February 22, 2003
SOUCHU, FURMAN TRIP WOFFORD 69-66
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Karim Souchu scored a game high 27 points, including a decisive three-pointer with 20 seconds left, to lift Furman past Wofford 69-66 in Fox Sports South televised Southern Conference basketball action Saturday night in front of 3,469 fans at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
With the Paladins trailing 66-65, Souchu, took a pass off penetration by Guilherme Da Luz and buried the game winning trey from the right corner to give the Paladins a 68-66 lead.
Wofford’s Lee Nixon drove the baseline on the ensuing possession, but his shot rolled off the rim and was gathered in by Souchu, who passed it ahead to Maleye Ndoye. Fouled immediately with five seconds left, Ndoye converted the first of two free throws to increase the advantage to 69-66, and the Paladins held on when Mike Lenzly’s game tying three-point shot in the final second grazed the front of the rim and into the hands of Kenny Zeigler.
The victory was the third straight for Furman (12-16, 6-8 SoCon), which is in the midst of winter term final exams, and first road triumph in 11 games this season. Wofford (12-13, 7-7 SoCon), which topped NCAA Division III member Toccoa Falls on Wednesday, fell for the third time in its last four games and dropped its third straight conference game. The loss was also the Terriers’ fourth home league setback this season.
“This win is exactly what we needed from a true confidence standpoint heading down the stretch,” said Furman head coach Larry Davis. “To come on the road, in a tough environment, against a veteran backcourt that Wofford has and win is huge. I was really proud of our guys. Guilherme (Da Luz) and Karim (Souchu) stepped up and made some big, big plays, and I thought Kenny (Zeigler) played a great game rebounding the basketball and also on the offensive end.”
Furman put itself in position for the win after trailing 61-53 with five and a half minutes to go, using an 11-2 run that featured a three-pointer by Da Luz, a three-point play by Zeigler, and three baskets by Souchu, including a layup at the 1:43 left, to tie the game at 63-63.
After a Lenzly layup and a later free put Wofford ahead 66-63 with 1:00 left, Furman’s Nick Sanders drained a pair of free throws to pull the Paladins to within a point at 66-65 with 45 seconds remaining. The Terriers, however, turned the ball over on the their ensuing possession, and the Paladins took advantage with Souchu’s game winning three-pointer.
Souchu accounted for 19 of his 27 points in the second half and was joined in double figures by Zeigler, whose 14 points and game high 11 rebounds marked his second straight double-double performance. Da Luz added 13 points and five assists and 38 minutes of action.
Furman won despite shooting only 40.6 percent from the field (26x64). Wofford, meanwhile, got 22 points from Lenzly and shot 50.0 percent from the field (26x52), but the Terriers were handled on the boards 41-33.
Souchu, who became only the fourth player in Furman history to top the 1,900-point plateau with a 26-point effort in the Paladins’ 77-60 win over The Citadel on Monday, increased his career scoring total to 1,935 points. He has averaged 26.0 points per game over Furman’s last four games.
Da Luz’s five assists improved his career assist total 654 -- the third highest mark in Southern Conference history. He also notched his 500th rebound, putting him on the verge of becoming the first player in league history to tally 1,000 points, 600 assists, 500 rebounds, and 200 steals. He is currently tied with former Paladin standout Hal Henderson for the most steals in Furman history (194 steals).
Furman returns to action on Monday when it takes on East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. Tipoff for the contest, which will not be televised, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.