December 14, 2003
FURMAN RALLIES PAST UNC ASHEVILLE,
60-56
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Furman got key buckets from Maleye Ndoye and Quan Prowell down the stretch as the Paladins rallied past UNC Asheville, 60-56 at Justice Center Sunday afternoon.
The Paladins (4-3) trailed by as many 13 points in the second half but used strong defense and took advantage of key turnovers by the Bulldogs (1-6) in the final five minutes of the game to record their second straight win.
Furman was led by a trio of players with 11 points. Tony Carter, Robby Bostian and Eric Webb all had 11 points for the Paladins. UNCA was led by Joseph Barber with a game-high 14 points, while Chad Mohn added 12 pints. Omar Collington tied a career-high with 10 points. Aaron Creasman added six points and a career-high seven rebounds.
"It wasn't pretty, but today's win on the road showed some growth by our team," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "The fact that we found a way to win on a day when we didn't shoot well and had to struggle for points is something we will build on. We played pretty solid defense down the stretch and hit some big free throws."
"This is a tough one to lose," commented UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "We made too many mistakes with turnovers and fouls to win the game. We didn't execute when we needed to execute. "We played better in a lot of ways today but we just didn't find a way to win," added Biedenbach. UNCA has lost four straight games.
Furman took the lead for good when Powell tapped in a miss for a 55-54 Paladin lead with 2:13 left. After a Bulldog miss, Carter was fouled with 1:58 left. He made both free throws for a 57-54 lead.
Barber countered with a 10-footer to cut the lead to 57-56 with 1:29 remaining. UNCA got a stop and tried to take the lead but Oliver Holmes' baseline jumper missed and Furman got the rebound with 50 seconds left.
The Paladins got the ball to Ndoye, who knocked down a 15-footer for a 59-56 Furman lead with 32 seconds left. UNCA tried to tie the game but K.J Garland's three-pointer was long. Prowell rebounded and was fouled with six seconds left. He hit the first free throw for a 60-56 lead and sealed the victory.
The Bulldogs were in control for much of the first half as they went on a 12-0 run midway through the half for a 24-13 lead. However, Furman had a six-point possession to get back in the game. Eric Webb hit a trey to cut the lead to 26-20. UNCA was whistled for a foul as the shot was good and the Paladins regained possession. Prowell then hit a trey to make it 26-23.
The Bulldogs led 30-28 at halftime.
Asheville, led by Barber, scored the first eight points of the second half for a 38-28 lead. The junior forward scored six of the Bulldogs' 8 points. A trey from Collington pushed the lead to 43-30 with 15:19 left in the game.
But the Paladins began to slowly rally back in the game. Furman scored eight straight points to cut the lead to 43-38, knocking down two treys in the process.
Furman finally took the lead to 6:36 left on Carter layup. The teams exchanged the lead three more times before Prowell's tap-in gave the Paladins the lead for good.
Furman will play at Big 10 foe Ohio State Wednesday night.