Las Vegas, Nev. – Sophomore
Cooper Bowser totaled a career-high 17 points and 12 rebounds to notch his first double-double as Furman topped Seattle University, 61-56, in the Terry's Chocolate Vegas Showdown on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
The victory improved the Paladins, who received votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll, to 7-0 on the season and setup a match-up of unbeatens with No. 1 Kansas on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan. SeattleU slipped to 2-4 on the season.
After the Redhawks trimmed an 11-point Paladin lead down to two with 4:30 to play, Furman's defense did not allow a field goal the rest of the way to secure the win. The Paladins held SeattleU to just 26.2% (16-61) shooting, including a 2-for-19 performance to close the game to claim the first ever meeting versus the WAC member.
Leading 53-51,
Eddrin Bronson drained a three from the top of the key with 3:23 to go and
Tyrese Hughey followed an offensive rebound by Bowser with a reverse lay in with 2:17 remaining to push the margin to seven points. Following another defensive stop, Bowser took a pass from
PJay Smith Jr. and hit on a baseline jumper from the left side with 1:31 left to put the game away.
Bowser went 7-of-11 from the field and 3-for-5 at the foul line while adding four assists and three blocked shots to go with his 17 points and 12 boards.
Nick Anderson scored 12 points, and Bronson matched a career-best with 10 points, all in the second half.
The Paladins shot 52.5% from the field and connected on 8-of-22 three-point attempts to overcome a 42-29 rebounding deficit that included 22 offensive boards and 25 second-chance points for the Redhawks. Furman also used a 24-18 edge in points in the paint to offset its struggles on the glass.
Head coach
Bob Richey's team hit six of its last seven shots in the first half to finish the opening 20 minutes on a 14-9 run to carry a 30-26 lead into the break. Bowser poured in 13 points to go with five boards and Anderson added 10 points in the opening half.
Brayden Maldonado paced SeattleU with 15 points while Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe added 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Saturday's Furman-Kansas game is slated for 6 p.m. ET at Allen Fieldhouse and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
