In the yawning epic known as the Southern Conference men’s basketball season, Furman played the first act against type.

The reigning champion and preseason pick is 6-9 and 0-2, the latter being the SoCon schedule to date. The injury-plagued Paladins need a victory in the worst way at Timmons Arena on Wednesday night when The Citadel comes to play at 7 p.m.

This will be the 220^th time the Paladins and Bulldogs have played. The Citadel upset Furman the last time they played, but that was in Charleston. The Paladins have won eight in a row at Timmons and 13 of the last 15 games in the rivalry. The Citadel’s 69-65 victory last February ended a Furman streak of nine.

The Citadel (8-7, 0-2) has also taken initial losses to Western Carolina (80-71) and Samford (80-64).

Sophomore A.J. Smith leads head coach Ed Conroy’s Bulldogs, averaging 16.1 points per game.

J.P. Pegues and Alex Williams returned to the floor against Chattanooga, but their return did not yield immediate results, at least in terms of the win column.

The Mocs raced out to a 43-20 halftime lead and held the Paladins to a season-low 58 points to snap Furman’s three-game series winning streak. A skein of 13 straight missed three-pointers and a drought of over 13 minutes without a basket in the opening half contributed to the Paladins shooting just .275.

Tyler Millin paced five Mocs in double figures with 16 points. Pegues and Williams returned from injury to lead the Paladins with 16 and 15 points, respectively, but combined, the two hit 11/39 field-goal attempts. Pegues added 11 rebounds to post his second double-double in his last four games.

Marcus Foster remains sidelined with a knee injury he suffered on Dec. 4. He is expected to return sometime this month.

Wednesday’s game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can listen to the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, on 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, or via the Audacy app.

Following Wednesday’s game, Furman welcomes East Tennessee State to Timmons Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of Legends Weekend.

The Furman women, who have a better record (10-6) than the men so far, are to open SoCon play on Thursday night in Cullowhee against Western Carolina, which will, however, provide a sterner test than the Paladins faced against Converse (93-40) on Sunday.

Western Carolina (5-10) is riding a three-game win streak against lesser opposition: Queens, Southern Wesleyan and Montreat. The Catamounts’ leading scorer, Ashley Wooten, averages 11.3 points, and Mya Love scores at a 10.3 norm. Three more average more than seven. Lonasia Brewer, who averages 7.7, leads the rebounders with 6.2.

Five Paladins average double figures in tight descension: Jada Session (13.3), Sydney Ryan (11.9), Kate Johnson (11.6), Niveya Henley (11.1) and Tate Walters (10.6). Walters has more than twice as many assists (70, 4.1). Session and Johnson clean the boards at averages of 8.9 and 7.4, respectively.

The Western Carolina game taps at 7 p.m. The Paladins play Wofford in Spartanburg on Saturday at 2.

Keep those cards, letters and donations coming. The sports seasons are back at full speed. In the fall, I’m up all night on weekends. In winter, I’m up late most nights.

I’m thankful for your support, whether by advertising, contributing or reading.

Thanks so much for the recent contributions. My goal is to provide unique coverage of local sports. I’m aware that folks appreciate what I do, particularly the kids, coaches, parents and fans.

I used to list an address to send a check (DHK Sports, P.O. Box 768, Clinton, S.C. 29325). I finally got it through my thick head that not that many people write checks nowadays. For example, me. A more convenient means might be sending a reasonable contribution to DHK Sports on Venmo.

Support the advertisers, and help keep the site – the game stories, the blogs, the photos – alive by making, if you choose, a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

Another way I can make a little is if you purchase my books at MonteDutton.net. They’re quite entertaining in spite of the fellow who wrote them. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions. The latest, The Latter Days, is about baseball.

Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.