Greenville, S.C. – Furman rallied from a five-point deficit in the final 3:30 to down South Carolina State, 68-64, in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
 
The victory improved the Paladins, who are off to their best start since a 12-0 run to begin the 2018-19 campaign, to 10-1 on the season. It marked the third straight game in which Furman claimed the win after trailing by at least five points in the second half.
 
With Furman trailing 58-53 and under four minutes to play, Tom House made the first of two foul shots before Ben VanderWal grabbed an offensive board on his second attempt. House drew a three-shot foul and converted on all three attempts to trim the South Carolina State advantage to one point at 58-57. After the Bulldogs came up empty on their next possession and Furman and South Carolina State traded turnovers, Nick Anderson scored on a driving layup to give the Paladins the lead with 2:18 to go, their first lead since holding a 12-10 advantage with under 12:30 left in the first half.
 
Omar Croskey put South Carolina State back in front with a layup, but Anderson responded with a three-pointer to give Furman a 62-60 lead with 1:24 left. Davion Everett's jump in the paint knotted the game once again, however, Furman grabbed the lead for good on its next possession on House's basket at the rim with 35.5 seconds remaining. Furman's defense denied the Bulldogs the next time down the floor and Davis Molnar and Anderson combined to connect on 4-of-4 free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal the victory.
 
The Paladins shot 60% (15-25) from the field in the second half and 51.2% from the floor for the game while holding a 34-30 edge on the glass. Furman's defense limited South Carolina State to 38.3% shoot, including 35.7% over the final 20 minutes, to rally for the win.
 
Bowser went 7-for-7 from the field to pace the Paladins with 16 points while Anderson and Eddrin Bronson added 11 apiece. VanderWal pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and Bowser matched a career-best with four blocked shots.
 
Drayton Jones led South Carolina State (5-7) with 15 points. Croskey scored 13 while Everett posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
 
South Carolina State held the Paladins to 7-for-18 shooting in the first half and used an 18-5 run midway through the opening 20 minutes to build a 26-17 lead. Furman trimmed the margin to three points, but the Bulldogs held the Paladins without a field goal over the final 3:20 of the half to take a 33-26 lead into the locker room. 
 
Furman (10-1) closes out its non-conference home schedule on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Montreat at Bob Jones University's Davis Field House. Tickets are available for purchase by clicking here.