Furman defeats Western Carolina, 90-61
Saturday was a good day for Paladin fans, as Furman opened the conference season by cruising to a 90–61 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts. The Dins scored the first 13 points of the game with contributions from all 5 starters, on the way to an early 20-4 lead. The stifling defense of the Paladins held Western to 23 points in the first half, and never looked back. The offense poured it on, with 47 second half points, putting a strong cap on the wire-to-wire victory.
Top Performers
Nick Anderson: 20 points (4-5 3pt), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Charles Johnston: 17 points (3-4 3pt), 7 rebounds
Eddrin Bronson: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Western Carolina was strongly focused on PJay Smith throughout the afternoon, opening the door for Nick Anderson and others to contribute. Eddrin Bronson has really come on in the last few weeks, being a valuable backup point guard and a menace defensively. Charles Johnston helped pour it on late, with two threes in the last 3 minutes.
Coach Richey’s defense seemed comfortable all night, allowing the opposition to settle for tough threes and low percentage jumpers. Western came in shooting 29% from beyond the arc, and the defensive strategy seems to have paid off, as the Catamounts finished the game at a paltry 6-25.
The Paladins improve to 13-1, beginning 1-0 in the conference and winning their sixth straight since the loss at Kansas. Next up for Furman is a visit to UNC-Greensboro this Saturday, January 4th.