FURMAN BLASTS STETSON 85-66
GREENVILLE -- Karim Souchu scored 17 points and collected 11 rebounds and teammate Guilherme Da Luz tallied 16 points and a season high 10 assists to lift Furman to an impressive 85-66 win over visiting Stetson Saturday night at Timmons Arena.
Souchu, a sophomore forward from Paris, France, tallied only three points in the first half but converted 5-of-6 field goal tries in the second period to pace Furman (5-2). Stetson (3-4), which dropped its fourth straight decision, got a game high 21 points from Santos Hampton.
Coming off an impressive 79-74 overtime win over Florida State in Tallahassee on Monday, Furman gained control of the contest midway through the first half with an 11-0 run to take a 28-15 lead following a 3-pointer by P.J. Brown with 8:54 left.
After Stetson sliced the lead to 34-28 with under three minutes to play, the Paladins used a pair of Anthony Thomas free throws at the 1:47 mark and a Souchu 3-pointer at the 1:07 juncture to build a 39-38 halftime lead.
The Paladins blew the game open in the first four minutes of the second half with a 9-2 run, fueled by a pair of Souchu baskets and a 3-pointer by Marcus Dilligard, to grab a 48-30 advantage. From that point Furman padded its lead, extending it to as many as 26 points at 75-49 following a pair of free throws by Da Luz with 5:27 remaining.
Furman shot 50.8 percent from the field and knocked down 7-of-17 3-point attempts, good for 41.2 percent. Stetson, meanwhile, shot 40.9 percent from the field but made good on only 6-of-26 3-point tries.
Da Luz's 10 assists marked the second highest assist total of his career and highlighted a Furman offensive attack that registered 19 assists and only seven turnovers. The sophomore point guard from Sao Paulo, Brazil, had 17 points, seven assists, and five steals in the Paladins' win over Florida State.
"I was really proud of the way we came out tonight after the success we had Monday night against Florida State," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "I was really concerned about us having a mental letdown but we didn't do that. We came out, fought hard, and executed the game plan and took control. We stressed that all week in practice, and tonight our guys responded."
Following Souchu and Da Luz in double figures for Furman were Anthony Thomas and Maleye Ndoye with 10 each. Freshman Jorge Seraphim added nine points and Kenny Zeigler eight points for the Paladins who, following final exams, return to action next Saturday against Vanderbilt in Nashville. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.