Asheville, N.C. – JP Pegues poured in a game-high 28 points and Marcus Foster added 18 to help Furman outlast Western Carolina, 79-76, in overtime in the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Men's Basketball Championship Saturday night at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.
 
The Paladins (17-15) advance to face No. 1 seed Samford (27-5) in the semifinal round on Sunday afternoon in Asheville. Tip-off at the Harrah's Cherokee Center is slated for 4 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on ESPNU. Fans can listen to the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, on 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, or via the Audacy app. Links for the video stream, audio feed, and live statistics are available at FurmanPaladins.com.  The winner of Sunday's game advances to Monday's 7 p.m. SoCon finals.
 
Trailing 67-63 with under 2:30 to play in regulation, Furman pulled within two points when Foster converted in the paint and the Catamounts were whistled for a flagrant foul off the ball. Garrett Hien missed two free throws, but the Paladins got the ball under the basket and Foster drained a short-range opportunity in the paint to knot the game at 67-67. 
 
Furman's defense notched stops on Western Carolina's next two possessions and Pegues fired a pass down the lane to Hien for a go-ahead layup with 38 seconds to go. Hien's chance at a three-point play missed and Woolbright finished at the rim with under 30 seconds left to tie the game. Carter Whitt's last-second driving layup rolled off the rim to send the game to overtime tied at 69-69.
 
Pegues' opening shot of overtime missed, but Furman got the offensive board and PJay Smith made the first of four consecutive shots to finish the game for the Paladins. Tied at 76-76 with under one minute to play in the extra period, Pegues picked out Whitt under the basket for an uncontested layup to retake the lead. Furman's defense got a stop on the other end, but Western Carolina forced a 10-second violation with 24.3 seconds left. Woolbright missed his shot in the paint and Foster was fouled. He converted on 1-of-2 trips to the line and the Paladins won the scramble for the ball as time expired after Russell Jones' attempt at a game-tying three-pointer missed.
 
The Paladins shot 46%, including 11-for-29 from behind the arc, and made good on 10-of-16 trips to the foul line. Furman committed just six turnovers and registered 15 points off 13 Western Carolina miscues. 
 
Pegues finished 9-for-21 from the floor and connected on 6-of-11 three-point tries while Foster hit 8-of-18 field goal attempts and added seven rebounds. Smith went 5-for-5 from the field to add 12 points.
 
The Catamounts, who shot 50% from the floor, were led by Kamar Robertson's 17 points. Tre Jackson tallied 15 and Woolbright finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
 
Saturday's victory marked the third overtime contest for Furman in its last five SoCon Tournament games. The Paladins, who have won 19 of their last 22 encounters versus the Catamounts, improved to 6-0 all-time versus Western Carolina in postseason play.
 
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