2002 Mountain Dew Southern Conference Championships
North Charleston Coliseum
Charleston, S.C
GAME 11 -- Davidson 62, Furman 57
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Davidson’s Peter Anderer poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the Wildcats to a 62-57 victory over Furman Sunday in the title game of the 2002 Mountain Dew Southern Conference Championships at North Charleston Coliseum.
The victory gives Davidson (21-9) its second tournament title in five years. The Wildcats, who went to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 under Head Coach Bob McKillop, earned the Southern Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA’s.
Anderer, who connected on six-of-nine three-point attempts, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He was joined in double figures by Chris Pearson, who posted 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for the Wildcats.
“What Peter got today, Peter earned,” McKillop said. “He had people draped all over him, and he executed superbly. Every time he was called on, he stepped up.The most extraordinary thing about this team is that they were repeatedly told they weren’t good enough. These guys are the emblem of what this team is all about.”
Davidson trailed 28-24 at the half and was down 34-28 when Anderer connected on five straight shots, including four three-pointers, to give the Wildcats a 44-40 lead at the 10:47 mark. After Anthony Thomas cut Furman’s deficit to two, Anderer hit his final trey of the contest, to give the Wildcats a five-point cushion with 7:37 left.
The Wildcats led by as much as eight until the last minute, when a Karim Souchu three-pointer and layup off a steal got the Paladins to within 59-57 with eight seconds left. But Anderer connected on a pair of free throws a second later, and Pearson hit one-of-two free throws with one tick remaining to seal the win.
Davidson led by as much as nine in the first half before Furman closed on a 15-2 run to take a 28-24 lead into the locker room.
Kenny Zeigler led Furman (17-14) with 14 points and seven rebounds. Souchu added 12 points and three steals for the Paladins, who became the first team in SoCon tournament history to reach the finals without a first-round bye.
“Anderer made three incredible shots. That was probably the difference in the game,” said Furman Head Coach Larry Davis. “To his credit, he made them. We missed some chances. It was another great defensive battle. They won the battle of the boards. We didn’t get to the offensive boards. There’s 10 other teams that didn’t get here. We’ll take a lot of pride out of this.”
Davidson shot 51 percent in the game and held Furman to just 39.6 percent shooting from the field. The Wildcats owned a 34-24 edge in rebounding. The championship game appearance was Furman’s first since 1980.
Despite the loss, the Paladins finished with their first winning season since 1991-92.
2002 Mountain Dew Southern Conference Championship All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player: Peter Anderer, Davidson
First Team
Peter Anderer, Davidson
Jeff Bolton, College of Charleston
Leighton Bowie, College of Charleston
Chris Pearson, Davidson
Anthony Thomas, Furman
Second Team
Guilherme Da Luz, Furman
Courtney Eldridge, UNC Greensboro
Emeka Erege, Davidson
James Maye, UNC Greensboro
Kenny Zeigler, Furman