WESTERN CAROLINA HOLDS OFF FURMAN FOR 77-67 WIN
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Freshman Kevin Martin scored a game-high 27 points, while senior Kelvin Wylie scored a career-high 17, to lead Western Carolina to a 77-67 victory over conference foe Furman Monday night at the Ramsey Activity Center.
Martin, who added eight rebounds, was 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line, making each of his last 24 free throw attempts. Wylie, who ranks second in the Southern Conference in field goal percentage, was 7-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line, tying Martin for game high honors with eight boards.
Western Carolina (8-6, 2-1 SoCon) held Furman to just 14.3 percent shooting (4-of-28) from the field in the first half and led by 20 on three occasions in the period, including a 36-16 advantage at the break.
The Catamounts dominated most of the second half, leading by 20 (65-45) with 6:36 left in the game. However, Furman would go on a 20-5 run to cut the lead to seven (72-65) with just under a minute left. Junior Kori Hatcher made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch before senior Casey Rogers hit a pair from the line to seal the outcome with 14 seconds left.
Furman (8-6, 1-2 SoCon) turned up the pressure in the second half and its top three scorers began to take control of the game. Senior Anthony Thomas scored 15 second-half points and would lead the Paladins with 17 on the night. Juniors Karim Souchu and Guiherme Da Luz added 13 and 12 points, respectively, over the final 20 minutes. Souchu was the big catalyst on defense with five steals, four in the second half, while Da Luz registered all six of his assists in the period.
The Catamounts struggled from long range in the second period, going 0-for-5 from the beyond arc, but drained 19-of-24 free throws to hold off the Paladins. After dishing out 10 assists with only five turnovers in the first half, Western nearly had a complete reversal in the second with five assists and 12 turnovers.
The Paladins shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the second half. However the league's top 3-point shooting team shot just 27.3 percent (6-of-22) for the game. Also, the Paladins only handed out nine assists in the contest, while committing 12 turnovers.
Western Carolina will return to action Saturday (Jan. 12) when its host The Citadel. Game time is set for 7 pm, at the RAC. Furman will also return on Saturday as it hosts Davidson. The game will be telecast on Fox Sports Net South and is set to begin at 1 pm.