CHARLESTON, S.C. – Freshman guard Devin Sibley scored 25 points and led four Furman players in double figures as the Paladins earned a 74-62 victory over The Citadel in Saturday afternoon action at McAlister Field House.
 
Sibley topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season as he knocked down 7-of-11 from the floor, 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 8-of-10 at the charity stripe. Offensively he was joined by the combination of Kendrec Ferrara (12), Stephen Croone (11) and Kris Acox (10).
 
Acox was also instrumental on the glass for the Paladins as he pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds (eight).  Meanwhile, Croone quarterbacked Furman to a game-high five assists as the Paladins finished with 11 as a team.
 
Trailing 30-27 at the start of the second half, Furman (5-12, 3-4 SoCon) used a 19-10 scoring run to assume a six-point advantage at the 12:03 mark. The Paladins opened with a trey by Geoff Beans and eventually took the lead, 35-34, with a 7-0 stretch that included a 3-pointer by Larry Wideman and layups by Ferrara and Sibley.
 
Despite a 3-pointer from the right wing from Jake Wright, Furman capped off its scoring run with additional scores by Sibley and Wideman.
 
Less than two minutes later the Bulldogs (8-10, 3-4 SoCon) cut the lead to 48-45 with a 3-pointer off the hand of Ashton Moore. However, Furman answered with a 13-4 run that included nine from Simley as it stretched the lead to double figures.
 
The Citadel used four points from C.J. Bray and two each from Moore and Marshall Harris III to briefly trim the deficit to nine, but it was not enough as the Paladins won for the fourth time in the last five attempts in Charleston.
 
Sibley's performance lead a Furman unit that finished 28-of-54 (51.9%) from the field, 7-of-17 (41.2%) from 3-point range and 11-of-17 (64.7%) at the free throw line. The key for the Paladins came in the post where they came away with 34 total rebounds including 14 on the offensive glass. That allowed Furman to finish with a 32-18 edge in points in the paint.
 
Moore was the primary scorer in The Citadel offense as he closed with 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the floor. The senior guard also knocked down 4-of-6 at the free throw line, handed out two assists and grabbed two rebounds.
 
Quinton Marshall added 14 points and four rebounds for the Bulldogs as he finished 5-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-6 at the charity stripe. Bray also proved to be a presence in the post for The Citadel as he snagged a team-high 10 rebounds, three on the offensive glass.
 
The Citadel converted 22-of-50 (44%) from the floor, knocking down six from 3-point range, and snapped a five-game streak in which it has hit at least 50 percent from the field. The bright spot for the Dogs was 13 assists, including team-high four each by Harris and Warren Sledge.
 
The two teams were evenly matched throughout the first half as they reached a 10-all tie at the 13:07 mark. Furman responded by outscoring 12-9 over the next 5:20, but a timely Wright trey at the 6:40 mark knotted the game at 22-22.
 
The Citadel used three points each by Moore and Harris down the stretch to close with a three-point lead at the intermission.
 
The Bulldogs return to action next weekend when they head to East Tennessee State on Jan. 22 (7 p.m.) and two days later meet rival VMI at 1 p.m. in Lexington, Va.