Head Coach Bob Richey’s Postgame Interview
Cincinnati, Ohio – Senior Keith Williams scored a game-high 27 points, including 14 in the first half, to help Cincinnati hold off Furman, 78-73, in non-conference men’s basketball action Wednesday night at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
After Mika Adams-Woods converted on a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left to push the Bearcat lead to 75-70, Furman’s Clay Mounce, who finished with a team-high 23 points, drained a triple from the left wing to trim the margin to 75-73 with 13 seconds remaining. Following a Furman timeout, Alex Hunter fouled Adams-Woods on the inbounds pass before the junior made good on both free throw attempts to push the Cincinnati advantage to 77-73. The Paladins got two looks at a three-point in the final 10 seconds, but Furman could not connect, and Keith Williams made 1-of-2 free throws for the Bearcats with under a second to go to seal the Cincinnati victory.
The Bearcats (2-1) scored the first seven points of the game and shot 65% in the first half to carry a 40-28 lead into the locker room. Trailing 47-33 with under 17:30 remaining, Mounce scored eight points to key a 10-0 run and Furman held the Bearcats scoreless for over five minutes to cut the deficit to 47-43 on the Elkin, N.C., native’s three-pointer with 13:58 to play. The Paladins held the deficit under 10 points the rest of the way but could get no closer than two points in the final minute of play.
Williams, who connected on 10-of-17 shots from the field and 6-of-12 trips to the charity stripe, was the only Cincinnati player to reach double figures. The Bearcats shot 56.3% from the field, made 20-of-29 free throw attempts and managed a 33-23 rebounding edge.
Mounce hit on 8-of-17 shots, including 4-for-11 behind the arc to score his team-high 23 points. Junior Noah Gurley added 20 points and eight rebounds, while Mike Bothwell finished with 14 points, six boards and six assists.
The Paladins (4-1) shot just 39.7% from the field, including a 7-for-28 effort from three-point range. Head coach Bob Richey’s team made 20-of-27 free throw attempts and outscored Cincinnati 15-10 on points off of turnovers.
Furman returns home to host NCAA Division II Flagler on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Timmons Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Bryant Lambert and Joh Williams on the call. Fans can listen to the “Voice of the Paladins”, Dan Scott, on ESPN Upstate at 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM/ 950 AM in Spartanburg, and thru the Radio.com app. Links for the video live stream and ESPN Upstate broadcast will be posted at FurmanPaladins.com.
Furman’s “Weekends at the Well” Series Returns In 2021
Furman basketball returns to downtown Greenville once again during the 2020-21 season with four “Weekends at the Well”! The Paladins host SoCon rival ETSU at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on January 16 before entertaining the Chattanooga Mocs at the Well on January 30. On February 6, Wofford and Furman will stage a rematch of last season’s thrilling showdown at the Well. The final trip to BSW in 2021 takes place on February 13 versus Western Carolina.Get your tickets now for all four “Weekends at the We
