Greenville, S.C. – Senior Clay Mounce scored a game-high 21 points, Noah Gurley added 17, and junior Jaylon Pugh poured in a career-best 15 to lead Furman to an 86-61 victory over NCAA Division II Flagler on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
Mounce, who finished 9-off-11 from the floor, scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half as the Paladins connected on eight three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes to build a 50-25 lead at intermission. Mounce’s first basket of the game gave the Elkin, N.C., native 1,000 career points and made him the 46th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Pugh converted on 5-of-6 shots behind the arc, including three triples in the first half. Gurley finished 7-of-13 from the floor to score 17, while senior Alex Hunter rounded out Furman’s double figure scorers with 10 points, six boards, five assists and three steals.
Furman opened the first half on a 13-2 run and closed the opening period with a 25-7 spurt. Flagler trimmed the margin to 13 points with under 5:30 remaining, but Furman held the Saints without a field goal over the final 6:51 to pull away for the final 25-point margin.
The Paladins shot 50% from the field, connected on 12-of-34 three-point attempts and posted a 39-30 rebounding edge in the victory. Furman recorded 12 steals to score 22 points off of 18 Flagler turnovers.
Derrick Ellis Jr. led the Saints with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Jaizec Lottie totaled 15 points and eight rebounds, while Chris Metzger contributed 12 points.
Flagler shot 42.6% from the field, but Furman held the Saints to just 6-of-25 shooting from three-point range.
Furman travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The game will be televised live on the SEC Network with Dave Neal and Daymeon Fishback calling the action. 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 16before 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 Well”!
