Furman recovers from late Wofford run, downs Terriers for road win

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — “There’s two ways you can look at life: you can look behind you or look in front of you.”

 

His team having dropped four of its last five Southern Conference games, Furman head coach Bob Richey shared that perspective with the media following Saturday night’s rivalry showdown with Wofford.

 

The Paladins (18-11, 9-7 SoCon) built a double-digit lead, saw a massive Terrier run erase it, and then responded with timely execution and tenacious defense to secure a 76-67 victory over Wofford (18-11, 10-6).

 

Cayden Vasko and Brian Sumpter helped Wofford to an early 7-7 tie, but Furman answered quickly. A Charles Johnston three-point play, Ben Vander Wal tip-in and back-to-back Asa Thomas triples sparked an 18-11 advantage less than eight minutes into the game.

 

Vasko and Nils Machowski connected from deep on consecutive possessions to trim the margin to 25-21. Furman countered with a flurry as Abijah Franklin buried back-to-back three-pointers, and Thomas knocked down two more from beyond the arc — his fifth and sixth straight makes to open the game — stretching the lead to 43-27 with 2:53 remaining in the half.

 

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Thomas said. “Seeing a couple go down as a shooter is probably one of the best feelings in the world. It builds confidence for our whole team. Everyone started hitting shots and getting stops, and it was a good win for us. Obviously, there’s bad blood between these schools. It’s my first year here (at Furman), but I’m already feeling it. I’m glad we came out, fought for the victory and were the tougher team tonight.”

 

Machowski ignited Wofford’s response with a driving layup, and Vasko, Rex Stirling and Kahmare Holmes added baskets in a 9-0 run to close the half, cutting Furman’s lead to 43-36 at the intermission.

 

That push carried into the second half. Holmes scored five straight points in the opening minutes, and a pair of Brendan Rigsbee free throws, followed by a Holmes triple, capped a 22-4 surge that gave Wofford a 48-44 lead with 17 minutes remaining.

 

Furman answered again. Alex Wilkins drilled a three-pointer, and Tom House converted an old-fashioned three-point play to reclaim a 50-49 advantage. Vasko and Holmes combined for five straight to put Wofford back on top, but Cooper Bowser finished an alley-oop from Wilkins to restore a one-point Furman lead with 9:48 to play.

 

“I haven’t been able to play Wofford since the (SoCon) championship game last year,” Bowser said, referencing an injury that sidelined him in the teams’ January meeting. “Seeing them win on our home floor definitely lit a fire inside of me. We were challenged to play a complete game, especially defensively. I’m happy we were able to come out here and get a win.”

 

Chace Watley converted a three-point play to pull Wofford within 60-59, but baskets from Eddrin Bronson and Johnston pushed the lead back to six. Though Machowski and Holmes later earned trips to the free throw line, Furman’s defense stiffened when it mattered most.

 

Over the final seven minutes, the Paladins held Wofford to just 2-of-15 shooting from the field. They disrupted passing lanes, contested shots, and controlled the defensive glass down the stretch. Wilkins and Vander Wal extended the lead to 69-61, and while Stirling’s layup cut the margin to five with 1:10 remaining, Furman never relinquished control.

 

“I don’t think we played fast enough in certain areas,” Wofford head coach Kevin Giltner said. “We started playing slow in half-court basketball and they were able to be really, physical. Our shot selection and shot creation during that lull were not very good. I’ve got a group of guys that are fired up to continue to get better in practice and dive in on film and scouting reports. We will be ready.”

 

Wofford added two late baskets, but Furman sealed the win by converting eight consecutive free throws in the final minute.

 

“We just wanted to be Furman,” Richey said. “We wanted to get back to our identity and play with toughness. The game honors toughness. Everybody thinks we have a shooting problem. This is not a shooting problem. It’s an intensity, connection, and toughness problem. We’re going to be known by our resolve and how tough we are in critical moments. Tonight, our defense fueled our offense.”

 

Richey also praised Thomas’ hot start.

 

“That guy is a great shooter, man,” he said. “All I told him was if you can see the rim and land on two feet, shoot it. He took great ones and got on fire there. We ran a couple of actions to free him up a little bit. I thought his ability to space the floor was a huge thing that allowed Coop to play how he played.”

 

Thomas led Furman with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Wilkins added 15 points and five assists, while Bowser recorded 13 points and seven rebounds. Johnston chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

 

Furman shot almost 52 percent from the floor, and 9-of-17 from three-point range. The Paladins held advantages in points off turnovers (11-7), points in the paint (36-32) and bench scoring (13-8).

 

Holmes paced Wofford with 20 points, while Vasko posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Stirling finished with 10 points, and Machowski added nine. The Terriers shot nearly 44 percent overall and 7-of-26 from beyond the arc.

 

Furman returns home Wednesday to host The Citadel at 6 p.m., while Wofford travels to face ETSU at 7 p.m.