Coming off of a narrow victory at home on Wednesday against Western Carolina University, the Dins looked to carry the momentum into Saturday’s road matchup at University of Tennessee Chattanooga. The Mocs had already beat Furman earlier in the season, winning 75-71 in Greenville on Jan. 18.
The first half was marked by a baurrage of threes from the Paladins that all seemed to come as Chattanooga was beginning to build a lead. Furman stayed consistently a possession or two behind the Mocs for the entire half as senior guard PJay Smith Jr. continuously poured in three-point and two-point jumpers as well as assisting on numerous other Paladin baskets.
With just a few minutes remaining, the Dins were able to pull in front of the Mocs thanks to a pullup jumper by freshman guard Tommy Humphries, playing in his third game of the year and first Southern Conference game. With the season reaching crunch time and the Dins finding themselves in the bottom half of the Southern Conference, it appeared head coach Bob RiIchey was looking to mix up the rotation in hopes of an added spark.
With yet another Smith Jr. three pointer, the Dins went into the halftime up by three.
The early part of the second half proved to be a dog fight, as both teams exchanged leads for the first seven minutes before the Mocs went on a 10-2 scoring run, creating a cushion that they would never give up. Furman fought to regain momentum, but two three pointers from Chattanooga senior guard Trey Bonham stretched the Moc lead to 15.
Chattanooga was able to hold off the Dins for the remainder of the game, securing a 13-point victory and sending Furman down to a 6-6 record in conference play. Smith Jr. led the Dins in scoring with 22 points, shooting 7-19 from the field.
Having less than a month to go in the regular season, Furman sits at seventh in the Southern Conference standings. This position would have them playing on night one of the Southern Conference Tournament, which the Dins have not done in the past few seasons. However, six games remain on the schedule, and there is plenty of time for Furman to make a late-season charge.
Next up, Furman will host the Mercer Bears at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. this Wednesday. Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., available on ESPN+.
