Johnson City, Tenn. – East Tennessee State rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to force overtime and edge Furman, 75-71, in Southern Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night at Freedom Hall.
 
With the come-from-behind win, ETSU improved to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in the league to maintain its hold on first place. The Paladins slipped to 16-8 overall and 7-4 in the conference with its third overtime loss in the SoCon.
 
Furman shot 62.5% from the field and fashioned an 18-10 rebounding edge over the opening 20 minutes to grab a 35-23 lead at the half. ETSU went more than five minutes without a basket as Furman went on a 14-4 run to build its lead.
 
The Paladins opened the second half on a 7-2 spurt to extend the margin to 42-27 and continued to lead by 12 points at 53-41 when the Buccaneers' Blake Barkley netted eight points in a 12-0 run to even the game at 53-53. Trailing 57-56 with under four minutes left, the Furman defense stepped up to hold ETSU scoreless for over three minutes as Alex Wilkins and Cooper Bowser powered a 5-0 run to give the Paladins a 61-57 lead. The Bucs answered with a 1-for-2 trip to the foul line and a game-tying three-pointer by Jaylen Smith with 15 seconds to play. Following the ETSU timeout, Wilkins penetrated into the lane but had the ball poked away as time expired.
 
After the teams traded threes to open the overtime period Cam Morris converted on a layup and followed Smith's triple with another basket at the rim to give the Bucs a 71-64 advantage. Wilkins responded with a basket to halt the run, and the Furman defense strung several stops to together before Ben Vander Wal went 1-for-2 at the line and scored in the paint to trim the deficit to 71-69 with 32 seconds to go. Barkley and Smith, however, each connected on a pair of free throws to secure the victory for ETSU.
 
Furman was guilty of 21 turnovers on the night that led directly to 23 ETSU points and the Buccaneers outscored Furman 18-2 in transition. Barkley led the way with 15 points while Jordan McCullum and Brian Taylor scored 14 points apiece. Smith went 3-for-3 from behind the arc to add 13 for the Bucs, who shot 43% from the field and finished 16-of-22 at the charity stripe.
 
Wilkins led Furman with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and Cooper Bowser totaled 18 points by going 8-for-10 from the field. Charles Johnston and Tom House finished with 11 points apiece. 
 
The Paladins shot 53% from the floor but connected on just 7-for-26 triples and 6-of-10 free throw attempts.
 
Furman returns home on Sunday, February 8, to host UNC Greensboro at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
 
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