Men and Women's Furman Basketball teams played Southern Conference rivals Wofford in the Weekend at the Well on Feb. 4. The double-header filled Bon Secours Wellness Arena with Furman fans, and students turned out in large numbers to support the Dins.
The Lady Paladins started out strong obtaining an early 8-2 lead. The lead dwindled throughout the first quarter as the period ended in a 20-20 tie. Furman's stellar first half shooting kept the game close with the Dins shooting 50% from three-point land in the first quarter. Furman's control over the game slipped further in the second quarter. As a result, the Dins went down 39-34 coming into the second half. The Dins briefly regained the lead in the fourth quarter but could not hold onto the lead and lost the game by three.
The turnover differential between the teams was a large factor with Furman giving the ball up 12 more times than Wofford. Forward Grace van Rij, who put up 22 points, led Furman in scoring. Sydney James and Sydney Ryan had double-figure points as well. All three of them also contributed on the board as each had eight or more rebounds in the game.
The Men's Basketball team got out to a dominant 17-3 start, establishing their presence early. Going into the second half, the Paladins had a large lead of 17. They stayed in front throughout the second half, never leading by less than ten. The Dins forced a whopping 15 turnovers that resulted in easy fast break opportunities.
The game ended in a 80-67 win for Furman with Wofford never gaining a lead at any point.
The Paladins had a balanced scoring output: Jalen Slawson, Alex Williams, JP Pegues, and Mike Bothwell all reached double figures. Slawson, who led the team with 16 points, also put up nine rebounds in the contest, with Pegues tacking on seven assists.