By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)
ROCK HILL, S.C. – With just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening half, the Furman Paladins had built a 15-point advantage in the finale of The Field of 68 Tipoff Marathon. However, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats had other plans.
In the fourth meeting between the two programs — both picked to finish atop their respective conferences, the SoCon and SWAC — Furman had to earn its season-opening win, answering a second-half rally from Bethune-Cookman to come away with a 79-70 victory at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center.
The Paladins held the Wildcats to 1-for-7 shooting from the floor to close out the contest. Furman now leads the all-time series with three wins in the four meetings.
“That’s what we were talking about in that last media (timeout),” Furman acting head coach Pat Estepp said postgame on The Fan Upstate. Estepp served in that role Monday night as Bob Richey is recovering from a recent illness. “I didn’t think we defended great in the second half. We had some transition possessions and miscommunications on some stuff. That was the whole conversation – those last four minutes are ‘winning time’ and we’ve got to do it on (the defensive) end.”
Just three minutes into the second stanza, Bethune-Cookman trailed the Paladins by a 45-36 margin, but a Kevin Patton, Jr. jumper sparked a streak where the Wildcats knocked down five shots in a row. Mari Jordan and Patton each swished on a triple, while IJ Ezuma made a layup and two free throws. Vuk Boskovic buried a three-pointer that tied the game at 50 with 13:49 remaining.
Enter Marcus Kell.
The Western Carolina transfer took it upon himself to make an immediate impact in a pivotal moment, going on a personal 6-0 run to reclaim a six-point Furman lead a little over two minutes later.
Tom House knocked a shot in the lane, while Kell added another and Charles Johnston drained a three from the top of the arc, maintaining a 71-61 Paladin advantage with 5:31 to go. But the Wildcats weren’t done yet.
Jaylen Jones and Jameel Morris combined to score the next 12 points for Bethune-Cookman in a minute and 11 second span, cutting the deficit down to 71-68 with 4:04 remaining.
Another new face — guard Luka Toews from Boston College — stepped up for Furman with a personal 4-0 burst followed by an emphatic three-point play from Johnston with 37 seconds left that served as the dagger and secured the win for the Paladins.
Johnston and House — the tandem Furman play-by-play voice Dan Scott has dubbed the “Law Firm” — paved the way for the Paladins. The duo extended their partnership for another season after receiving additional eligibility through temporary restraining orders in California and Ohio, respectively.
“It was a weird experience being with the team and practicing but not knowing if I was going to get to play with the guys that we’ve been building a relationship with,” House recalled. “That (post on X) was my emotion and I’ve just been so happy to be back on the court with these guys. I think it was an assist from Charlie that got things going. (The three-pointer) is a little bit of our identity, but we’re confident in it and work on it. When those shots come out in the offense, we’re going to take them and knock them down.”
“When I got the original TRO, I was itching to come back,” stated Johnston. “One week, Tom was eligible and one week, I was. I give credit to these guys for getting through this weird patch. It’s easier when you’ve got a team like this around you. Those guys play super hard and get after it. We had those three exhibitions to see what we needed to work on. The defense was the main focus in this game and for the most part in the first half, it was rock solid.”
Johnston posted a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, while House poured in 22 points and three assists. Kell also finished in double figures with 14 points, three assists, and two rebounds, along with eight points and seven assists from Toews. Furman’s first 15 points of the game all came from behind the arc.
“I’m really proud of (Luka),” exclaimed Estepp. “I think Luka has been battling through some stuff and figuring out what his role is. Coach Richey has done a great job helping him solidify that. You’ve just got to go out there and stir the drink. I feel like a prophet right now. I told him, ‘A great game for you with as much offense as we have out there is six or eight points, seven assists, and two turnovers.’ I’m proud of our guys. They’ve done a tremendous job this week staying locked in.”
Bethune-Cookman was led by Jordan with a team-high 22 points and four rebounds, along with nine points apiece from Jones and Morris. Furman returns to Timmons Arena for its first two home games of the campaign against nearby Bob Jones University (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.) and Northern Iowa (Saturday, 4 p.m.).
Leave a Reply