February has not been kind to the Furman men’s basketball team thus far. After handily defeating Georgia Southern at home on Jan. 31, 81-74, the Paladins have dropped seven straight games to Southern conference opponents this month.
This seven game skid marks the worst losing streak the Paladins have had since the 2008-2009 season.
The tone of this disastrous month was set following a devastating and heartbreaking loss at home to the Citadel at the very beginning of the month. In the first half, the Paladins put together one of their best performances of the season, dominating the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor.
The Paladins, led by Charlie Reddick, who was playing like a man possessed, seemed to be running away with the game and onto a second straight win, carrying a 16 point lead into halftime.
What seemed to be a sure victory slowly dissipated however, as Furman came out flat defensively in the second half of the game. Capitalizing on this, the Citadel came surging back into the game shooting an unconscious 74.1% from the field, and scoring an incredible 60 points in the half to edge out Furman for the win, 84-79.
The Paladins may have lost more than just the game that night, as they have not been able to return to the same form they were in at the conclusion of January, getting blown out against UNC-Greensboro the very next game, and narrowly missing an opportunity to defeat Elon at home.
Late season injuries are also to blame, devastating the Paladins roster at a crucial and inconvenient point during their 7 game skid.
Aside from the players who have been out all season, the injury bug has kept key players such as starting point guard Stephen Croone and wingman Charlie Reddick out of commission in recent games.
Injuries this season have continued to hinder the performance of the team, as Jeff Jackson had only eight players dress to play in a recent home loss against Samford.
Despite heroic and inspired efforts by the players who remain on the roster, things seem far from turning around.
In their most recent game, the Paladins suffered easily their worst loss of the year against SoCon powerhouse Davidson on the road at Belk Arena. The Paladin offense was seemingly nonexistent, as the Wildcat defense held Furman to a season low 36 points on 25% shooting from the floor in a 73-36 loss.
The game against Davidson marks the first matchup of a three game stretch on the road, as they look to get another victory against Georgia Southern and seek to avenge their heartbreaking loss to the Citadel.
The Paladins make their final home stand in the season finale on Mar. 2 against College of Charleston.
With key players healing and returning from injury and an inspired effort, the Paladins hope to end out the season out on a high note and gain momentum heading into the Southern Conference tournament.