By MONTE DUTTON

My God. I’ve had an addiction to college bowl games since I was in grade school. They’re not the same, but the games must go on because ESPN says so.

As long as Duke’s Mayonnaise (which I love) ponies up, a 5-7 Mississippi State can play an 8-4 Wake Forest, and, sadly, I will watch it. The winning head coach will be doused by a cooler full of mayo, and the announcers will sample all sorts of culinary concoctions that have good old Duke’s as one of the ingredients. I attended one of these Charlotte games, then sponsored by Belk’s, the last time Clemson had a season like this one.

I guest-hosted a NASCAR show on satellite radio, and a friend and I walked down from the NASCAR Hall of Fame to watch South Florida defeat the Tigers.

Now, as I grow older, I dutifully watch one of the directional Michigans (Eastern, Western, Central) play the onetime capital of the Visigothic Kingdom (Toledo). The next morning, I immediately fixed a cup of coffee in hopes of clearing enough cobwebs to remember whom I watched the night before.

One of the reasons I watch these games is that it’s cheap. All it costs me is a bag of microwave popcorn and the aforementioned K-cup of Breakfast Blend.

Sure, I get out. I watched a humdinger of a basketball game at Timmons Arena on Wednesday afternoon. I even got home in time to watch Miami upset Ohio State. It was possibly the first time I ever hoped the Hurricanes would win. Given the choice of two villains, I generally go with the underdog.

These bowl games make everybody nuts. Georgia ran more trick plays than the Savannah Bananas, and all but one failed.

Now only the games of consequence are left, so all the country’s great players can get down to deciding for whom they will play next season.

What in the name of Lane Kiffin is going on here?

Furman picked the worst time to go cold.

Overtime.

Marcus Kell scored seven of his team-high 16 points in overtime to help Western Carolina edge Furman, 80-77, in Southern Conference men’s basketball on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena. 

The loss snapped Furman’s six-game winning streak and dropped the Paladins to 10-5, 1-1 in the SoCon. Western Carolina improved to 5-8 and 1-1 in the league.

Tied at 65-65 at the end of regulation, Kell led the Catamounts on an 11-3 run to build a 76-68 advantage. After three Asa Thomas free throws trimmed the margin to five points, Julien Soumaoro connected on a jumper with 40 seconds to go to restore the Catamounts’ seven-point lead.

Following a Tom House layup and Paladin timeout, Furman’s full-court pressure produced back-to-back steals and layups from Charles Johnston and Alex Wilkins to cut the WCU lead to 78-77 with 23 seconds to go. Cord Stansberry drew a foul on the next inbounds pass against the Paladins’ pressure and converted two free throws to give Western Carolina an 80-77 edge. After advancing the ball into the frontcourt, Furman called timeout with under seven seconds left. Furman got the ball to Wilkins on the final possession but his off balance three-pointer from the left wing came up short.

The Paladins connected on just 1/6 triples in the extra period.

Kell hit 7/14 shots to post 16 points while Soumaoro also totaled 16 to lead the Catamounts. Stansberry finished with 15 points and Tidjiane Dioumassi added 12 for a Catamount squad that splashed 10/20 three-point tries and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to fashion an 18-9 advantage in second-chance points. Soumaoro led Western Carolina with eight boards to propel the Catamounts to a 48-35 rebounding margin.

“It was a tough lesson,” said Furman head coach Bob Richey. “This game requires a certain mindset. This game requires toughness. This game requires coming out every single game with a consistent mindset to play to a standard. We can come up with a million excuses, but we didn’t get the job done, and the way you know that is we played much harder in the second half than we did in the first half. Ultimately, that’s my responsibility.”

Furman trailed 38-30 at the half and faced a five-point deficit in the final six minutes before a House triple and back-to-back baskets in the paint from Wilkins gave the Paladins a 60-58 lead with 4:16 to go. Western Carolina tied the game on a basket by Soumaoro with 2:15 to go. and both teams had chances to pull ahead in regulation. Furman got the ball with under 25 seconds remaining and a chance to win the game, but Thomas could not convert a triple from the right side.

