Greenville, S.C. – Tom House and
Abijah Franklin posted career scoring highs to help Furman down Northern Iowa, 98-83, in an early season showdown between defending conference champions Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
House, a fifth-year senior from Dayton, Ohio, drained 7-of-11 three-point attempts and connected on 5-of-6 trips to the foul line to lead all scorers with a career-best 30 points while Franklin, a sophomore and Wren High School product, added career-highs in points with 21 and rebounds with seven.
A three-pointer and three consecutive free throws by House ignited a 10-0 spurt midway through the first half that gave Furman a 32-18 advantage and the Paladins never led by fewer than 10 points the rest of the way. UNI (1-1), the defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champions, shot over 47% and made good on 14-of-16 free throws over the final 20 minutes only to see Furman connect on 9-of-18 three-pointers in the second half to keep the Panthers in a double-digit hole.
Furman shot 48.1% from the floor, including a 15-for-33 effort behind the arc, and converted on 31-of-44 trips to the foul line on the night. The Panthers managed a 38-20 edge in point in the paint, but Furman posted a 15-point edge from three-point range and a 15-point advantage at the foul line.
Luka Toews joined House and Franklin in double figures with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting at the foul line while
Charles Johnston posted 10 points, seven boards, and four assists in just over 25 minutes before picking up his fifth foul.
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu led the Panthers with 20 and Carson Vis scored 17 off the bench. Greyson Uelman and Tate McCubbin rounds out UNI's double-figure scorers with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
The Paladins (3-0) begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday, November 11, at Holy Cross. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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