Women’s Basketball
The Dins went into the tournament as the sixth seed after a 15-15 regular season with a 5-9 record in the Southern Conference.
In the quarterfinals of the tournament, Furman faced off against the third seed East Tennessee State University Buccaneers on Thursday, March 6. The Bucs had previously beat the Paladins in the regular season.
With the game tied 34-34 in the third quarter, Furman went on a 9-0 scoring run to take the lead 43-34. Furman then held on for an 64-58 upset victory, thanks in part to a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double from senior forward Jada Session. Graduate guard Tate Walters also contributed 11 points in the contest.
Against ETSU, the Paladins shot 50% from the field, making 24 of 48 baskets. The Dins outscored the Bucs from off the bench 27-9.
With the win, Furman moved onto the semifinals to play the second seed Chattanooga on Friday, March 7.
In the game, the Dins went back and forth against the Mocs. However, with Chattanooga up 36-33 in the third quarter, the Mocs went on a 10-1 scoring run. Furman closed the gap down to six multiple times but couldn’t overcome Chattanooga’s offensive power.
The Paladins fell 63-55 in the Southern Conference semifinal game. Walters led the Dins in scoring with 19 points while Session pulled down 10 rebounds. With the loss, Furman ended the season 16-16.
Walters and Session were both tabbed to the Southern Conference All-Tournament team after the completion of the tournament.
Despite major roster changes on the horizon, the Paladins women’s team looks poised to improve next season. Play from the current freshman class has been a major strength all season long. The further development of freshman trio forward Clare Coyle and guards Chantelle Stuart and Raina McGowens will be key to success next season.
Men’s Basketball
Furman’s men’s team went into the Southern Conference tournament on a high note after defeating arch-rival Wofford 78-75 on March 1. The Dins went 23-8 in the regular season and 11-7 against conference opponents. They entered the tournament as the fifth seed after a highly competitive slate of Southern Conference games.
In the quarterfinals on March 8, Furman played the fourth seeded Samford Bulldogs. While leading 65-63 with under 10 minutes left in the game, the Paladins went on a 10-2 scoring run to take a commanding 75-64 lead. The Bulldogs bit back, cutting the lead back down to 10, but the Dins went on another run, outscoring Samford 13-4 with less than two and a half minutes remaining in the game.
The Dins seemed as though they couldn’t miss from the three-point line and made 15 of 29 triples, with graduate guard Nick Anderson going 6-9 from beyond the arc and leading Furman with 26 points. Junior guard Tom House contributed 21 points on 6-7 shooting from the three-point line. Junior forward Ben VanderWal also pulled down 10 rebounds for the Dins.
The sharp-shooting Dins took down Samford 95-78, taking their third victory of the season over the Bulldogs.
Furman then had to face top seeded Chattanooga in the semifinal game on March 9. The semifinal contest saw 10 ties and 16 lead changes. The Paladins and Mocs exchanged baskets, and by the end of the first half, Chattanooga held a slim 35-34 lead.
It was much the same in the second half. Neither team could hold a large lead because the other would soon come barrelling back. With 27.5 seconds left, senior guard PJay Smith Jr. tied the game at 70 points with a jump shot. Chattanooga got one final possession to potentially take the victory, but sophomore forward Cooper Bowser blocked a layup to send the game into overtime.
During overtime, redshirt freshman guard Eddrin Bronson had a key steal with 16 seconds remaining. He then threw a quick pass to Anderson, who was fouled. Anderson sank his free throws to put Furman up 80-76. After Mocs senior guard Trey Bonham drew a foul on the ensuing possession, he made the first free throw to trim Furman’s lead to 3 points, and time expired following an intentionally missed free throw.
Smith scored 25 points against the Mocs and led the team with eight rebounds. Anderson contributed 23 points.
Furman then advanced to the Southern Conference Championship game against sixth seeded Wofford on March 10.
The Harrah’s Cherokee Center was rocking at tip-off. The Dins led 39-37 after the first half.
After clawing back from an eight-point deficit late into the second half, Anderson hit a three-pointer to put Furman up 83-79 with just over two and a half minutes left in the game. After a Wofford layup to cut Furman’s lead to 83-81, the Terriers capitalized on free throws and went 6-for-6 on their final attempts in the last 19 seconds of the game. Furman came up short as time expired, losing to Wofford 92-85.
The Terriers outshot Furman, hitting 14 of 24 three-pointers while Furman only made 13 of 33. The scoring leader for the Dins was Smith who poured in 27 points and contributed seven assists.
After the completion of the tournament, Anderson, Bowser and Smith were all selected for the All-Tournament teams.
Going into next season, the Dins will retain key players such as House, Bowser and VanderWal, and only four players will be lost due to graduation.
