Asheville, N.C. – Jalen Slawson and Conley Garrison each contributed 15 points as No. 2 Furman eliminated No. 7 Mercer, 80-66, Saturday evening in the quarterfinals of the Ingles SoCon Men's Basketball Championship at Harrah's Cherokee Center.
With the win, Furman (21-11) advances to Sunday's semifinals, where the Paladins will face the winner of Saturday's quarterfinal game between No. 3 Samford and No. 6 UNCG. Tipoff for Sunday's semifinal contest is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday's victory marked Furman's 15th-straight victory over Mercer (16-17).
Mike Bothwell scored 14 points in the win, while Alex Hunter added 13 points and three assists. Garrison dished out a team high five assists, while JP Pegues scored 10 points and paced the Paladins with five rebounds.
Kamar Robertson posted a game high 20 points and seven rebounds for the Bears, and Felipe Haase added 16 points and six rebounds.
The Paladins led wire-to-wire after starting the game on a 12-4 run with Garrison and Bothwell combining for 10 points. Mercer got to within four points three times with the last coming at 20-16 with 8:57 remaining. The Bears cut Furman's lead down to five, 26-21, with 6:25 left but the Paladins responded by closing out the first half on a 20-6 run to lead 46-27 at halftime. Garrison and Bothwell connected on back-to-back 3-pointers during the final 1:31 to give Furman the 19-point halftime advantage.
The Paladins combined to shoot 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the first half led by Garrison's 13 points.
Furman built its lead out to 21 points early in the second half when Bothwell's layup made the score 50-29 at the 19:07 mark. Mercer used a 20-11 run over the next 7:30 to cut the Paladins' lead down to 61-49. Jalen Johnson's jumper with 9:23 left put the score at 62-51.
The Paladins broke the game open courtesy of a 15-4 run over the following 5:08 and extended their lead back to 77-55 when Pegues connected on a pair of free throws. Alex Williams would give Furman an 80-61 lead with 1:18 to go on his 3-pointer.
The Bears recorded the game's last five points to make the final score 80-66.
The Paladins went 17-for-19 from the free throw line and shot 52.9 percent (27-for-51) from the field. Furman made 9-of-22 3-pointers (40.9 percent). Furman held a 6-0 advantage in fast break points and the teams were tied with 36 points each in the paint.
Sunday, March 6
Tickets Available at Furman Will Call table - Harrah's Cherokee Center Arena
Time: 3:00 PM
Men's Team Hotel Send Off Gathering
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Kimpton Hotel Arras, 7 Patton Avenue, Asheville, N.C.
Men's Basketball Semi Finals Tip
Time: 6:30 PM
