It seems PJay Smith has firmly taken the reigns from Mike Bothwell and JP Pegues as the Paladins clutch guy. The senior guard nailed a setback three with 1.1 seconds remaining to vault the Dins to a huge rivalry win over Wofford. The win gave Bob Richey’s squad its fourth straight victory in the conference, the perfect time to get hot going into Asheville.
Earlier this season, in the uncertainty of his first game of the season, PJay Smith calmly dribbled up the court before dropping in setback three in a huge matchup at Belmont. That shot was only the foreshadowing of a season in which Smith has averaged 17.2 points on 41% from beyond the arc. Furman’s leader has scored 17+ points in 17 of his 29 games, building a pretty convincing Player of the Year case in the process. On Saturday, he contributed 26 points and 4 steals, including the game winner.
Furman entered the game as an underdog, especially after Wofford dismantled them in Greenville. The Dins turned the tables this time, jumping out to a 12-0 lead after 4 minutes of play. Bob Richey’s 1-3-1 zone scheme again wreaked havoc on the opponents, leading to rushed shots, turnovers, and early subs. The Furman bench was back to playing limited minutes, with Tom House taking only one shot from the field. Davis Molnar was able to contribute 6 points in only 8 minutes. Due to plenty of shotmaking from Nick Anderson, Furman kept the Terriers at arms length, before relinquishing the lead in a ferocious Wofford run. When Jackson Sivills corner three went down, the Dins trailed by 4 with only a minute remaining.
Garrett Hien played his best in the clutch, with two threes and a layup inside the final 5 minutes. His clutch three with 53 seconds left cut the Wofford lead to one before an exchange of free throws lead to Smith’s final shot. The guts from PJay to hit the do-or-die shot are exactly what the Furman coaching staff will want to see from their leaders in Asheville. The conference tournament is a no fear zone, and the Dins have shown no sign of fear.
Furman will enter the Southern Conference Tournament as the 5 seed, drawing Samford in the first round on Saturday. Furman is 2-0 against Samford this season, and enters with a four game winning streak. The Dins will be in the late night slot taking on the Bulldogs at 8:30 PM.