'Dins rebound from losses
By: Jackson Briggs
Issue date: 1/29/10 Section: Sports
With their second-leading scorer on the bench due to an injury, the Furman men's basketball team (10-10, 4-5 in SoCon) struggled to maintain the high level of play they showed early in the season.
The team dropped two road contests in Charleston, 92-80 to College of Charleston (13-7, 8-1) and 70-60 to The Citadel (10-10, 4-4), to fall to 9-10 on the season and 3-5 in Southern Conference play.
Junior forward Amu Saaka continued to lead the way with a pair of strong offensive performances (15 against Charleston, 19 against The Citadel), but a complimentary offensive threat, the Paladins struggled to keep pace with hot shooting opponents.
Charleston posted a field goal percentage (56.4%) almost 20 percent higher than Furman's (37.7%), and The Citadel doubled up the Paladin's production from three-point range.
The team also struggled with fouls and turnovers, mistakes that have plagued the team all year.
There may, however, have been a silver lining to the injury. With an all-conference guard on the bench, other Paladins have stepped up to fill the void.
Bryson Barnes recorded 17 points against Charleston, and freshman big man Colin Reddick scored double digits in both contests (11 and 13, respectively).
Then Jordan Miller returned.
Against Samford (9-11, 3-5), the Paladins returned to their home gym and their winning ways with a 63-58 win, despite leading scorer Saaka experiencing an off night shooting the ball. Saaka was 3-8 from the field, but chipped in with 8 rebounds as senior guard Darryl Evans paced the Paladins with 18 points.
It wasn't an easy win for the Paladins. Trailing 27-20 with under five minutes remaining in the first half, Furman clawed their way to a 31-30 lead at the half thanks to clutch free throw shooting from sophomore forwards Chris Toler and Brandon Sebirumbi.
In the second half, the Paladins and Bulldogs were never separated by more than four points until sophomore Justin Dehm's three-pointer with 7:45 remaining gave the Paladins a lead they would not relinquish.
The team dropped two road contests in Charleston, 92-80 to College of Charleston (13-7, 8-1) and 70-60 to The Citadel (10-10, 4-4), to fall to 9-10 on the season and 3-5 in Southern Conference play.
Junior forward Amu Saaka continued to lead the way with a pair of strong offensive performances (15 against Charleston, 19 against The Citadel), but a complimentary offensive threat, the Paladins struggled to keep pace with hot shooting opponents.
Charleston posted a field goal percentage (56.4%) almost 20 percent higher than Furman's (37.7%), and The Citadel doubled up the Paladin's production from three-point range.
The team also struggled with fouls and turnovers, mistakes that have plagued the team all year.
There may, however, have been a silver lining to the injury. With an all-conference guard on the bench, other Paladins have stepped up to fill the void.
Bryson Barnes recorded 17 points against Charleston, and freshman big man Colin Reddick scored double digits in both contests (11 and 13, respectively).
Then Jordan Miller returned.
Against Samford (9-11, 3-5), the Paladins returned to their home gym and their winning ways with a 63-58 win, despite leading scorer Saaka experiencing an off night shooting the ball. Saaka was 3-8 from the field, but chipped in with 8 rebounds as senior guard Darryl Evans paced the Paladins with 18 points.
It wasn't an easy win for the Paladins. Trailing 27-20 with under five minutes remaining in the first half, Furman clawed their way to a 31-30 lead at the half thanks to clutch free throw shooting from sophomore forwards Chris Toler and Brandon Sebirumbi.
In the second half, the Paladins and Bulldogs were never separated by more than four points until sophomore Justin Dehm's three-pointer with 7:45 remaining gave the Paladins a lead they would not relinquish.