Greenville, S.C. – Sophomore Ben VanderWal totaled career-highs with 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Furman to a 75-62 Southern Conference men's basketball victory over VMI Wednesday night at Timmons Arena.
 
The Elmhurst, Ill., native hit on 5-of-6 field goal attempts and 4-of-6 trips to the foul line to lead three Paladins in double figures. Junior JP Pegues posted 14 points and eight assists while redshirt senior Marcus Foster finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
 
Furman (14-12, 8-5 SoCon) led by as many as 12 points in the first half and carried a 39-34 lead into the locker room. VMI opened the second half on a 12-7 run to knot the game at 46-46 with 14:42 to play, but the Paladins reeled off a 21-1 spurt over the next 6:30 to take control. Pegues opened the run with back-to-back threes and the Paladins held the Keydets without a basket from the 14:42 mark until AJ Clark scored with 7:53 to go.
 
The Paladins shot just 42.9% from the field, including 9-of-31 behind the arc, but held VMI to 35.3% shooting. The Keydets (4-22, 1-12 SoCon) connected on just 4-of-18 three-point attempts and 10-of-15 trips to the foul line. Furman managed a 51-39 rebounding advantage and scored 14 points off 14 offensive rebounds. 
 
Taeshaud Jackson led the Keydets with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Furman will host Chattanooga on Sunday at 2 p.m. inside Timmons Arena in a game that will be televised live on CBS Sports Network. Tickets are available at FurmanPaladins.com.