On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Furman men’s basketball team prevailed against their archrival Wofford, 76-67, in Spartanburg, exacting revenge from their previous loss earlier in the season.

This win shifted the all-time series record between the teams to 39-38 in favor of the Paladins. The game also places Furman as the fourth-seeded team in the Southern Conference, and only one game behind second-place Mercer.

Redshirt sophomore guard Asa Thomas led the team in points, scoring 18 by cashing in an impressive 6-of-7 shots from three-point range. Freshman guard Alex Wilkins notched 15 points, four rebounds and five assists, while junior forward Cooper Bowser and senior forward Charles Johnston scored 13 points each.

For the Terriers, sophomore guard Kahmare Holmes led their scoring efforts, tallying 20 points, and junior guard Cayden Vasko double-doubled with 13 points and 10 rebounds in their losing effort.

With three minutes remaining in the first half, Furman held a 16-point lead, yet allowed the Terriers to explode for a 21-1 run at the end of the period and first few minutes of the second frame.

This momentary 4-point margin was the largest Terrier lead of the day, as the Paladins were eventually able to stop the bleeding, and began to positively separate from Wofford as the game entered its final seven minutes.

Aside from the final score, the Paladins won the game statistically, dominating the Terriers in three-point efficiency by shooting 53% to just 27%, as well as making 76% of their free throw attempts to Wofford’s poor 53%. Furman’s notable 52% field goal percentage also edged out the opponents’ 44% mark. Wofford won the turnover battle 10-7, but were unable to sufficiently capitalize off of scoring chances in the final phase of play.

The game moved Furman’s record to 18-11, and 9-7 in SoCon play. The Paladins will hope to close out the regular season strong against two in-conference opponents, and will likely roll into the conference tournament as the third or fourth seed.