 9-4 in Southern Conference play. Mercer fell to 13-9 overall and 6-8 inside the league.
With Furman trailing 32-31 and under 17 minutes to play, Gurley ignited a 13-0 run with a steal and a slam, followed by a basket in the paint.
Mike Bothwell scored a scored a pair of baskets in the run,
Colin Kenney drilled a triple and
Clay Mounce capped the spurt with a pair of free throws to put the Paladins ahead 44-32 with 12:36 to play.
Mercer trimmed the Paladin lead back to four points at 55-51 with 3:12 remaining, but Gurley answered with a jumper in the lane and a three-pointer on Furman's next possession to boost the lead back to nine.
Jalen Slawson and
Alex Hunter combined to connected on 6-of-6 trips to the charity stripe in the final 38 seconds to secure the win.
Furman shot 52.2% from the field and converted on 17-of-19 trips to the foul line to claim its fifth consecutive win over the Bears in Macon. The Paladins boasted a 33-26 edge on the glass and Furman's bench outscored the Bears, 20-0, behind 12 points from Slawson.
Gurley connected on 9-of-12 shots from the floor and all four trips to the foul line, while Bothwell finished 7-of-11 from the field to add 17 points.
Neftali Alvarez led the Bears with 20 points. Felipe Haase and James Glisson III added 17 and 11, respectively. Mercer shot just 39.7%, including 5-for-20 behind the arc.
Furman returns home for a couple of games at Timmons Arena this coming week as the Paladins will entertain VMI at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 22, before celebrating Senior Day with a 7 p.m. tip-off versus The Citadel on Wednesday, February 24..Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ 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.