November 26, 2002
FURMAN TOPS IUPUI 70-62 TO CLAIM
GUARDIANS CLASS CONSOLATION CROWN
KANSAS CITY, MO. -- Karim Souchu paced four double figure scorers with a game high 25 points in leading Furman to a 70-62 win over IUPUI in the consolation championship game of the Guardians Classic Tuesday night at Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.
Souchu, a senior All-Southern Conference performer from Paris, France, converted 9-of-15 field goals and all five of his free throw opportunities on the way to recording his fourth 20-point performance in five games this season. He was joined in double figures by Guilherme Da Luz with 12 points and Maleye Ndoye and Paco Gonzalez with 10 each. IUPUI got 19 points from Odell Bradley and 16 points from Josh Murray.
The win snapped a three-game Paladin losing streak and improved Furman's season record to 2-3. The Paladins return home to play St. Mary's College at Timmons Arena on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
"I was pleased with the way we came out and shot the ball early," said Furman head coach Larry Davis, "and I was especially happy with the play of Maleye Ndoye. He had been struggling with his move from inside to out on the wing, but tonight he stepped up. I shook his hand when we got back to the locker room and said, 'welcome back'. We'll need him to be a good basketball team."
Furman led 28-25 with just over three minutes remaining in the first half before Karim Souchu delivered three baskets prior to intermission to give the Paladins a 36-29 advantage.
The Paladins fashioned a 14-4 run to start the second half to grab a 50-33 lead following a bucket by Souchu at the 15:42 juncture, but IUPUI cut the Furman advantage to six points at 52-46 on a jump shot by Dannorris Harvey with 10:43 left.
Furman regrouped, however, and used two buckets by Ndoye and Tony Carter to ignite a 13-2 spurt over the next four-plus minutes for a 65-48 bulge with 4:07 remaining in the game. The Jaguars outscored the Paladins 10-1 over the final two minutes to slice the final margin of victory to single digits.
Furman shot 49.0 percent from the field, converting 29-of-49 shots and 72.0 percent from the free throw line (18-of-25). Kenny Zeigler paced Furman with eight rebounds.
Souchu's 25-point performance moved him from 13th to 11th on Furman's career scoring charts, surpassing former standouts Bruce Grimm (1974-78) and Shawn Reid (1984-88). He has now scored 1,526 points in three-plus seasons at Furman.