February 28, 2004
WINTERS, DAVIDSON CHILL FURMAN, 71-64
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Brendan Winters poured in a season high 30 points and Davidson used a strong first half to defeat Furman 71-64 in the Southern Conference regular season finale for both teams Saturday night at Belk Arena.
Winters, who scored 27 points in an 83-73 win over Furman in Greenville on Feb. 10, connected on 8-of-16 field goal attempts, including 5-of-10 three-pointers, and 9-of-12 free throws to help Davidson (16-11, 11-5 SoCon) complete a perfect 13-0 home season in 2003-04. The Wildcats share the SoCon South Division title with Georgia Southern and College of Charleston and will take the division’s No. 2 seed into next week’s league tournament in North Charleston, S.C.
Furman (16-11, 8-8 SoCon), which placed five players in double figures led by Maleye Ndoye’s 13 points, had its four-game winning streak snapped and fell for the 13th consecutive time to Davidson. The South Division’s No. 4 seed, the Paladins will face Western Carolina, the North Division’s No. 5 seed, in the SoCon Tournament’ first game next Wednesday beginning at noon. Furman defeated the Catamounts 72-63 in Cullowhee on Feb. 16.
Furman outshot Davidson 42.1 percent (24x57) to 34.6 percent (18x52) and battled the Wildcats to a near even split on the boards (36-34), but the Paladins were done in at the free throw line, where Davidson canned 28-of-34 opportunities (82.4 percent) to Furman’s 9-of-13 tries (69.2 percent). The Paladins also committed 21 turnovers.
Furman took an early 7-6 lead on a three-pointer by Maleye Ndoye with at the 15:28 mark but then went scoreless for over eight minutes before Quan Prowell connected on a three-pointer with 7:02 to go on the first half. By that time, however, Davidson led 19-10 and had taken control of the contest.
Furman shot a woeful 25.0 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 35-18 at intermission.
Davidson achieved its biggest spread of the contest when Jouni Eho drained a three-pointer at the 9:21 juncture to make it 55-35.
Furman answered with a 15-4 run over the next four minutes to make it a 59-50 ballgame with a Prowell free throw with 5:24 remaining.
After the Wildcats’ Matt McKillop canned a pair of free throws with 1:14 to go to make it 65-52, Furman went on a 10-2 run to get within five points at 67-62 following a Robby Bostain three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining.
Davidson, which went the final 7:47 without a field goal, put the game away at the line with four straight McKillop free throws over the last 12 seconds.