Greenville, S.C. – Mike Bothwell led four Paladins in double figures with 17 points and Furman held Chattanooga to 33.3% shooting to claim its fifth consecutive win with a 79-58 triumph over the Mocs on Wednesday evening at Timmons Arena.
The victory improved the Paladins, who completed the regular season home-and-home sweep of the Mocs, to 18-6 overall and 9-2 in Southern Conference play. Chattanooga fell to 12-12 overall and 4-7 in the league.
Leading 58-52 with 10:20 left following a 12-0 run by the Mocs, Furman’s Jalen Slawson converted on two trips to the line and Bothwell scored in the paint on consecutive possessions to ignite a 13-0 run to put the game away. The Paladins held the Mocs without a point for over five minutes and pushed their advantage to 71-52 on JP Pegues’ free throws with 5:37 remaining.
Bothwell added a career-best nine rebounds to go with his 17 points as Furman posted a 53-32 edge on the glass. The Paladins 53 boards matched their highest total since grabbing 55 rebounds against Southern Wesleyan on December 2, 2020. Slawson notched his seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds while adding a game-high six assists. Marcus Foster and Pegues rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Chattanooga led until the midway point of the first half before Furman closed the opening 20 minutes on a 20-7 run to lead 42-31 at intermission. Furman held the Mocs to just one point over the final 5:30 of the first half.
The Paladins shot 41.3% from the field and connected on 20-of-25 free throw attempts. Furman outscored the Mocs by a 38-20 margin in the paint and posted 18 second chance points on 21 offensive rebounds.
Dalvin White and Jamaal Walker led Chattanooga with 15 points apiece and Jamal Johnson contributed 12. The Mocs hit 7-of-15 three-point attempts in the first half but went just 2-for-8 from long range over the final 20 minutes.
First-place Furman continues its homestand in downtown Greenville on Saturday when it hosts the Wofford Terriers for Weekends at the Well. Tip-off at Bon Secours Wellness Arena is slated for 6 p.m. and tickets are available by clicking here. Saturday’s doubleheader begins with the Furman women’s basketball team hosting the Terriers at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s game will air live on CBS Sports Network and fans can listen to the radio broadcast on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM, 1330 AM, and via the Audacy app.
