Western Carolina at Furman | 7:00 PM | ESPN+
Last time out, Bob Richey’s squad got off to a hot start against ETSU, building up a 14 point lead. However, they completely collapsed in the closing minutes of the first half, allowing a 19-0 run to trail by 5 going into halftime. Furman again built a 7 point lead with 3 minutes remaining in the game, but just could not hold on. Missed free throws were a major sticking point in the loss.
Furman will return to Greenville to face Western Carolina on Wednesday, who are near the bottom of the league standings. The Dins dispatched Western handily in Cullowhee, blowing them away 90-61. A similar offensive performance would be a welcome sight.
The Catamounts shot a miserable 33% from the field in the last meeting with Furman, with 19 shots coming from the team’s leading scorer, Bernard Pelote. Furman will be okay with letting him work inside, provided they can avoid giving shooters open looks. Starting guard Cord Stansberry was unable to get going in Cullowhee, which contributed to the Dins’ 20 point halftime lead. Western has struggled, especially on the road, but they cannot be taken lightly, especially with Furman’s recent tendency to give up leads. Starting out hot will be crucial to suck the air out of any energy Western Carolina might bring into Greenville.
Furman has received somewhat balanced scoring during conference play. PJay Smith has been consistent from everywhere on the floor, but even when he isn’t (Samford game), guys like Nick Anderson can shoulder the load. Cooper Bowser has come into his own recently, notably with the 21 point outing against Samford. His presence is a nice pressure release valve for any guard who gets into the paint.
Building up the confidence in the bench is crucial if Furman wants to get hot and make a run going into March and the conference tournaments. The offense in the starting lineup is almost entirely reliant on the backcourt, and they need one or two guys off the bench to help run the show. Eddrin Bronson has been a solid piece, with strong defense and the ability to get hot from deep. Charles Johnston has tremendous potential to shoot the three and be a force at his size, but inconsistent minutes have led to his impact being minimized. If all goes to plan vs. the Catamounts, Furman should see plenty of bench minutes and hopefully give Coach Richey an idea of how to solidify his rotation.
Let’s go Dins!