The Furman Paladins are 10-2 at home and the same in games decided by one possession. They are 2-0 in overtime and 6-4 in games decided by less than 10 points. Once 14-1, they are now 18-6.
Anything can happen.
On Wednesday night at, of all places, Bob Jones University, the Paladins needed overtime to stave off a furious upset bid by Western Carolina (6-16, 2-9), the ninth-place team in the Southern Conference, 84-75.
Early on, head coach Bob Richey began referring to his overly dramatic team as “Find a Way Furman.” On occasion, the drama cuts both ways.
Collectively, Furman (18-6, 6-5) missed 21 three-pointers, 11 free throws and trailed by six points with 2:27 to play.

Give this team an inch and it’ll take a mile.
Nick Anderson poured in a game-high 30 points and Garrett Hien added 13 points and a career-best 15 rebounds at BJU’s Davis Field House, one of three replacement homes while Timmons Arena is being reinvented on campus.
Anderson drilled back-to-back triples to pull the Paladins even at 63-63. Bernard Pelote’s driving layup put the Catamounts back on top before Hien hit 1/2 free throws with 25 second remaining to trim the margin to one. Furman fouled Ice Emery and the guard converted on his first free throw before missing the second. Anderson penetrated down the middle of the lane and scored with eight seconds left to tie the game and Western Carolina’s last-second three missed as time expired, sending the game to overtime.

Anderson drained 4/5 free throw attempts over Furman’s first two possessions of the extra period to help the Paladins build a 70-66 lead and Tom House nailed a triple from the left wing to push the margin to 73-66 with 2:53 to play. Pelote got the Catamounts on the board with a pair of free throws, but Anderson answered with a jumper and drained two more free throws on Furman’s next possession to up the lead to 77-68 and Western Carolina could get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
When basketball season started, I wasn’t looking forward to games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and I didn’t expect to be wobbling around on a walker, either.

It’s no fun watching the action at home via ESPN+. The Well is a good place for a big game. Davis Field House afforded a certain intimacy that The Well lacks.

Furman made a season-high 24 free throws on 35 attempts – though still only a .686 percentage — while shooting .413 from the field. Anderson, who scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime, went 10/20 from the floor and 6/7 at the foul line. PJay Smith Jr. scored 15 while Hien posted 13.
“Most nights, and you look at it, when we play well, we have three double-figure scorers,” Richey said afterward on radio to Dan Scott, “but there are some nights when we only have two, and on those nights, it’s a little bit harder for us. We need a third scorer to emerge.”

Marcus Kell scored a career-high 29 for the Catamounts while Pelote posted 13 points and three rebounds. Western Carolina (6-16, 2-9) shot just .333 from the field, including 10/38 from three-point range. The Catamounts managed a 48-47 edge on the glass, but Furman scored 13 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds.
In addition to his 30 points, Anderson had three steals and three assists.
“In the huddles, we’re just telling ourselves, we’ve been here before. We’re battle tested, and as the game progresses, we’re battle tested, and we have to keep our camaraderie, and make sure everyone stays focused on the next play and not past mistakes or anything,” Anderson said to Scott.

“This was kind of a wake-up call,” he added. “You can’t take any game for granted. To be honest, we probably should have lost that game. We found a way to win, and that will will benefit us.”
The first half saw nine lead changes and several long runs. Furman opened a 15-8 lead before Western Carolina used a 14-0 run to take the lead. Furman scored 11 straight points to regain the advantage, but the Paladins did not make a basket in the final five minutes of the half as the Catamounts took a 33-31 lead into the locker room. Western Carolina extended its advantage to eight in the second half before the late rally gave the Paladins their 11th consecutive win over the Catamounts in Greenville.
The Paladins (18-6, 6-5 SoCon) hit the road this weekend for a key SoCon matchup versus the Chattanooga Mocs. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 4:30 p.m. at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Take a look at the stats here.

Former Furman soccer great Clint Dempsey will be inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame as one of 10 members of its class of 2025.
Dempsey, who was a three-year standout for the Paladins prior to an unforgettable career in the professional ranks and with the United States National Team, will be inducted at the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet on Monday, May 19, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. He will be joined in the 2025 class by Nelson Brownlee, Gary Gilmore, Susan Hill-Whitson, Shannon Johnson, Ralph Lundy, Harold Olson, Landon Powell, Richard Seymour, and Don Whitehead.
A native of Nacogdoches, Texas, Dempsey led Furman to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths in his stint in Greenville before becoming the first American to score a goal in three World Cups. He finished his remarkable career tied for the all-time lead in goals by a U.S. National Team player and scored more goals in the English Premier League than any American in history.

Head football coach Clay Hendrix announced the addition of two high school recruits to the Paladins’ program on Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

Furman’s additions include running back Isaiah Davis from Cleveland, Tenn. (Cleveland H.S.) and linebacker M.J. Jenkins from Gainesville, Fla. (Bolles H.S.).
Davis served as his team captain and rushed for 1,503 yards and scored 13 touchdowns last fall in helping Cleveland High School to a 7-4 season. He was a three-time all-region selection.

Jenkins, who served as a team captain as both a junior and senior, paced Bolles with 98 tackles,10 tackles for-loss, four sacks and three fumble recoveries in 2024, helping his squad to a 10-2 campaign and third-round playoff appearance. He notched 17 stops and a sack for safety against Gadsden County in playoff action.
In December Furman announced the signing of 10 high school recruits.
Hendrix also announced on Wednesday the addition of five players to the program. They include wide receiver Connor Morin from Centreville, Va. (Westfield H.S.), placekicker Bruce Brown from Central (Daniel H.S.), bandit Mason Keely of Dayton, Ohio (Centerville H.S.), punter William Pendergrass of Knoxville, Tenn. (Bearden H.S.), and offensive lineman Harris Jenne of Chattanooga, Tenn. (Silverdale Baptist Academy).

Sophomore Audrey Ryu (-1) tied for 11th to pace the Furman women’s golf team Tuesday in the final round of the Puerto Rico Classic, which was hosted by Purdue at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
A native of Dublin, Ohio, Ryu started on No. 12 in the shotgun start. She birdied No. 2 then added consecutive birdies on her final two holes, No. 10 and No. 11, to finish the round with a 75. She ended the tournament eight strokes behind the individual medalist, Maria Jose Marin (-9) of Arkansas, who tallied a three-round total of 71-68-68=207 to win the tournament by two strokes.
Furman will compete at the MountainView Collegiate, March 2-4, in Tucson, Ariz.
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I’m getting a little stronger, but I tire easily. Energy remains a problem.

In the off chance you’d like to read my novels and other books, they’re available on Amazon and many prominent bookseller sites.
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Illness has left me with some additional expenses. I hope to sell off some memorabilia I’ve accumulated over the years.
Cowboys Come Home is a novel about a couple of young Texans home from World War II. Texas has changed in their absence.
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