Winthrop shot 66% in the opening 20 minutes as the Eagles built a 56-36 lead at intermission en route to an 87-71 victory over Furman on Saturday afternoon at the Winthrop Coliseum.
Senior Charles Falden led four Eagles in double figures with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. Russell Jones Jr. tallied 12 points and Jamal King and Adonis Arms added 11 points apiece.
Winthrop (5-0) connected on 19-of-29 first half shots, including 5-of-10 behind the arc, and held the Paladins to just 10-for-29 from the field in the half to take control of the game. After the Eagles extended their lead to 23 points early in the second half, Furman used a 13-5 run to trim the margin to 66-51 with 13:05 remaining.
The Eagles pushed the advantage back to 20 points at 71-51 before a 12-4 Furman spurt got the Paladins within 75-63 on Noah Gurley’s free throw with 5:05 left. Furman, however went without a field goal for over 4:30 minutes and the Eagles allowed the Paladins to get no closer.
Mike Bothwell led the Paladins with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Gurley contributed 14 points and seven boards. Alex Hunter and freshman Garrett Hien rounded out the Paladins’ double figure scorers with 12 points apiece.
Furman (5-3) shot 38.2% for the game and connected on just 6-of-28 three-point attempts. The Paladins managed a 36-33 edge on the glass and outscored the Eagles, 23-19, at the foul line.
Winthrop finished 53.6% from the field and 8-for-20 from three-point range. The Eagles forced 23 Furman turnovers while committing 18 miscues.
Furman returns to Timmons Arena to close out its pre-Christmas schedule on Monday, December 21, when it hosts South Carolina State at 4 p.m. The Furman-S.C. State game will be streamed on ESPN+ and 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 Wel
