December 13, 2002
FURMAN RECORDS PROGRAM'S 1,000TH
WIN
WITH 83-29 TRIUMPH OVER METHODIST
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Maleye Ndoye scored 16 points to pace five double figure scorers in leading Furman to an 83-29 win over NCAA Division III foe Methodist Friday night at Timmons Arena.
The victory marked the 1,000th win in Furman's 90-season basketball history dating back to the program's inaugural 1908-09 campaign. Methodist's 29 points represented the lowest total by a Furman opponent since the Paladins limited The Citadel to 24 points in a 26-24 pre-shot clock era victory in Charleston during the 1954-55 season.
"I thought our effort was excellent tonight, from start to finish," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "Sometimes you don't know how your team will play after finals, but our guys got after it on both ends of the floor, and that's what you have to do to win games regardless of the opponent."
Furman took command from the start, racing to a 19-4 lead following a layup by Tony Carter with 9:43 left.
The Paladins led 42-16 at the intermission and put together a 16-4 run over the first eight minutes of the second half to make it a 58-19 game with 12:19 left. The Monarchs scored only 10 points the rest of the game and 13 in the second half ‹ the lowest point total in a half by a Furman foe since The Citadel tallied only four points in the second half in its aforementioned loss to the Paladins on Feb. 12, 1955.
Furman shot 58.3 percent from the field, connecting on 35-of-60 shots. Methodist, meanwhile, converted on 21.4 percent of its field goal tries, making good only 12-of-56 attempts, including just 1-of-20 3-pointers. The Paladins, led by Kenny Zeigler's nine boards, outrebounded the Monarchs 51-25.
Furman senior point guard Guilherme Da Luz sat out his second consecutive game with a sprained left wrist and thumb sustained in a practice on Dec. 6. In his absence Furman started Carter, who responded with 13 points. Karim Souchu also added 13 points along with Zeigler and Jason Patterson with 12 points each.
The Paladins return to action on Monday night when they take on Chattanooga in Chattanooga in the Southern Conference season opener for both teams. Furman swept UTC a year ago, posting a 76-65 win in Chattanooga and 68-67 verdict in Greenville.