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Senior PJay Smith Jr. totaled 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals to power Furman to a school-record 12th regular season non-conference win as the Paladins downed Harvard, 77-63, Saturday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass.
12 non-conference wins 🏀 Most in school history!#AllDIN // #BetterTogether pic.twitter.com/bP7sOuUNW1
— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) December 24, 2024
The Paladins outscored Harvard 46-31 in the second half, including finishing the game on a 34-18 run, to improve to 12-1 on the season and claim their fourth true road victory in 2024-25.
DINS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/p5ejgIUayg
— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) December 21, 2024
After Furman took the lead early in the second half, Harvard used a 11-0 spurt to take a 45-43 advantage on Chandler Pigge’s triple with 13:21 to play. Furman answered with 10 straight points. Charles Johnston drained a go-ahead three and Nick Anderson hit a jumper from the baseline before converted on three trips to the foul line. Garrett Hien capped the run with a second-chance opportunity in the paint to put Furman ahead 53-45 with under 10:30 to go.
Layup by PJay Smith! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QseUUgLNB0
— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) December 21, 2024
Harvard responded by trimming the Paladin lead back to three points on three separate occasions and trailed 59-56 with under seven minutes left, but Smith nailed a three-pointer and Furman forced the Crimson into turnovers on three of their next four possessions. Smith converted on a pair of free throws prior to Anderson hitting a floater near the foul line with 4:09 remaining to push the margin to 66-56. The Paladins limited Harvard to just two baskets over the final four minutes to wrap up the win.
Smith went 8-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc, while making all four of his free throws to top 20 points for the fifth time this season. Anderson posted 16 points and Hien added 10. The Paladins (12-1) shot 51.9% from the floor and connected on 10-of-24 attempts beyond the arc. Furman fashioned a 32-30 edge on the glass and outscored the Crimson 30-20 in the paint. Harvard (3-8) shot just 37.9% from the field. Pigge led the Crimson with 16 points and nine rebounds. Thomas Batties II scored 14 points and Evan Nelson and Louis Lesmond netted 11 apiece.
Ben VanderWal with the DUNK!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/rYvMqsZ0e8
— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) December 21, 2024
Furman built a nine-point lead in the first half, but the Crimson ended the period on a 14-3 run to take a 32-31 lead into the locker room. The Paladins answered with a 12-2 spurt to open the second half before the Crimson reeled off 11 straight points to regain the advantage at 45-43. The 11-0 run midway through the second half gave Furman a lead it would not relinquish.
Furman returns to action on January 1 when it opens Southern Conference play versus Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, N.C.
Courtesy of furmanpaladains.com Jordan Caskey
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