Elon, N.C. – Furman rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit and converted on 18-of-20 free throws over the final 20 minutes on its way to a 97-88 victory over Elon Wednesday evening at the Schar Center.
 
Elon (4-4) grabbed an early lead as Chandler Cuthrell scored 11 points and the Phoenix totaled eight second-chance points before the first media timeout. Three straight triples upped the Elon advantage to 26-13 and Bryson Cokley's layup with 9:45 left in the half extended the Phoenix lead to 33-15.
 
Furman guard Eddrin Bronson stopped the run with a three-pointer and Asa Thomas drained four triples in the final seven minutes of the period as Furman finished the half on a 17-1 run to pull even at the break, 44-44.
 
The Paladins (5-4) trailed 54-53 with under 15 minutes to play when Cooper Bowser started a 16-2 run and gave Furman the lead for good with a slam. Ben Vander Wal stole the ball and converted on the other end with a layup before Collin O'Neal drained a pair of free throws to put Furman ahead by five. 
 
The Phoenix answered on a layup with 13:14 left, but Furman responded by holding them without a point for over four minutes to build a 69-56 lead on Vander Wal's putback with 9:26 remaining. Furman made good on 18 of their final 19 free throws, including a 9-for-10 performance at the line from senior Tom House to close out the Paladins' first true road win of the season.
 
Asa Thomas drilled five triples to lead five Paladins in double figures with 21 points while Bowser went 7-for-7 from the field to finish with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Vander Wal added 13 points and eight rebounds to go with 12 points apiece from Charles Johnston and House. Johnston pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to record his sixth double-double of the year.
 
The Paladins, who tallied 53 points in the second half, shot 50.8% from the field and converted on 24-of-31 trips to the foul line. Furman netted 40 points in the paint and outrebounded the Phoenix 41-38.
 
Cuthrell led Elon with a game-high 25 points and Randall Pettus II posted 21 on 5-of-9 shooting behind the arc. Elon shot just 42.6%, including 11-for-34 from three-point range.
 
Furman returns to Timmons Arena to host the Harvard Crimson on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for Saturday's game at FurmanPaladins.com.
 
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