Final: Furman 90 - Queens 79
What a game! It all feels better when the shots go in the basket. Alex Wilkins started out of the gates hot and it quickly spread to the rest of the team. Furman got out to an early 12 point lead, relinquished it, and grabbed it back by halftime. The defense was smothering in the first half, before Queens heated up in the second, but the shots kept going in and Furman kept the Royals at arms length the whole night. Let’s dive into some takeaways:
The first half defense was really good. Early on Furman was able to build a lead because they kept Queens to one tough shot, and cleaned up on the boards. Ben VanderWal was everywhere on the defensive end.
Alex Wilkins. Wilkins jumped out with the first 7 points of the game, and finished with an efficient 23 points on the night. He went 9-of-15 from the floor, and had some really pretty assists in the pick and roll. His 7 to 2 assist to turnover ratio is his best all season.
The offense feels more free-flowing. In addition to Alex Wilkins scoring and finding the open guy, a lot of offense ran through Cooper Bowser. At the top of the key, he was making good passes, and down low he was catching it over the top and dunking it. VanderWal and Asa Thomas were moving very well off the ball, making back cuts and hard drives towards the rim. There wasn't a lot of stagnant passing and floating around on the perimeter last night.
Pressure bringing the ball up: Wilkins was experiencing some full-court pressure, and one time VanderWal got it up the court for him. That possession ended in a three for Wilkins off the ball.
Eddrin Bronson had another great game off the bench. Bronson came in with 7 first half points and important minutes as the back up point guard. He had looked a little uncomfortable in this role early on, but looked much more confident last night. Bronson hit two more threes in the second half, getting them off when there was nothing else going for the Dins.
Johnston was cleaning it up inside. Charles Johnston recorded his fifth double-double in six games. He was a main reason Furman could stretch the lead in the first half and kept Queens from grabbing offensive rebounds. He also hit timely shots on the perimeter when Queens was looking to make a run to get back in the game.
Free throws could still be improved. Furman shot 14-21 last night, but did make a few down the stretch when they were needed to solidify a victory. Getting to the line 21 times is a good sign.
Freshman minutes: Aside from Wilkins, Collin O’Neal saw minutes in both halves. Abijah Franklin did not see the floor, the rotation only going 8 deep.
Asa Thomas had another solid outing. The shooting numbers don’t look great, but he got off 11 threes, and I don’t remember being unhappy about many of those. They’re the type of shot Furman is looking for in the flow of the offense.
First D1 win! That one is self-explanatory. Furman will have another tough mid-major slate in Disney World over Thanksgiving. A win or two would do a lot to keep spirits high going into December.
Final Stats below via ESPN:
