'Dins rebound from losses

With their second-leading scorer on the bench due to an injury, the Furman men's basketball team (10-10, 4-5 in SoCon) struggled to maintain the high level of play they showed early in the season. The team dropped two road contests in Charleston, 92-80 to College of Charleston (13-7, 8-1) and 70-60 to The Citadel (10-10, 4-4), to fall to 9-10 on the season and 3-5 in Southern Conference play.

Junior forward Amu Saaka continued to lead the way with a pair of strong offensive performances (15 against Charleston, 19 against The Citadel), but a complimentary offensive threat, the Paladins struggled to keep pace with hot shooting opponents.

Charleston posted a field goal percentage (56.4%) almost 20 percent higher than Furman's (37.7%), and The Citadel doubled up the Paladin's production from three-point range.

The team also struggled with fouls and turnovers, mistakes that have plagued the team all year.

There may, however, have been a silver lining to the injury. With an all-conference guard on the bench, other Paladins have stepped up to fill the void.

Bryson Barnes recorded 17 points against Charleston, and freshman big man Colin Reddick scored double digits in both contests (11 and 13, respectively).

Then Jordan Miller returned.

Against Samford (9-11, 3-5), the Paladins returned to their home gym and their winning ways with a 63-58 win, despite leading scorer Saaka experiencing an off night shooting the ball. Saaka was 3-8 from the field, but chipped in with 8 rebounds as senior guard Darryl Evans paced the Paladins with 18 points.

It wasn't an easy win for the Paladins. Trailing 27-20 with under five minutes remaining in the first half, Furman clawed their way to a 31-30 lead at the half thanks to clutch free throw shooting from sophomore forwards Chris Toler and Brandon Sebirumbi.

In the second half, the Paladins and Bulldogs were never separated by more than four points until sophomore Justin Dehm's three-pointer with 7:45 remaining gave the Paladins a lead they would not relinquish.

The win pushes Furman back into the middle of the pack in the Southern Conference heading into a tough contest Saturday against title contending Wofford (14-8, 6-3). After their trip to Spartanburg, the Paladins begin the back half of their Southern Conference schedule with a home clash against UNC-Greensboro (4-16, 3-6) on Thursday.

With all of the focus on the team's improved play on the court, the home court advantage may be the biggest factor for down the stretch.

The Paladins are positioned favorably to make a run to close out the season, despite the position in the middle of the standings. After facing Wofford on the road, only three away games remain, two against middle of the pack Davidson and Chattanooga, and one against cellar-dwelling Georgia Southern.

With some good play Furman, 6-3 at home, could easily turn a bit of the Timmons Arena magic into a favorable seed in the Southern Conference Tournament in March.

The chances of that success, however, could all depend on how badly this team - and their fans - want it.