Furman was able to deal with the deliberate offense by 4th seed Virginia in a round one win in the NCAA Tournament Thursday. Saturday however, the overpowering defense by 5th seed San Diego State was too much for the Paladins, and they were knocked out of the tournament by the Aztecs 75-52. The Paladins were held to a season low point total as they shot just 32% for the game while the Aztecs hit 50% of their shots.
The game got away from Furman midway through the first half. They held a 16-12 lead then went 2:09 without a basket. By the next time the Paladins put one in the bucket, the Aztecs had built a 37-25 lead. The lead was 14 at the break and the Paladins got no closer than that in the second half as the Aztecs gradually put the game out of reach.
After shooting 33% in the opening 20 minutes, the Paladins fared no better in the second half making just 8-26 (30%) from the floor, half of those three-pointers. The Aztecs size was a problem for Furman. They scored over half their points (40) in the paint, including 30 points on layups, and won the rebound battle 41-24. Ten offensive rebounds became 18 second chance points for San Diego State.
Mike Bothwell led the Paladins with 15 points. They finish their season with a 28-8 record.
Final Stats
Furman postgame press conference
Bob Richey, Mike Bothwell and Jalon Slawson
