Furman dropped their second conference game of the season on Saturday to Wofford. Furman topped a neck and neck first half with a 5-0 burst in the final 7 seconds. They built a 13 point lead at the 9:59 mark, but the offense died out, leading to a 7 minute scoreless drought and Wofford took the lead. Furman, then down to 6 scholarship players, just didn’t have enough to finish out the game. Let’s look at what we can take away from a tough game like this.
The biggest takeaway is by far the depth of the Furman lineup. Despite holding up with 8 guys at Samford, the legs seemed to finally go on Saturday. Mason Smith’s injury was a big blow, as he started out 2-2 with 3 rebounds and was driving aggressively to the rim again when he got hurt. Furman also gave up a somewhat uncharacteristic 44 second half points. Clearly the legs were gone and with Cole Bowser going out after a blow to the head, there was only one sub available for the remainder of the game.
Abijah Franklin was great off the bench yet again, going 3-4 from beyond the arc and using his athleticism to get into the paint. He swiped 2 steals and grabbed 6 rebounds from the 2 guard spot, really utilizing his length.
As a team Furman shot 80% from the line, their best mark since the Harvard game on December 6th. Furman has and will be in a lot of close games and free throw shooting is what has caused a lot of scores to be tighter than they should have been.
Furman built their lead on the defense, forcing a lot of tough contested shots inside. Oh and Ben Vander Wal made a three! Joe Pierre has made such a difference with his defensive schemes this season. Furman is second in points allowed (69.9) behind ETSU (66.9). With the success of Furman’s defense, it is noticeable that when they start giving up points, their legs are just too fatigued.
Furman’s lead collapsed when they stopped getting into the offense and settled for threes. Tired legs can contribute to this, but it felt like Furman just needed one basket or a trip to the free throw line to stave off the Terriers. Instead, they shot 7 threes and turned it over 3 times. Despite getting a couple stops with great blocks, they never got it inside the arc before Wilkins put an end to the scoreless streak with a couple free throws.
Furman had 12 turnovers, but the biggest ones were unforced. The Dins handed away possessions by throwing passes to teammates who aren’t ready or had cut the wrong direction. This comes with playing guys who haven’t had as much time with the playbook, especially at the guard spot.
Eddrin Bronson has been solid embracing his role and stepping into the starting lineup. He did not have a good shooting night, but was effective defensively, chasing around the quick Wofford guards without fouling.
Injury Report: Reinforcements are on the way.
Both Tom House and Collin O’Neal warmed up pregame for Wofford before changing into suits for the game. We should have good news on the injury front just in time for a get right game vs. The Citadel.
Tom House probable to return on Wednesday
Collin O’Neal could get some minutes to work back into playing shape. He’s been out since December 6th with a knee injury.
Cooper Bowser is targeting January 29th for a return at home against Samford. He has been out since December 18th with a foot injury.
Asa Thomas and Davis Molnar remain out
It is likely that Mason Smith will miss considerable time with his knee injury.
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