Jan. 10, 2005

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Tony Carter scored a season high 18 points to lead Furman to an 82-65 win over visiting UNC Greensboro in Southern Conference basketball action Monday night at Timmons Arena.

Carter, a junior guard from Burlington, N.C., converted 5-of-10 field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 6-of-7 free throws in 36 minutes of action to lead Furman (9-6, 2-1 SoCon South) to its second straight league win and eighth consecutive home victory stretching back to last season.

Robby Bostain added 17 points, Moussa Diagne 16 points and Eric Webb 10 points and a game high five assists and four steals for the Paladins.

UNC Greensboro (9-5, 2-1 SoCon North) got 18 points from Ray Bristow.

"We came with tremendous energy at the beginning of the game and at the start of the second half," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "Rebounding was a big key for us. We're smaller but showed courage in battling on the boards tonight."

Furman shot 50.0 percent for the game, converting 30-of-60 field goal attempts, and claimed a decisive 42-28 rebounding advantage led by Moussa Diagne and Nicholas Sanders' eight caroms each. The Paladins, who entered the contest as the SoCon's top scoring team and leader in 3-point shooting, made 9-of-19 treys (47.4 percent) and 13-of-18 free throws (72.2 percent), which helped to offset 21 turnovers.

Furman built a 15-5 lead seven minutes into the contest, led 24-14 at the 8:33 juncture, and then used a 17-4 run to claim a 41-18 lead following a Carter 3-pointer with 48 seconds left in the first half.

A 3-pointer by Bristow with 18 seconds remaining made it 41-21 at intermission, but it hardly blunted the Paladin onslaught as Furman fashioned a 13-6 spurt over the first six minutes of the second half to stretch its advantage to 27 points following a steal by Eric Webb and layup by Robby Bostain at the 14:00 mark.

The Paladins maintained their 20-point advantage over the next four minutes before Ronnie Burrell's jump shot with 9:41 to go made it a 56-38 game.

A pair of Ben Earle 3-pointers on Furman's next two possessions extended the lead back to 24 points at 62-38.

UNCG twice narrowed the Paladins' advantage to 14 points down the stretch but could get no closer.

Furman returns to action on Saturday when it entertains The Citadel in a 4:00 p.m. game that will be televised by C-SET. UNC Greensboro will play host to Western Carolina on Saturday beginning at 7:00 p.m.