March 1, 2006
Charleston, S.C. -
The Citadel basketball kicks-off their postseason in the Southern Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 2 at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Bulldogs will play against Furman in the third of three games that start early afternoon on Thursday.
As the 11th seed, The Citadel (9-20 overall; 1-14 SoCon) will match-up against No. 6 Furman (15-12 overall; 8-7 SoCon) for the first round of the Tournament. The game will tip-off 30 minutes following the second game between No. 10 UNC Greensboro and No. 7 Western Carolina. Game one between No. 9 Wofford and No. 8 Appalachian State open conference tournament play at 3:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs are coming off a two-game winning streak, both games on the road. The wins are the first of such streak since early December when they defeated Atlanta Christian and Webber International in back-to-back match-ups. Their most recent win came on Saturday when The Citadel defeated Wofford, 84-80, in an overtime thriller at Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg. The Bulldogs came from a 20-point deficit to capture the win at Wofford for the second consecutive season.
Leading the Bulldogs was junior forward J'mel Everhart, who received SoCon Player of the Week Honors for his seventh double-double performance of the season. Everhart totaled 18 points, 15 boards and a huge block that helped seal the win for The Citadel. Senior guard Dante Terry also contributed 18 points, while junior forward Mark Schiavoni's second half performance captured 14 points, shooting 3-4 from long range. It was Schiavoni's first appearance in nine games.
The Citadel is shooting 39.7 percent from the field, averaging 67.2 points a game. They tie Georgia Southern for second in the conference in offensive rebounds with 12.47 a game, averaging 35.8 total boards a game. The Bulldogs are shooting 63 percent from the free throw line and 31.2 percent from long range. Furman is coming off 86-61 loss to Georgia Southern on Sunday in Greenville.
The Paladins have lost five of their last eight games. Their longest winning streak of the season was in January when they captured wins at Wofford, against Davidson, at Georgia Southern and against The Citadel. They average 72.9 points a game, shooting 47 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from long range. Furman is shooting 72.2 percent from the charity stripe and averages 14.1 turnovers a competition.
The last time the two teams met was on Monday, Feb. 20 at McAlister Field House. The Paladins defeated the Bulldogs, 64-41, extending the series to 2-0 for the season. Thursday's match-up with be the third time this season the two teams have played. Furman leads the all-time series, 105-77.
The Bulldogs have not won a first round conference game since 2002 when they defeated Virginia Military Institute, 80-70, at the North Charleston Coliseum. They lost that season in round two to Davidson, 71-58. The Citadel basketball results will be available at www.citadelsports.com.
Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 2 - First Round, North Charleston Coliseum
Game 1 - No. 9 Wofford (11-17, 6-9) vs. No. 8 Appalachian State (12-15, 6-8), 3:30 p.m.
Game 2 - No. 10 UNC Greensboro (11-18, 4-10) vs. No. 7 Western Carolina (13-16, 7-7), 30 min. after Game 1
Game 3 - No. 11 The Citadel (9-20, 1-14) vs. No. 6 Furman (15-12, 8-7), 30 min. after Game 2
Friday, March 3 - Quarterfinals, North Charleston Coliseum
Game 4 - Winner Game 1 vs. No. 1 Georgia Southern (20-8, 11-4), Noon
Game 5 - No. 5 Chattanooga (17-12, 8-6) vs. No. 4 College of Charleston (17-10, 9-6), 30 min. after Game 4
Game 6 - Winner Game 2 vs. No. 2 Elon (14-13, 10-4), 6 p.m.
Game 7 - Winner Game 3 vs. No. 3 Davidson (17-10, 10-5), 30 min. after Game 6
Saturday, March 4- Semifinals, North Charleston Coliseum (Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast)
Game 8 - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, Noon
Game 9 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 5 - Championship game, North Charleston Coliseum (ESPN2)
Game 10 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 2 p.m.
