Box Score
The Bruins surprised the crowd at Timmons Arena by storming out to an early lead, but they woke the sleeping giant as the Furman University Paladins battled back to take the lead and never looked back in a 101-48 win.
"We displayed poise and confidence and really looked good in the first ten minutes of the game," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "Unfortunately we got into some first half foul trouble with our key scorers and it became really tough for us to manufacture points."
The Bruins came into Friday's game with a 1-3 record having picked up their first win of the season on Tuesday night as they defeated Barber-Scotia College 97-77. For the Paladins, Friday night's game was the opener for the 2017-18 season. Furman finished the 2016-17 season at 23-12 before falling in the SoCon quarterfinals to Samford University.
From the opening tip, the Paladins struggled from behind the arc with five straight misses. Meanwhile, the Bruins were able to build a 6-0 advantage behind the scoring touch of Nate Ellenwood. Justin Matthews got into the scoring mix as the senior scored 8 points in two minutes of play to put the Bruins up 14-7. The Bruins were able to build to a 16-11 lead, forcing the Paladins to take a timeout. Near the halfway point of the first half, Furman began to find their groove as their shots began to fall as the team went on a 16-0 run to overtake the Bruins. Still, the Bruins continued to battle as Jayson Barnhart was able to drive through the lane for points. As the first half ended, the Paladins had outscored the Bruins 31-11 in the final nine minutes to take a 47-31 lead into the break.
In the second half, it was the Bruins shooting that went cold as the team shot just 22% from the floor. The Paladins defense forced the Bruins to turn the ball over which turned into transition points on the other end. Furman couldn't seem to miss from three point range as they went 5-6 to open the second half to go up 77-44. From there, the Paladins never looked back as they rolled to a 101-48 win.
"Every loss carries with it the seeds for future victory if you are willing to evaluate and examine yourself," Coach Uwarow said. "We want to never miss an opportunity to learn and we'll get better as a result of this game."
The Bruins second half struggles were apparent as the team scored just 17 points in the second half. Jayson Barnhart led the Bruins with 16 points and 5 rebounds on the night. Nate Ellenwood scored 11 points on the night while Justin Matthews finished with 10. Twenty-one turnovers hurt the Bruins on the night as the team falls to 1-4 on the season. Next up, the Bruins will be back home Tuesday night for a matchup with Newberry College. Tip-off for the game is at 7 p.m. at the Davis Field House.
