CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel grabbed its first Southern Conference victory of the season with an 89-86 win over Furman on Saturday to improve to 8-10 (1-4). Senior Derrick Henry secured his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs while junior Brian White chipped in 16 points behind a 6-for-10 effort from the field.
 
The Citadel's 89 points on Saturday were the most the Bulldogs have scored in a win over a Southern Conference opponent since Jan. 12, 2002. As a team, The Citadel shot 48 percent and out-rebounded the Paladins 45-40. It was the most boards recorded by the Bulldogs since they snagged 47 against Bethune-Cookman. 
 
Thirteen different Bulldogs saw action in Saturday's victory and seven of them notched seven points or more. Senior point guard P.J. Boutte controlled the backcourt, finishing with 14 points, six assists and three rebounds to complement the big contributions from Henry and White. In the paint, freshman Zane Najdawi tossed in eight points and pulled down seven rebounds in 24 solid minutes.
 
The Bulldogs set the tone early with their energy and fed off White's hot-shooting to build an 18-9 lead. White poured in 11 points in the game's first eight minutes. Furman battled back to surge in front with Stephen Croone, who posted a game-high 22 points, fueling the run. The Citadel's Matt Frierson drained a huge trey, his only field goal of the game, to stop the momentum and give his squad the lead back.
 
The two teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of the first half until Henry scored four quick points in the final minute to give The Citadel a 41-37 halftime advantage.
 
The Bulldogs' suffocating defense to begin the second-half gave them the edge they needed to build a lead. Furman managed to make just one field goal in the first 4:15 of the second frame. After a baseline drive and layup by Warren Sledge, Najdawi converted a three-point play to hand The Citadel a 46-37 lead.
 
Furman was able to stay within 10, but The Citadel's offense caught fire at the 4:53 mark as the Bulldogs scored on four straight possessions. Following another jumper from White, Najdawi gathered a sweet feed from Boutte and threw down a ferocious dunk. Then, Boutte and Henry finished a pair of tough drives with layups in traffic to push The Citadel ahead 82-70.
 
Furman made a frantic comeback in the final two minutes, capitalizing on the Bulldogs' miscues to cut The Citadel's lead down to 87-86 with four seconds left. Boutte buried two clutch free throws and The Citadel got a stop to seal the win. The Bulldogs made 8-of-11 at the free throw line in the last five minutes.
 
After playing four of its first five conference games at McAlister Field House, the Bulldogs hit the road next week to play Western Carolina on Thursday and East Tennessee State on Saturday. Thursday's tip is set for 7 p.m. on the SoCon Digital Network. For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops.