GEORGIA SOUTHERN EDGES FURMAN IN OVERTIME 87-85
STATESBORO, Ga. Georgia Southern's failed opportunity to win the game in regulation was redeemed in overtime, as Sean Peterson's jumper with 2.4 seconds left in the extra frame rimmed in and gave the Eagles an 87-85 Southern Conference win over Furman Monday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Peterson's heroics came after the Eagles surrendered a five-point lead in the last minute of OT, as Furman's Marcus Dilligard hit a pair of free throws and, following a GSU turnover, Guilherme Daluz turned a routine layup into a three-point play after being fouled with :39 showing.
The Eagles milked down the clock on their ensuing possession and as the 35-second shot clock expired, Peterson threw up a 10-foot jumper that trickled around the rim and fell through with 2.4 seconds left in the contest. Karim Souchu's last-gasp three-point attempt for Furman fell short, and the Eagles walked away with the win.
The win is the fourth straight for the Eagles, as they improve to 13-13 overall and 9-6 in the SoCon and also take sole possession of second place in the SoCon south division. The win also puts Georgia Southern at the .500 mark for the first time since starting the campaign 1-1. Furman drops to 10-14 overall and 5-10 in league play.
Julius Jenkins had chance to win the game for Georgia Southern in regulation, but his running jumper fell short, and then on an inbound play, his layup rattled off the rim as the clock expired to send the game into the extra five-minute frame.
The fact that the Eagles were even in position to win the game at the end of regulation was due solely to a large scoring run late in the second half. Trailing 66-60 its largest deficit of the night the Eagles prompted a 14-2 run to take a 74-68 lead with just under 2:00 remaining.
Furman responded with six unanswered points, including a three-pointer by Anthony Thomas with :18 left, to tie the score, 74-74, and send the game into overtime.
A total of 10 players five off each team finished in double-figure scoring. Jenkins poured in a team-high 22 points for Georgia Southern. Kashien Latham, who scored seven straight points for the Eagles in overtime, finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds to give him his fourth straight double-double. Peterson also added 18 points, while Frank Bennett chipped in 16 and Kenny Faulk 11 in the winning effort.
For Furman, Souchu's 28 points led all scorers. Kenny Zeigler added 17 points, Thomas 16 points, Daluz 12 and Dilligard 10 in the losing cause.
The Paladins lit it up beyond the arc by hitting 12-of-28 (43%) for the game and 8-of-13 (62%) in the second half. Thomas was 5-of-10 from three-point land, while Soucha hit 4-of-14. From the field, Furman out-shot Georgia Southern by hitting 44% (30-of-68) of its shots to GSU's 40% (29-of-72). But the Eagles won the battle on the boards by a 46-39 count and committed only 18 turnovers to Furman's 25. Additionally, Georgia Southern scored 24 second-chance points to Furman's 15.
Overall, the Eagles were 26-of-32 from the line, while Furman hit 13-of-19 free throw attempts. Georgia Southern will close out its regular season this Saturday at Chattanooga. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. Furman will put a wrap on its regular season this Sunday at The Citadel, that game to start at 6:30 p.m.