Lyons scores 20 to help Furman beat The Citadel 71-61
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Jordan Lyons scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half, Alex Hunter and Clay Mounce each finished with 17 points and Furman beat The Citadel 71-61 on Thursday night to sweep the season series against the Bulldogs.
Matt Rafferty, who came in averaging a team-leading 17.7 points per game, finished with a season-low eight points but added 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals for Furman.
Lyons, Hunter and Mounce hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 13-0 run that pushed the lead to 50-31 with 14:56 remaining and the Paladins (17-5, 6-4 Southern Conference) held on from the there. The Bulldogs missed six consecutive shots and committed two turnovers while going scoreless for four-plus minutes during that stretch.
The Citadel however scored 13 of the next 15 points and later used a 13-5 spurt to trim its deficit to six points with three minutes to go but Rafferty answered with a layup before a basket by Lyons capped the scoring with 1:26 left.
Lew Stallworth had 19 points and five assists and Zane Najdawi added 14 points and nine rebounds for The Citadel (10-11, 2-8).
The Bulldogs, who came in averaging 12.7 made 3s per game, hit just 5 of 19 from behind the arc.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Jose Carrion
- J.W. Lucas
- Michael Kolen
2023-24 Southern Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Samford | 15-3 | - | 29-6 |
UNC Greensboro | 12-6 | 3 | 21-11 |
Chattanooga | 12-6 | 3 | 21-12 |
Western Carolina | 11-7 | 4 | 22-10 |
Wofford | 10-8 | 5 | 17-15 |
Furman | 10-8 | 5 | 17-16 |
East Tennessee State | 8-10 | 7 | 19-16 |
Mercer | 8-10 | 7 | 16-17 |
The Citadel | 3-15 | 12 | 11-21 |
VMI | 1-17 | 14 | 4-28 |