Furman managed to shoot .450, lessened by an 11/32 effort behind the arc, and outscored the Catamounts 34-28 in the paint. The Paladins turned the ball over just 10 times, but Western Carolina scored 16 points off the miscues and Furman shot just .471 (8-17) at the foul line.

Furman has shot less than .700 from the foul line in 9/15 games.

Wilkins finished with a game-high 24 points while Johnston added 14 points. Vander Wal scored 11 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists.

“We knew [Western] was going to come in and fight just like they do every time we play them,” Vander Wal said.

“It was a great atmosphere in the arena today,” said Richey. “Probably the most disappointing thing about the loss was not giving the fans a win in an atmosphere like that.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have our team ready to play in the first half with the necessary intensity and effort that is required to win a league game.”

Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to face the Chattanooga Mocs in a nationally televised matchup on CBS Sports Network. Tip-off at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn., is 5 p.m. Western Carolina visits Samford on Wednesday night.

Take a look at the stats here.

Defensive end Joshua Stoneking is the FCS Defensive Player of the Year according to the Division I subdivision’s athletics directors.
Stoneking is the third Furman football player to win a national player of the year plaudit, joining linebacker Jeff Blankenship (1988) and running back Louis Ivory (2001). He is the seventh athlete in school history to land a national player of the year, j oining Frank Selvy, 1954 (men’s basketball); Brad Faxon, 1982 (men’s golf); Angel Myers Martino, 1986 (women’s swimming); and NatalieSrinivasan, 2020 (women’s golf).
Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard was Offensive Player of the Year.
Stoneking and Brungard were among 11 All-America honorees selected as the best player at each position.
Stoneking’s FCS ADA All-America honor marks his seventh this year, which also includes those of Football Central, Associated Press, Stats Perform, AFCA, Walter Camp Foundation and Phil Steele.

Stoneking finished runner-up in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually by Stats Perform to the top defensive player in the FCS.

Winners of the Buchanan Award, along with the Walter Payton Award, presented to the top offensive player, were announced as this year’s FCS Award Ceremony held at the Woolworth Theatre in Nashville, Tenn., as part of the FCS National Championship Week.  Furman head coach Clay Hendrix and defensive coordinator Duane Vaughn were among those in attendance, in addition to members of Stoneking’s family.

Mercer defensive lineman Andrew Zock won the award after tallying 133 points, including 15 first-place tabs among the 35 cast.  Stoneking finished second with 119 points, garnering 10 first place votes.  Fordham linebacker James Conway was a distant third with 78 points.

Stoneking joins Furman All-America linebacker and Hall of Famer Will Bouton in posting the highest Paladin finisher in Buck Buchanan Award balloting.  Bouton placed second in 2001.

Saturday’s doubleheader split at Timmons Arena could not have been more dissimilar.

Clare Coyle scored 16 points to lead a parade of seven double-figure scorers in a 106-21 victory over Bob Jones before the men fell in overtime.

The win, Furman’s sixth in its last eight games, improves the Paladins to 8-7.

The 85-point winning margin was the largest in the program’s 51-year history, and Bob Jones’ 21 points represented the lowest ever by a Paladin opponent.

Furman’s 29 steals tied a school standard established in a 104-57 victory over Monmouth in the opening round of Georgia Tech’s Pickette Suites Classic in November of 1989 in Atlanta, Ga.

Furman forced Bob Jones into 41 turnovers and outscored the Bruins 51-3 off the miscues.

The Paladins finished the contest shooting .583 (49/84) and limited Bob Jones to just 8/46 (.174) from the field, another Furman opponent record low.

Furman opens Southern Conference play next Thursday at East Tennessee State in a 7 p.m. contest.

Take a look at the stats here.

Lacrosse coach Gail Wallach has added sophomore transfer Lily Mosser for the coming season.
Mosser, a native of Ponte Vedra, Fla., joins the Paladins from the University of South Florida.

“Lily Mosser is a great fit for our program, both on and off the field,” stated Wallach. “Mosser has the drive, speed and skill set to adapt and adjust quickly to how we play offensively. We are excited to see her develop.”

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