Furman 82, Virginia-Wise 55
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Amu Saaka scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Furman past the University of Virginia's College at Wise, 82-55, in the Paladins' men's basketball non-conference finale on Monday night at Timmons Arena.
The win, Furman's seventh in its last eight games, improved the Paladins to 10-3 and helped the program cap its non-conference schedule with an 8-3 mark. Furman also upped its record to 5-0 at Timmons Arena this season and reached the 10-win mark at the earliest point in school history. UVa-Wise slipped to 7-7 on the campaign.
Clinging to a 31-27 lead with four minutes left in the first half, Furman reeled off 13 consecutive points and finished the period with a 16-2 run to carry a 47-29 advantage into intermission. Justin Dehm, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, opened the run by scoring on a fast break and finishing the three-point play at the foul line. After Dehm added a pair of free throws on Furman's nest possession, Brandon Sebirumbi netted back-to-back baskets to push the Paladin lead to 40-27. Saaka scored the final seven points of the half to hand Furman an 18-point lead at the break and the Paladins would not let the Cavs get closer than 16 points the rest of the night.
Furman shot 48.4 percent (31-64) from the field, including 15-of-30 in the second half while stretching its lead to as many as 34 points, to score its 30th consecutive win over a non-NCAA Division I opponent. The Paladins converted on just 5-of-18 three-pointers, but made 15-of-20 free throws and scored 19 second-chance points on 18 offensive rebounds. Furman matched a season high in boards while outrebounding UVa-Wise 44-28.
Saaka connected on 8-of-10 field goals to tally 21 points. He also paced Furman with eight rebounds and three steals. Dehm was 5-of-7 from the floor for 15 points while point guard Darryl Evans tallied 10 points and dished out four assists. Sebirumbi added nine points, seven boards and a career-high four blocked shots.
Josh Jordan posted 16 points and Mark Phillips added 11 to lead the Cavaliers who shot just 35.4 percent from the field and were forced into 20 turnovers. UVa-Wise made 12-of-13 first half free throws to stay in the game, but converted on just 5-of-10 in the second half and made just 1-of-7 three-point attempts after intermission as Furman pulled away.
The Paladins continue their three-game homestand when they jump back into Southern Conference play hosting College of Charleston on Thursday evening. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Austin Peay 89, Chattanooga 57
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga suffered through a cold shooting night in dropping an 89-57 decision at Austin Peay (10-6, 4-0 OVC) Monday night. Chattanooga (7-8, 3-0 SoCon) shot 23.7 percent (14-59) from the floor, its worst shooting performance since making 21.7 percent (15-69) against North Carolina on Dec. 5, 1997 in Charlotte, N.C.
Troy Cage led the Mocs with 13 points and nine rebounds. Chris Early added 12 points and nine boards, while Ricky Taylor chipped in 12 points as well.
Tyshwan Edmondson led all scorers with 23 points while making four steals for the Govs. Josh Terry added 16 points and seven rebounds, while John Fraley posted 11 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
It was all Govs from the beginning. Early scored a three-point play the old-fashioned way to cut an early deficit to 11-7 with 15:38 left in the half. Austin Peay went on 26-6 run capped by a Justin Blake trey at 6:51 to give it a 37-13 advantage. Trailing 41-17, the Mocs scored the final six points to go into halftime down 41-23.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Early cut the lead to 17, 48-31, with 17:47 left, but the Mocs would get no closer. A 16-2 Govs run put the game away as Terry's three-point play made it 64-33 with 13:18 left in the game.
Chattanooga shot 19.2 percent (5-26) from the field in the first half and 27.3 percent (9-33) in the second. The Mocs managed just five three-pointers in 26 attempts shooting just 19.2 percent, the team's worst effort from beyond the arc since 15 percent (3-20) at Missouri last season.
Two bright notes came on the glass and at the foul line. UTC out-rebounded the Govs 44-42 including 17 offensive boards, its best total against a DI program this season. Chattanooga hit a 24 of 28 free throws, an 85.7 percent effort, its' best since making 86.4 percent (19-22) against Holy Cross in Puerto Rico on Dec. 19, 2005.
The Mocs remain on the road heading back into Southern Conference play at UNC Greensboro on Saturday, Dec. 8. Game time is slated for 2 p.m.