By MONTE DUTTON

Bob Richey brings a basketball team to a boil as if it were a fine Texas chili.
This one required a greater heat. It was tasty, though. The ingredients were mostly fresh.
A smiling Aussie, Charles Johnston, pumped in 25 points, hitting 8/9 field goals, 4/5 three-pointers and 5/5 free throws, to lead Furman (3-0) past Jacksonville (1-2), 78-69, in front of 2,007 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Monday night. The 6-11 junior, from Sydney by way of Cal Monterey Bay, also had three rebounds and a steal.
Johnston enjoyed himself immensely.

“One of the most important things, when we came into the game, was to block up the paint as much as we could,” he said. “[Jacksonville is] a really good rebounding team. They had 18 offensive rebounds against Florida (an 81-60 loss). We knew coming in that we really had to rebound. If you miss a block out, you got taken out. That was our mentality.

“Go in. Hit ‘em hard. They’re a really strong, athletic team. … There were patches when we let them get too many offensive rebounds. It was a big emphasis before the game.”
It was a fierce draw. Both teams had 39 rebounds, but the Dolphins won the offensive boards, 15-9. Individually, Garrett Hien pulled down 14 for the Paladins, Stephon Payne III 13 for Jacksonville.

The fierceness of play and Furman’s depth contributed to its superior shooting. The Paladins shot .456 (26/57) from the floor, .346 (9/26) from deep and .708 (17/24) from the line. Furman had the upper hand in the contested shots as Jacksonville managed .369 (24/65), .240 (6/25) and .750 (15/20), respectively. Off the bench, the Paladins outscored the Dolphins, 40-15.
“No one anticipated this group would defend like they’re defending,” Richey said. “No one was writing about that. All of a sudden, we go out there and we know how to lock up.

“We’re big. We’ve got to play big. We showed that. The best teams are skilled, they’re smart and they’re tough. … No one’s a finished product right now. It’s not like we’re starting five seniors. … You’re seeing some guys who are growing right in front of you.”

After trailing, 36-33, at halftime, Furman beat Jacksonville by 12 points, 45-33, in the latter 20 minutes. Furman’s defense keyed a decisive 14-0 run by holding Jacksonville scoreless for a stretch of 6:49 in the second half.
Trailing 41-37 following Payne’s three-point play with 16:03 left, the Paladins kept Jacksonville off the board and opened up a 51-41 lead. The Dolphins trimmed the margin back to eight, but Furman pushed its advantage out to as many as 16 points en route to its third consecutive victory. The 3-0 start marked the first for the Paladins since the 2020-21 season.

Senior point guard PJay Smith Jr. produced 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals while grad forward Hien achieved his second career double-double with 11 points to go with the career-best 14 boards. Junior Tom House rounded out Furman’s double-figure scorers with 13 points.
“They were trying to speed us up and trying to play us physical,” said Smith. “We wanted to play fast, but we had to find a balance. We ended up settling down.
“Everybody off the court is just as close as we are on the court. That translates a lot.”

Robert McCray led the Dolphins with a game-high 26 points, and Zach Bell reached double digits with 11. Jacksonville scored only eight points over the first 11:45 of the second half.
“They’re going to play you really physical,” said Richey. “They’re going to get out and press. They’re going to pressure you.
“They’ve got a great identity. They know exactly what they’re going to do in the game. … They were the aggressors, but I thought it turned there with about two and a half minutes before halftime. … [We] responded. That’s what this group has been about.
Tyrese Hughey, the team’s other senior, did not score (or take a shot) but led in the statistical plus-minus with plus-16, a Richey point of emphasis. Johnston had a plus-15 and Smith a plus-14.

“He plays 12 minutes, and he’s plus-16,” Richey said of Hughey. “At the end of the day, if ‘Rese’ doesn’t do that, we don’t win. That’s the beauty of what this team is showing. They want to play with one another, and they want to play for one another.
“It doesn’t matter whose night it is. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit. There’s no ego in it. Let’s go win a game. I think that’s why they’re being rewarded. … It was a heck of a team win. That’s a program win.”

Furman continues its homestand on Friday night when it welcomes Tulane to the Well for a 7 p.m. contest.
Take a look at the stats here.
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