No. 1 Furman 73, No. 8 Mercer 58

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. seed 8 Mercer started strong to lead top-seeded Furman at the break, but the Paladins exploded in the second half for a 73-58 win in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
 
The Paladins advance to play the winner of No. 4 Western Carolina and No. 5 ETSU in Sunday's semifinal round at 4 p.m.
 
Furman scored the game’s first points, but it was the Bears storming out in front for the lead at the first media timeout as Jalyn McCreary accounted for Mercer’s first six points. The teams traded buckets midway through the half before Furman pushed its lead to six, but Mercer would not back down, closing the half on an 8-1 run for a three-point lead at the break. The Bears held an advantage in the post with 18 points in the paint, converting 10 offensive boards into 10 second-chance points. Furman’s JP Pegues led all scorers at the break with eight points, while the trio of McCreary, Kamar Robertson and James Glisson III paced a balanced Mercer attack with six points each.
 
Both teams struggled to find the mark in the opening stages of the second half, but the tide began to swing for the Paladins after making the switch to a full-court press defensively. Furman’s Jalen Slawson, the SoCon Player of the Year, got the fans on their feet with a steal and a big slam at the other end to level the score. Mike Bothwell gave the Paladins the lead with a pair of free throws and Furman never looked back as it used a massive 44-26 second half to cruise to victory. After forcing just three turnovers in the opening half, Furman locked down defensively to force 13 giveaways, leading to 19 points.
 
Furman had four players post double-digit scoring marks, highlighted by 22 points and four assists from Pegues, including 14 in the Paladins’ big second half. Bothwell notched 13 points, while Slawson and Ben VanderWal recorded 12 and 11 points, respectively. VanderWal also tied with Alex Williams for the team lead in rebounds with six.
 
McCreary was the lone Mercer player in double figures with 18 points in 23 minutes of action, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Glisson led the Bears with eight rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Mercer was nearly perfect at the free-throw line, hitting 13 of its 14 attempts. The Bears also held the advantage for points in the paint, beating the Paladins by a margin of 34-26.

RECORDS: No. 1 Furman 25-7 | No. 8 Mercer 14-19
 
STATS TO KNOW
- Mercer took 10 more field-goal attempts than Furman, but the Paladins were far more efficient with a 49 percent field-goal percentage and a 38 percent mark from 3-point range. The Bears went 37 percent from the field and just 13 percent from deep.
- Pegues posted the fifth 20+ point game of his career, with his 22 points being his second-highest scoring mark of his career behind a 26-point performance on Jan. 22 in a win over Wofford.
- Mercer was the better rebounding team at a 37-29 margin, which included 16 offensive boards.
- Mercer’s halftime lead marked the first time Furman has trailed at the midway point in its last 12 games, and the first win of the season after being down at the break.
- With its 25th win of the 2022-23 campaign, Furman tied program school record for victories in a season.


No. 4 Western Carolina 69, No. 5 ETSU 57

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. 4 seed Western Carolina took the lead from the jump and never trailed in a 69-57 win over No. 5 seed ETSU in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
 
The Catamounts advance to play No. 1 seed Furman in Sunday's semifinal round at 4 p.m.
 
Western Carolina won the tip and scored on its first possession thanks to a dunk by Tyzhaun Claude. ETSU answered with a bucket to tie it, but that would be as close as the Bucs would get. The Catamounts used an 18-2 run over the next six minutes to storm out to a 16-point lead at the second media timeout. The Bucs battled to reduce the deficit back to single digits only for Western Carolina’s Vonterius Woolbright to put his team back up by 11 with a monstrous slam on the other end. The Catamounts took a 15-point advantage into the half. ETSU’s Jalen Haynes hit double figures in the half to lead all scorers with 13 points. Bernard Pelote led the Catamounts with nine points as all eight Western Carolina players that saw minutes managed to find the scoresheet.
 
ETSU came out of the break looking to mount a comeback and cut the deficit to 10 three times before the first media timeout, only for the Catamounts to respond with a bucket each time to keep their lead in double digits. Western Carolina maintained control for much of the half, stretching its lead to as much as 18. ETSU once again cut it to 10 late but was unable to make any more headway as the Catamounts closed out the win.
 
Claude led a quartet of Catamounts in double figures with 15 points, 11 of which he poured in during the second half. Pelote and Tre Jackson each tallied 14 points. Woolbright recorded his sixth double-double of the season, posting 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
 
ETSU’s Haynes had a monster game in the loss, scoring 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor with 10 boards and four assists. Jordan King was the other Bucs player to score in double figures with 18 points. Jaden Seymour also chipped in with 10 rebounds. ETSU played a much better second half, outscoring the Catamounts by three, but the first-half deficit would prove to be too much to overcome.

RECORDS: No. 4 Western Carolina 19-14 | No. 5 ETSU 12-21
 
STATS TO KNOW
- Western Carolina won the overall rebounding battle 38-32, but ETSU was better on the offensive glass with 11 compared to Western Carolina’s 8.
- The Catamounts took one fewer shot than the Bucs but posted a superior 50 percent mark from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range.
- All eight of Western Carolina’s participants found the scoresheet, with 19 points coming from players off the bench.
- Haynes’ double-double was the fourth of the season and his career, while the 23 points tied for his second-best offensive output.

2023 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
 
Friday, March 3 (ESPN+)
Game 1 - (8) Mercer 66, (9) The Citadel 41
Game 2 - (7) Chattanooga 92, (10) VMI 72
 
Saturday, March 4 (ESPN+/Nexstar)
Game 3 - (1) Furman 73, (8) Mercer 58
Game 4 - (4) Western Carolina 69, (5) ETSU 57
Game 5 - (2) Samford vs. (7) Chattanooga, 6 p.m.
Game 6 - (3) UNCG vs. (6) Wofford, 8:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 5 (ESPNU/ESPNEWS)
Game 7 – (1) Furman vs. (4) Western Carolina, 4 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m.
 
Monday, March 6 (ESPN)
Championship game, 7 p.m.