The Furman Paladins faced the Citadel Bulldogs in Charleston, South Carolina for the second time of the season after defeating the Bulldogs 97-72 on Jan. 4. The Dins appeared to have all the momentum, fresh from a streak of eight wins in a row against the Citadel, who in contrast had lost six games in a row. The result was one of the biggest upsets of the 2022-2023 Southern Conference season as the Bulldogs defense came down to life and led to an unexpected win.
The first half started extremely tight with both teams generally keeping pace with one another in terms of scoring. Notable shooters include Marcus Foster and Jalen Slawson. Furman took the lead multiple times throughout the game, but their weak defense prevented them from protecting the lead. The first half ended with the Paladins barely leading 36-34.
The second half was almost a repeat of the first with the Dins displaying weaker defense than usual. With less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Bulldogs would take the lead for good. Furman initiated several deliberate fouls to get the ball back on their side of the court, but successful free throws prevented Furman from retaking the lead, concluding the game with a narrow loss of 65-69. Despite the loss, Furman displayed a successful three-point shooting performance at 32.1% compared to a 27.8% success rate by the Citadel Bulldogs. Both teams had 33 rebounds.