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UNCG Hands Furman Its Sixth Consecutive Road Loss, 69-54
Jan. 28, 2007
Greensboro, N.C. - Ricky Hickman came off of the bench to tally 31 points and Kyle Hines added 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead UNC Greensboro to a 69-54 victory over Furman in Southern Conference men's basketball action Saturday evening at Fleming Gym.
Leading 48-43 with 9:24 remaining in the game, Hickman delivered the deciding run by outscoring the Paladins 17-4 to give the Spartans a 65-47 advantage with 3:38 left. Hickman, who led the Spartans with 29 points in UNCG's double overtime victory over Furman in December, netted three layups, two three-pointers and connected on 4-of-5 free throws during the run. During the second half stretch, Furman managed just one basket over a 5:54 span.
UNCG, who never trailed in the game, took a commanding first half lead with a 16-0 spurt to open a 20-4 cushion with 11:34 left in the period. Kevin Oleksiak opened the run with a layup and a three-pointer, while Ben Stywall capped it with a jumper and a three-point play.
After trailing 33-22 at intermission, the Paladins twice trimmed the Spartan lead to five before Hickman put the game out of reach.
Furman shot 47.1% from the field, but connected on just 2-of-16 three-point attempts and 4-of-8 free throws. UNCG, who shot 46.5% from the floor and made 4-of-13 treys, controlled the game with a 36-24 rebounding margin and 23 points off of 16 Paladin turnovers.
Senior Gerad Punch made 5-of-7 attempts from the field to lead Furman with 12 points, while guard Robby Bostain chipped in with 10. Hickman finished 10-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 beyond the arc and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe Stywall joined Hines with 10 boards for the Spartans.
The improves UNCG to 11-9 overall and 8-2 in Southern Conference play. Furman, losers of six straight road contests and all four of its SoCon road games this season, falls to 10-11 overall and 4-6 in the league.
The Paladins look to bounce back on Monday when they travel to face the Chattanooga Mocs in a 7 p.m. contest at McKenzie Arena.
