November 24, 2003
WEBB LEADS FURMAN PAST SOUTHERN WESLEYAN 77-53
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Eric Webb scored a game high 17 points to lead Furman to a 77-53 win over Southern Wesleyan Monday night in the Paladins’ home season opener.
Webb, a freshman guard from Grand Rapids, Minn., playing in only his second collegiate game, went 5-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and tacked on three free throws in helping Furman (1-1) bounce back from its 78-72 season opening loss to James Madison Saturday night. He was joined in double figures by teammates Robby Bostain with 12 points and Marijan Pojatina and Quan Prowell, who added 11 points each. Southern Wesleyan (2-2) was paced by Detroit Pendgraff’s 15 points.
“A win is a win, but I’m certainly not impressed with our performance,” said Furman head coach Larry Davis. “We didn’t play near our capability on either end for the floor. We’ve got to get a lot better in a hurry, but I’m convinced this team has the capability to be really good.”
Furman shot 45.0 percent (27x60) from the field and held Southern Wesleyan to only 31.7 percent (20x63), but the two teams combined to commit 49 turnovers to make it a sloppy contest virtually from the start. Led by Nick Sanders’ nine rebounds, Furman proved too much on the boards for the smaller Warriors, carving out a 45-36 advantage.
Leading 35-23 at intermission, Furman saw its advantage slip into single digits only once when the Warriors’ Joe Reeder converted a layup with 11:53 to go to make it 48-39.
The Paladins, however, quickly answered with a Tony Carter 3-pointer 13 seconds later for a 51-39 margin.
Furman maintained its cushion over the next five minutes and led 57-46 with 6:30 to go when Webb helped ignite an 18-1 run with a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws to put the game away. A layup by Nick Sanders with 1:51 left following a steal and assist by Robby Bostain completed the scoring blitz and gave the Paladins a 75-47 advantage.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it entertains Greensboro College in a 7:00 p.m. game at Timmons Arena.