Jan. 23, 2010

Box Score

Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel tallied 16 straight points as part of a 22-2 second half run to erase an eight-point deficit on its way to a 70-60 victory over Furman in Southern Conference men's basketball action Saturday night at McAlister Field House.

The win upped The Citadel's record to 10-10 overall and 4-4 in SoCon play while Furman slipped to 9-10 overall and 3-5 inside the league.

After Furman extended its lead back to eight points at 42-34 on a pair of Justin Dehm free throws with 14:40 to play, The Citadel took control with a 22-2 run, included a 16-0 spurt, which turned a 44-40 Paladin advantage into a 56-44 Bulldogs lead. The Citadel held Furman scoreless from the 11:57 mark until Amu Saaka connected on a jumper with 4:10 remaining.

The Bulldogs, who shot 45.0% from the floor in the second half while holding Furman to 36.0% shooting, made 12-of-14 free throws over the final 2:31 of the game to secure its third straight victory over the Paladins. The loss marked the fourth defeat for Furman in its last five games.

Furman shot 50% in the first half to grab a 30-29 lead at the break. After Zach Urbanus put the Bulldogs ahead 32-30 with a three-pointer to open the second half, Bryson Barnes and Dehm drained treys to key a 10-0 run to give Furman a 40-32 lead with 15:08 left. The Paladins made just six field goals over the final 15 minutes.

Cameron Wells led The Citadel with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Bryan Streeter added 14 points and 10 boards. The Bulldogs shot just 37.7% from the field, but hit 8-of-20 three-point shots and connected on 22-of-29 trips to the foul line. The Citadel, which committed just eight turnovers, managed a 37-30 edge on the boards and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.

Saaka, a junior, paced the Paladins with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Colin Reddick posted 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots while Barnes added seven points and a team-high nine rebounds. Furman shot 42.9% (21-49), but made only 4-of-14 shots from three-point range.

Furman returns home to host Samford on Monday on Carolina First Court at Timmons Arena. The game, which will follow the Furman women's basketball team hosting Samford at 5 p.m., is set to tip-off at 7 p.m.

Live statistical updates and play-by-play of all Furman home games are available for free through GameTracker at www.furmanpaladins.com. Furman Paladins basketball can be heard live at WOLT-FM 103.3 and WGOG-FM 96.3.