With only six games remaining in the Southern Conference regular season, the Furman Paladins welcomed the Mercer Bears to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 12. This game begins a stretch of four home games within the next five games for the Dins.
Prior to the game, Furman sat tied with Virginia Military InstituteVMI for sixth place in the Southern Conference with a 6-6 record, while Mercer held sole possession of eighth place with a record of 4-8. Reaching the top spot in the conference is likely out of reach for both teams, but the next several games hold significant weight when it comes to seeding for the Southern Conference tournament in Asheville, N.C. on March 6-10.
The contest began with a sizzling start from the Paladins from beyond the arc. Furman shot an impressive 61% from three and hit 11 triples in the half. This hot shooting combined with a suffocating defensive effort had Furman up by 17 at halftime, 52-35.
After a sluggish start to the second half, Furman’s lead dwindled down to as fewlittle as seven points with just under 10 minutes to play. Several easy layups for the Bears and a solid game from senior guard Ahmad Robinson, who scored 17 points in the matchupgame, had the Bears within striking distance.
However, a Mercer technical foul led to a five-point possession that consisted of two free throws from junior forward Ben Vander Wal and a three pointer from graduate guard Nick Anderson, giving the Dins a spark. Following this possession, Mercer never got the game back within single digits, and Furman coasted to a 24- point win, 96-72.
Furman was led by a career night from junior guard Tom House, as he scored 26 points on six of nine shooting from three. Graduate forward Garrett Hien, senior guard PJay Smith Jr., along with Anderson and Vander Wal also added double digit scoring in the rout.
With the win, Furman improves to 7-6 in conference play, while Mercer falls to 4-9. The Dins will next be back in action back at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday, Feb. 15 as the first-ranked University of North Carolina Greensboro Spartans come to town. The game’s theme will be a white- out, and all students will receive an “I love FU” shirt. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
