FURMAN 79, USC AIKEN 54
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman held USC Aiken without a field goal over the final 9:44 and finished the game on a 22-3 run to down the Pacers 79-54 in men’s basketball action Tuesday evening at Timmons Arena.
The Paladins placed four players in double figures led by Eric Webb’s season-high 24 points. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native converted 5-of-8 three-point attempts while adding seven rebounds and a game-high five assists. Webb’s five treys gave him 231 for his career and moved him into 10th on the Southern Conference’s career three-pointers made ledger.
After USCA’s Cory Broyles trimmed the Paladin lead to 57-51 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, Webb scored five straight points to trigger the deciding run. The Paladins held the Pacers to 0-for-8 from the floor the rest of the way to improve to 5-3 on the season and allowed just one USC Aiken point in the final 7:27.
Furman led by as many as 14 points in the first half before taking a 38-29 lead into the locker room. Moussa Diagne registered three straight baskets early in the second half to key a 12-4 run as the Paladins extended the advantage to 50-33 with 15:47 left.
USC Aiken answered with a 13-2 spurt to cut the lead to six with just over
13 minutes remaining before being limited to just two baskets the rest of the way.
Furman shot 55.4% (31-56) from the field and connected on 10-of-20 attempts beyond the arc. The Paladins second best effort from the floor this season helped offset a 7-for-21 performance at the foul line. Furman held a 39-27 edge in rebounds and committed just 15 turnovers.
Gerad Punch scored 12 points, Robby Bostain netted 11 and Diagne added 10 to join Webb in double digits. Punch matched a career-high with nine rebounds to go with four assists.
Darren Pore and Jordan Cunningham each tallied nine points to lead the Pacers. USC Aiken (5-5) shot 41.7% (20-48) from the field and 8-of-14 at the charity stripe.
Furman opens Southern Conference play on Saturday when it hosts preseason North Division favorite UNC Greensboro at Timmons Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Pacers take an 11-day break before hosting Tusculum on December 1.
CLEMSON 90, WOFFORD 66
CLEMSON, S.C. ? Freshman Trevor Booker scored 19 points by making eight of 10 field goal attempts as Clemson posted a 90-66 win over Wofford Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Wofford was led by Eric Marshall and Junior Salters who each scored 20 points. But the Terriers’ effort was hampered by the loss of guard Shane Nichols who suffered a sprained ankle midway through the first half and did not return to action.
With the Terriers already missing starting point guard Drew Gibson due to a pulled hamstring and backup Norm Nixon sidelined for the Clemson game with a hip injury, Wofford was shorthanded in the backcourt when the game started. Nichols suffered his sprained ankle with 7:48 remaining in the first half. Wofford used Marshall, Salters and sophomore Marcus Jackson at the point over the final 26 minutes of the game.
Clemson jumped to a quick 11-2 lead but Wofford chipped away as Salters scored 14 points in the first half and Marshall added 11. The Terriers tied the game at 28 on a 3-pointer by Matt Estep with 6:46 to play in the half. But Clemson’s Vernon Hamilton, Cliff Hammonds and Julius Powell hit quick baskets and the Tigers led 40-29 with 5:00 remaining. Clemson led
48-39 at the half.
After intermission Clemson extended its lead to 12 points at 52-40 before Marshall was fouled while putting up a 3-pointer. The senior drained all three free throws to cut the Tiger lead to nine but the Terriers would not get any closer the rest of the game.
The loss leaves the Terriers at 4-6 on the season heading into a 10-day respite before their next game at Auburn on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Salters set career highs with 20 points and six 3-point field goals. The freshman from Broome High made six of seven from beyond the arc. Marshall made seven of nine free throws in collecting his 20 points and also added a team-high six rebounds.
Along with Booker’s 19 points, the Tigers received 18 points from K.C. Rivers, 13 from Hamilton and 10 from Hammonds. Clemson improved to 10-0 with the win.
SOUTH CAROLINA 67, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 55
COLUMBIA, S.C. ---College of Charleston fell 67-55 to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, 67-55, at the Carolina Coliseum in front of 14,760 in Columbia, S.C.
After the game being tied 19-19 at the 6:39 mark, South Carolina (5-2) used a 17-4 run in the first half to lead 36-23 as the College of Charleston shot 24.1 percent from the field.
Charleston (3-6) took the lead early on a trey from Dontaye Draper to give the Cougars the 11-9 edge, before the Gamecocks hit a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to spark Carolina’s offense, finishing the half hitting 13-of-29 (44.8%) from the field.
The Cougars couldn’t overcome their 13-point first half deficit, despite shooting a much better 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) in the second half. The Gamecocks only hit 11-of-27 (40.7%) in the second half.
David Lawrence had a team-high 21 points, followed by Dontaye Draper with 20. Phillip McCandies and Jermaine Johnson each pulled down seven rebounds.
Brandon Wallace had a career-high 22 points to lead the Gamecocks, along with a team-high nine rebounds.
College of Charleston will host Chattanooga in a Southern Conference game on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.
KENTUCKY 79, CHATTANOOGA 63
LOUISVILLE, KY.?Kentucky needed 23 points from Ramel Bradley to withstand a 29-10 second half run and outlast Chattanooga 79-63 at Freedom Hall.
Bradley connected on 6-of-9 three-point attempts and grabbed six rebounds to pace the Wildcats (5-3). Joe Crawford added 19 including four 3-pointers.
Kentucky scored nine of the last 11 points of the first half to stretch to a 45-30 lead at the break. The Kentucky momentum carried over into the second half as Crawford, Bobby Perry and Bradley drained consecutive three-pointers and pushed the lead to 61-33 with 15:42 remaining.
A Ricky Hood three jump-started the Mocs who outscored the Wildcats 29-10 over the next 11:03. Keddric Mays made three of his game-high seven 3-pointers during the run. Mays led all scorers with 25, one shy of his career high. Mays was 7-of-15 from three-point range and moved into seventh all-time with 124 career threes.
A Kentucky timeout with 4:08 remaining stopped the run, but the margin was down to nine at 71-62. A Joe Crawford three-pointer on the ensuing possession gave Kentucky the breathing room it needed .
Kevin Bridgewaters, a Columbia, Kentucky native, was rewarded by Mocs’ bench boss John Shulman with the first start of his collegiate career. Bridgewaters responded with 11 points in 22 minutes in front of a host of family and friends.
Ricky Hood and Casey Long led the Mocs with seven rebounds each. Chattanooga lost the battle of the boards 44-34. Chattanooga only turned the ball over 14 times, while forcing Kentucky into 20 miscues. Kentucky was 30-of-57 from the floor (52.6%), while holding Chattanooga to a season low 29.9 percent (20-67).
The Mocs (4-4) will be off for exams until league play opens at College of Charleston on December 14.