Jan. 12, 2008

Box Score

Greenville, S.C. - Furman's Tony Anderson buried an apparent game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, but the basket was later waved off allowing Elon to escape with a 60-58 victory over the Paladins in Southern Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

Brett James converted a Chris Jones lob with 33 seconds remaining to put Elon ahead 60-58 and Ola Atoyebi earned a one-and-one attempt at the foul line after a Furman turnover. Following an Atoyebi miss and a timeout, Furman inbounded the ball in the front court with 17 seconds left. Bobby Austin missed a three at the top of the key, but Justin Dehm grabbed the loose ball and found Anderson for the apparent game-winning trey from the right wing.

Furman's fans rushed the court in celebration as the basket was ruled good, but after a conference at mid-court involving the officials, it was determined that the buzzer sounded before the shot was released.

The win improved Elon to 7-9 overall and 5-3 in SoCon play. Furman slumps to 2-14 overall and 1-6 inside the league. The loss overshadowed Alex Opacic's first career double-double. The junior tallied a career-high 20 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.

James paced Elon with 19 points and nine rebounds while Atoyebi added 13 points. The Phoenix shot 43.1% from the floor and converted on 7-of-18 three-point attempts. Furman shot 46.8% from the field, but made just 3-of-14 treys and 11-of-19 free throws. Elon connected on 9-of-12 shots at the charity stripe.

The Phoenix rushed out to a 36-27 halftime lead and stretched their advantage to 46-31 on a Montell Watson three-pointer with 15:20 remaining. The Paladins responded with a 14-1 run while holding Elon without a field goal for over seven minutes to trim the lead to 47-45 on a pair of Anderson free throws with 7:56 left.

Elon upped the lead to five, but baskets by George Brozos and Connor Nolte cut the lead to one. Opacic pulled Furman even making the front end of a two-shot foul with 4:46 remaining. The lead changed hands three times before Brett James' jumper gave the Phoenix a four-point lead at the 2:19 mark.

Austin stole an Elon pass and was intentionally fouled on his way to the basket. After the freshman sunk both free throws, Opacic hit a short jumper in the lane to tie the game at 58-58 with 1:05 remaining. Austin followed with the catch and layup for the eventual game-winning basket.

Furman out-rebounded the Phoenix 32-29. It marked the first time this season that the Paladins gained the edge on the glass. Furman committed 16 turnovers while Elon was guilty of 13 miscues.

The Paladins return to action Wednesday night hosting defending SoCon champion Davidson. Tip-off if scheduled for 7 p.m. at Timmons Arena. Elon hosts Georgia Southern on January 17, at 7 p.m.