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Furman Paladins Rally Past Berry, 68-64
Dec. 29, 2008
Greenville, S.C. -- Furman erased a 15-point halftime deficit to snap an eight-game losing streak with a 68-64 victory over NAIA member Berry College in men's basketball action on Monday evening at Carolina First Court at Timmons Arena.
Trailing the Vikings 46-31 with under 14:30 remaining in the game, Justin Dehm keyed a 27-6 Paladin rally over the next eight minutes with eight of his 10 second half points to give Furman a 58-52 lead. Berry trimmed the lead back to two at 61-59 on a pair of Will Blackwell free throws with 1:02 left, but Furman converted 4-of-5 free throws in the final minute to secure its first victory since topping Emory University 67-51 on November 14.
The Paladins (2-8) turned up the defensive pressure in the final 15 minutes forcing 14 Viking turnovers and scoring 20 points of Berry miscues. The Paladins also buried 30-of-41 free throw attempts, including 18-of-24 in the second half.
Furman opened the game with a 2-0 lead after Berry was issued a technical foul for dunking during warm-ups and Dehm stepped to the line to sink two free throws. The two teams traded the lead several times over the opening five minutes before Berry reeled off seven straight points to grab a 16-10 advantage at 13:23.
The Vikings extended the first half lead to 12 points behind guard Daniel Ferguson's 12 first period points before carrying a 35-26 lead into the lockerroom. Berry tallied the first five points of the second half to take a 40-26 advantage and held a double digit edge until Furman's spurt midway through the half.
Jordan Miller paced Furman for the fifth straight game with 16 points. Dehm and Noah States each added 14 points while Alex Opacic chipped in with 10 points. The Paladins shot just 34% from the field, but committed only 11 turnovers and tallied eight steals.
Chris Clark scored a team-high 16 points for Berry. Ferguson poured in 14 and Jonathan Crawford added 11 points and nine rebounds. The Vikings shot 50% (22-44) from the field, including 7-of-16 beyond the arc, and held a 34-30 edge on the boards.
The Paladins return to Southern Conference action on Saturday when they host Western Carolina in a 4 p.m. tilt at Timmons Arena. The game follows a 1:30 p.m. tip between the Furman women's team and Wofford.
