Greenville, S.C. – Junior Tom House poured in a career-high 26 points to lead Furman past Mercer, 96-72, in Southern Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
 
The Dayton, Ohio, native connected on 6-of-9 threes to pace five Paladins in double figures as Furman posted its highest offensive output versus a Division I opponent this season and drained 18 triples for the first time this year. The victory improved the Paladins to 19-7 overall and 7-6 in league play while Mercer dipped to 11-15 overall and 4-9 in the league.
 
Furman opened the game on a 13-2 run and increased its advantage to 33-12 on Nick Anderson's triple with 10:08 left in the first half. Mercer trimmed the margin to 52-25 at the half and cut Furman's lead to 71-64 with under 10 minutes to play, but the Paladins responded with a 14-2 spurt, capped by House's three with 3:57 to go, to build an 85-66 lead.
 
The victory gave the Paladins a season sweep of their home-and-home versus Mercer and marked Furman's 20^th win in the last 22 meetings versus the Bears. Anderson joined House in connecting on 6-of-9 threes to post 18 points while Ben VanderWal scored 12, PJay Smith Jr. netted 12, and Garrett Hien added 10. Sophomore Cooper Bowser contributed nine points, six rebounds, five assists, a career-best five blocks, and four steals.
 
Furman shot 49.2% from the field, including an 18-for-36 effort from three-point range, and posted its best free throw performance in league play going 16-for-20. The Paladins' bench outscored Mercer's reserves 35-8.
 
The Bears shot 45.3% and held a 32-20 edge in points in the paint but never led. Ahmad Robinson paced Mercer with 17 points and Tyler Johnson scored 16. Brady Shoulders scored 11 and Alex Holt and Cam Bryant added 10 points apiece.
 
Furman is back in action at the Well on Saturday for a noon tip-off versus UNC Greensboro. Tickets are available for purchase at FurmanPaladins.com.