Nov. 9, 2007

Box Score

Asheville, N.C. - Senior Bryan Smithson tallied a game-high 24 points and K.J. Garland added 19 to lead UNC Asheville past Furman 78-75 in the season opener for both teams Friday evening at the Justice Center.

Furman, behind freshman Justin Dehm's 14 second half points, trimmed a 12-point deficit down to three in the final moments, but junior Alex Opacic's last second three-pointer from the left wing bounced off the back iron allowing the Bulldogs to escape with a three point victory.

UNCA looked to be in control when a pair of Kenny George free throws pushed the Bulldog advantage to 11 at 73-62 with less than four minutes remaining. After trading baskets, Dehm and Opacic connected on back-to-back treys to cut the lead to 75-71 with 2:15 left. George and Dehm traded free throws before Furman pulled within two when Tony Anderson fed a slashing Dehm for a layup with just 49 seconds left.

The Paladins fouled Garland on the inbound and the guard converted one of two at the charity stripe with 23 second left. Jordan Miller missed a quick three-pointer from the right corner, but Dehm secured the rebound and Furman called timeout with 9.8 seconds remaining. Opacic got an open look from just left of the top of the key following the inbound, but could not force overtime.

Garland and Smithson each connected on 8-of-13 field goal attempts and grabbed four rebounds while Garland added seven assists. George, a 7-foot-7 center tallied 12 points, seven boards and five blocked shots for the Bulldogs. UNC Asheville shot 51.0% (26-51) from the field, including 52.9% (9-17) from three-point range.

Dehm made 6-of-9 field goal attempts, including 3-of-6 from long range to pace the Paladins. Senior George Brozos added 13 points and six rebounds while freshman Bobby Austin finished with 10 points. Junior Stanley Jones and freshman Noah States each chipped in with eight points. Jones led the Paladins with a game-high eight rebounds.

After shooting just 30.8% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, Furman converted 17-of-38 (44.7%) second half field goals. The Paladins connected on 10-of-27 threes and made 15-of-16 attempts at the foul line.

Furman grabbed the early lead and led 11-8 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Smithson gave UNCA its first lead on a jumper with 10 minutes remaining and buried a three off of a turnover to up the advantage to 16-11. The Bulldogs would lead the rest of the way.

UNCA held a 35-31 edge in rebounding while turning the ball over 18 times. Furman committed just 13 turnovers on the night and just four after intermission.

Furman continues its three-game road trip Monday when the Paladins travel to face Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.