January 12, 2002
DAVIDSON HOLDS OFF FURMAN 73-70
GREENVILLE -- Michael Bree connected on five 3-pointers on the way to a game high 17 points to help Davidson hold off Furman, 73-70, in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
Bree, a senior from Sligo, Ireland, paced a 3-point barrage by Davidson (10-5, 3-1 SoCon), which converted 13-of-27 shots from beyond the arc. Furman (8-7, 1-3 SoCon) got 16 points each from Anthony Thomas and Paco Gonzalez (career high), but the Paladins couldn't overcome poor starts in both halves.
"God bless the Republic of Ireland," said Davidson head coach Bob McKillop, who also got 12 points from freshman forward Conor Grace, a native of Dublin. "He (Conor) made some big shots, as did Michael."
"Our
effort was there, but you can't let a team like Davidson get a big lead on you
like we did," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "We fought back in both halves
and had a chance to tie it on our last possession but didn't make the shot."
The win marked Davidson's 10 straight triumph over Furman in men's basketball and the Paladins' third straight conference loss.
Davidson almost sank Furman from the start with good defense and seven 3-pointers over the game's first 12-plus minutes that gave the Wildcats a 27-8 lead following a trey by Grace with 7:31 left.
The Paladins, however, came off the deck by outscoring Davidson 20-6 over the remainder of the half to make it a 33-28 game following a short jumper by Thomas with only three seconds to go.
In the second half, Davidson put together another solid start, riding an 11-2 run over the first three minutes to grab a 44-30 lead following a 3-pointer by Bree with 16:53 left. But Furman again battled back, using a 14-6 spurt to close to within six points at 50-44 following a 3-pointer by Paul Foster with 11:26 remaining.
A Jouni Eho 3-pointer on the Wildcats' next possession made it 53-44, and Davidson stretched its advantage to 55-44 with a layup by Wayne Bernard at the 10:25 juncture.
Furman quickly got the back under 10 points with a Karim Souchu jump shot, and the Paladins stayed within striking distance the rest of the way.
After Kenny Zeigler's jumper with 3:13 left cut the Davidson lead to 64-61, Bree again answered with a critical 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 67-61 advantage at the 2:49 mark. From that point, Davidson maintained a two-possession lead until the game's final seconds.
After a Souchu 3-pointer pulled Furman to within five points at 73-68 with 10 seconds on the clock, Bernard missed two free throws three seconds later, but Davidson's Peter Anderer fouled Zeigler on the rebound. Zeigler then made both free throws to make it 73-70. A quick whistle on Foster put Bernard back on the line, and again the Davidson junior failed to ice the game, missing a pair of free throws. But the Paladins couldn't take advantage, as Thomas' 3-point shot at the buzzer fell short.
Furman outshot Davidson, converting 44.1 percent from the field to the Wildcats' 42.6 percent, but Davidson's 3-point barrage proved to be too much. The Wildcats, who committed 19 turnovers, edged the smaller Paladins on the boards, 34-33.
In addition to Bree's game high scoring effort, Davidson got 16 points from Bernard, 13 points from Chris Pearson, and 12 points from Grace. Guilhereme Da Luz contributed 12 points and a game high 10 assists ‹ his third double-double of the season ‹ for Furman, which also got a solid game from Zeigler, who tallied 12 points and a game high 10 rebounds in his first game back since missing four contests with a sprained ankle.
Both teams return to action on Monday, with Furman hosting the College of Charleston in a Comcast/ Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) televised game and Davidson hosting VMI. Both contests start at 7:00 p.m.