January 28, 2002
DA LUZ'S 24 LEADS FURMAN PAST THE CITADEL 83-75
GREENVILLE -- Guilherme Da Luz scored a game high 24 points and tallied 11 assists to lead Furman to an 83-75 win over The Citadel in Southern Conference basketball action Monday night at Timmons Arena.
Da Luz, a junior point guard from Sao Paulo, Brazil, connected on 5-of-10 field goals and was a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line in pacing Furman (11-9, 4-5 SoCon) to its third win in the last four games.
The Citadel (13-7, 5-4 SoCon), which got 19 points from Travis Cantrell, lost its third straight game but retained a share of first place in the conference's south division with the College of Charleston and Georgia Southern and Chattanooga. Furman is one game back.
"When we needed Guilherme the most, he stepped up and made some big shots and also made three or four great decisions which got us layups to help us win the game," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "That's what great point guards do, and he is a great point guard, the best in the Southern Conference in my opinion."
"We played very energized in the second half, but it's tough coming back when you're that far down," said Citadel head coach Pat Dennis. "We gave a gallant effort, but we continue to have trouble stopping people in the half court. When we went to the zone early, they drilled 3-pointers. Give Furman credit. They played well, and I tip my hat to them."
Furman, which got 18 points from Anthony Thomas and 15 points from Karim Souchu, shot 50.0 percent from the field (23x46), including 8-of-16 from 3-point range. The Paladins converted a season high 29-of-35 free throws (82.9 percent) in a game that included 54 fouls. The Citadel shot 42.3 percent from the field (22x52) and made 27-of-40 free throws (67.5 percent).
After shooting 59.1 percent from the field on the way to a 44-26 halftime lead, Furman appeared poised to rout its long-time league rival after a Kenny Zeigler jump shot at 15:21 mark gave the Paladins a 55-34 advantage. But The Citadel roared back, using a 12-0 run to get back in the game and narrow the Furman lead to 55-46 following a free throw by Greg Jones with 10:32 to play.
The Citadel's impressive comeback continued over the next three minutes as the Bulldogs fashioned a 10-4 spurt to get to within four points at 60-56 after Max Mombollet canned a pair of free throws at the 7:09 juncture.
After both teams traded baskets, Furman took control behind Da Luz, who assisted on three of the Paladins' next four field goals, including a 3-pointer and two layups, to key a 9-2 run that made it 71-60 with 3:45 left.
From that point the Paladins got a layup from Da Luz and preserved the win at the free throw line, converting 10-of-12 free throws over the game's final minute.
For Da Luz, the conference's assist leader with 145, his 11 dishes represented his seventh double figure assist performance of the season and moved him to within 17 of the school's career record of 474, currently held by Hal Henderson (1989-92).
Furman returns to action on Saturday when it takes travels to the College of Charleston for a 4:00 p.m. game. The Citadel, meanwhile, returns home to play Chattanooga on Saturday beginning at 7:00 p.m.