December 20, 2003
FURMAN ROLLS PAST HIGH POINT, 98-87
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Maleye Ndoye scored 27 points and claimed eight rebounds to lead Furman to a 98-87 win over High Point in men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
Ndoye, Furman’s leading scorer on the season, paced a hot shooting Paladin attack by converting 9-of-14 field goal attempts, including four three-pointers, and 5-of-6 free throws. Robby Bostain added a season high 21 points to go along with a team high eight rebounds for Furman (5-4), which also got 18 points from Tony Carter and 14 from Eric Webb.
High Point (5-4), which had its four-game winning streak snapped, got 21 points from Jerrry Echenique and 20 from Zione White.
Furman shot a season high 54.7 percent from the field (29x53) and 80.6 percent from the free throw line, converting 29-of-36 attempts. The Paladins, who made 12-of-22 three-pointers in a 70-68 loss to Ohio State on Wednesday, continued the strong shooting from beyond the arc by canning 11-of-24 three point shots (45.4 percent) versus High Point.
“This was a feast and famine game,” said Furman head coach Larry Davis. “It was a feast on offense and a famine on defense, but the important thing is this team is finding a way to win, and in the end that’s the important thing.”
“We played a good team today, and when you play the way we did you’re not going to beat a like Furman,” said High Point head coach Bart Lundy. “They (Furman) shot well, and we had too many stretches where we didn’t play well at all.”
The Paladins shot a blistering 66.7 percent from the field in the first half and broke open a 26-26 deadlock with a 23-3 run to grab a 49-29 lead following an Eric Webb three-pointer with 1:06 to go. The Panthers were able to cut the lead to 17 points with Zione White’s long three-pointer as time expired.
White scored three baskets over the first three minutes of the second half to key a 13-0 High Point run and help the Panthers narrow the Furman advantage to 51-47, but Bostain answered with a pair of fast break layups to make it 57-47 with 15:46 to go.
A Nick Sanders three-pointer gave Furman a 73-59 lead at the 10:13 mark before High Point ripped off an 8-0 run to slice the Paladin margin to 73-67 following an offensive rebound and stick back by Danny Gathings with 8:30 left.
The Panthers got to within five points three times down the stretch but could get no closer due to Furman’s strong work at the free throw line, where the Paladins converted 18-of-20 attempts over the final five minutes of the contest, including their final 12.
Bostain topped Furman’s strong work at the line, making 13-of-16 attempts. Echenique, meanwhile, converted 11-of-12 free throws for the Panthers. For the game High Point shot 47.0 percent from the field (31x66), and Panthers collected 17 steals, including a game high five thefts by Gathings.
The 98 points marked the highest tally by Furman against an NCAA I opponent since the 1993-94 campaign, when the Paladins downed Charleston Southern 103-98 in North Charleston, S.C. The last time the Paladins scored 98 points at home versus a Division I foe was during the 1990-91 season when Furman dumped East Tennessee State, 103-94.
Furman returns to action on Dec. 29 when it hosts Bethune-Cookman as part of the Jack In The Box Holiday Classic. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. High Point will entertain North Carolina A&T next Saturday in a 7:00 p.m. game.