Dec. 21, 2007

Box Score

Logan, Utah - Utah Valley converted 14-of-14 free throws and shot 57.7% from the field in the second half to rally past Furman 71-66 in the consolation game of the 2007 Gossner Foods Holiday Classic Friday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on the Utah State University campus.

Ryan Toolson tallied a game-high 26 points, including 19 after the break, as the Wolverines (5-8) erased Furman's 30-23 halftime lead and outscored the Paladins 48-36 in the second half. The guard hit 3-of-6 shots from beyond the arc and sunk 9-of-10 free throw attempts to top the 20-point barrier for the ninth time this season.

Furman (0-10) led by as many as 12 in the first half, but the Wolverines converted 16-of-18 free throws on the night and made good on 48.1% (25-52 of their field goal attempts to hand the Paladins their fifth loss of the season after leading at the half.

Freshman Justin Dehm buried 5-of-9 three-point attempts and 5-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe to lead Furman with a career-high 22 points. Fellow freshman Noah States tallied 13 points while George Brozos accounted for 12 points and seven rebounds.

Furman shot 42.3% from the floor, making 11-of-26 attempts in each half, including draining 9-of-20 treys. Furman also rebounded from a 5-of-13 effort at the line on Thursday to convert 13-of-16 free throws versus Utah Valley.

Jordan Brady netted 14 points and Richard Troyer posted a double-double with 10 poiints and 10 rebounds to join Toolson in double figures. The Wolverines took a 35-27 edge on the boards and outscored Furman 24-14 in the paint.

Furman takes a seven-day break for the holidays before facing Cal State Fullerton in the opening game of the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic on December 28, at St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif.