Box Score
GREENVILLE, SC -- Furman University used a red-hot shooting first half and then held on through a couple of late runs on to defeat UNC Greensboro, 82-65, in Southern Conference men's basketball action Monday night at Timmons Arena.
Ray Bristow led UNCG with 18 points, including four three-pointers. Ronnie Burrell added 15 points and Ricky Hickman chipped in with 14 points and five steals.
With the loss, UNCG fell to 9-5, 2-1 in Southern Conference play. The Spartans were trying to open conference play 3-0 for the first time since moving to the SoCon. Furman raised its record to 9-6, 2-1 in SoCon action.
Much like UNCG's game at Appalachian State on Saturday, the Spartans started out slowlyMonday at Furman. UNCG made just two field goals in the first seven minutes and falling behind early, 15-5.
Furman came into the game as the nation's leader in three-point field goals with 152, having made 10 or more three-pointers in seven of 14 games and shooting a SoCon best 44.2 percent from behind the arc. After establishing an inside game with Moussa Diagne (12 first-half points) in the early going, the Paladins knocked down 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line over the final 12:54 of the first half and stretched their lead to 41-21 at halftime.
The Paladins got every bounce in the first 20 minutes, outrebounding UNCG, 23-8, in the first half and shooting 56 percent to the Spartans' 35 percent.
The Spartans started to make a run midway through the second half. UNCG ran off six straight points to gain some momentum and cut the deficit to 18. Forcing turnovers with their full-court pressure, the Spartans cut the Furman lead to 65-51 with just over five minutes to play to make things interesting. But UNCG could get no closer than 14 points as Furman remained unbeaten at home this season (6-0) and ran its homecourt winning streak to eight consecutive games.
Tony Carter and Robby Bostain led Furman with 18 and 17 points, respectively, to lead four Paladins in double-figures. Diagne also added 16 points and eight rebounds. The Paladins wound up 9-for-19 from three-point range and shot 50 percent (30-for-60) from the field overall on the evening.
The home team has won all eight regular-season meetings in the series.
The Spartans return to action Saturday night when they host Western Carolina at Fleming Gymnasium. Game time is 7 pm.
AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO (9-5, 2-1 SoCon)
BRISTOW, Ray 5-16 4-4 18; BURRELL, Ronnie 6-10 3-4 15; HICKMAN, Ricky 4-10 5-8 14; HINES, Kyle 3-3 1-5 7; OLEKSIAK, Kevin 2-7 2-2 7; EVERETTE, Dustin 1-1 0-0 2; CLIFTON, Dwon 0-2 2-2 2; BECKFORD, Brian 0-1 0-0 0; GROSS, Josh 0-5 0-0 0; JOHNSON, Dwayne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 17-25 65.
FURMAN (9-6, 2-1 SoCon)
CARTER, Tony 5-10 6-7 18; BOSTAIN, Robby 6-12 4-5 17; DIAGNE, Moussa 7-12 2-4 16; WEBB, Eric 3-7 1-2 10; SANDERS, Nicholas 4-8 0-0 9; EARLE, Ben 2-6 0-0 6; PUNCH, Gerad 3-5 0-0 6; PRICE, Cedrick 0-0 0-0 0; BROZOS, George 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-60 13-18 82.
Halftime: Furman, 41-21. 3-point goals: UNC Greensboro 6-18 (BRISTOW, 4-7; OLEKSIAK, 1-3; HICKMAN, 1-4; BECKFORD, 0-1; GROSS, 0-3), Furman 9-19 (WEBB, 3-7; EARLE, 2-3; CARTER, 2-5; SANDERS, 1-1; BOSTAIN, 1-3). Fouled out: UNC Greensboro-None, Furman-None. Rebounds: UNC Greensboro 28 (BURRELL, 6; HINES, 6), Furman 42 (DIAGNE, 8; SANDERS, 8). Assists: UNC Greensboro 8 (HICKMAN, 3), Furman 21 (WEBB, 5). Total fouls: UNC Greensboro 21, Furman 18. Att: 1232
- UNCG -
