Macon, Ga. – Nick Anderson poured in a team-high 18 points and PJay Smith Jr. drained a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds left as Furman earned its seventh true road victory of the season with a 79-74 triumph over Mercer on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
 
The Paladins connected on their final four field goal attempts, and after Furman missed a pair of front ends on one-and-one attempts in the final minute, Smith followed two missed triples by the Bears with a pair of free throws with under three seconds remaining to secure the win. With the victory, Furman improved to 16-5 overall and 4-4 in the Southern Conference while Mercer slid to 10-11 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
 
Furman shot 59% in the first half and used a 12-0 run midway through the period to help build and eight-point advantage before going into the locker room with a 41-38 advantage. The Paladins, who shot 54.5% from the floor and connected on 10-of-25 three-point tries on the night, increased their lead to 63-53 on five consecutive points from Eddrin Bronson with under 10 minutes to play, but Mercer answered with a 10-1 run to trim the Furman lead to one point with seven minutes to play.
 
A 10-5 run for the Paladins over the next four-plus minutes pushed the lead back to eight points before the Bears answered to cut the margin to 74-72 after Ahmad Robinson hit a three and then converted on 1-of-2 trips to the charity stripe with 1:21 left. Smith responded for Furman by drilling a three from the top of the key with 58.9 seconds left to up the lead to 77-72. 
 
Furman missed the front end of one-and-one opportunities twice to give the Bears the ball down three points with under 20 seconds left, but Mercer could not convert and Smith finished off the victory with a pair of free throws for the final 79-74 margin.
 
Anderson went 7-of-11 from the field to lead Furman with 18 points while Bronson matched a career-high with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Smith added 15 points on a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line.
 
The Paladins managed a 37-29 edge on the glass, outscored Mercer 14-12 on second-chance opportunities, and posted a 32-30 edge in points in the paint.
 
Robinson led the Bears with 24 points and six assists while Alex Holt scored 17 points and Tyler Johnson finished with 16. Mercer shot 45.3% and connected on 11-of-28 triples, but the Bears were held to 3-for-13 from long range in the second half and went just 5-for-10 at the foul line.
 
Furman returns home on Wednesday to host Samford in a matchup which will be televised live on CCBS Sports Network. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena and Tickets are available for purchase by clicking here.