Box Score (PDF)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel men's basketball team trailed by as many as 28 points and fought back to trail by just three with 1:30 left in the game but the Bulldogs' furious comeback attempt fell just short on Saturday as they lost to Furman 99-91.
 
Both teams started fast, combining to shoot six-of-eight in the first two minutes including a quick five points by Warren Sledge. But Furman (16-8, 9-2 SoCon) stayed hot, jumping out to a 21-9 lead after going on a 10-0 run and shooting 72.2 percent from the floor in the first six minutes of play. The Paladins had six threes heading into the first media timeout.
 
The Paladins pushed their lead to 40-19 after hitting their eighth three-pointer of the game before The Citadel (9-16, 2-10 SoCon) fought back into the contest by creating a couple of turnovers and going on an 11-2 run to close the gap to 12. But Furman continued to shoot lights out, taking a 57-40 advantage into halftime behind a 61.8 percent shooting clip from the floor.
 
Furman opened the second half the way they ended the first, hitting a layup and then three straight three-pointers to open up a 68-40 lead. The Bulldogs were able to pull within 13 after a layup by Zane Najdawi and then a three by Quayson Williams with 8:24 remaining but Furman countered with a three on its next possession. One minute later, The Citadel went on another 5-0 spurt to close the gap to 11, the closest the game had been since the 10:58 mark in the first half.
 
With 4:28 left in the game, Williams hit his second three of the game to pull the Bulldogs within 10. Two minutes later, Sledge hit a trey to close the gap to nine. The next time down the floor, Ezekiel Balogun converted the and-one and after a steal by Preston Parks, Williams drained another three, pulling The Citadel within three with 1:30 remaining. Furman responded with four free throws on its next two trips down the court to push the lead back to five but Sledge countered with a huge three ball to make it a four-point game with 52 seconds remaining.
 
Following a timeout, Furman made a layup and then two more free throws to ice the game and clinch the 99-91 win. The Paladins hit all six free throws they attempted in the last five minutes of the game and shot 55.9 percent from the floor for the contest.
 
Balogun had a fantastic outing in the contest, posting his first-career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The freshman broke his previous career-best of 16 points with an eight-of-13 shooting performance from the floor. Sledge also had a strong outing for the second time in as many games, scoring 17 points and dishing out five assists. Williams finished with 15 points, hitting at least three treys for the third consecutive game, and Frankie Johnson chipped in 14. Najdawi finished an efficient five-of-eight from the field, scoring 10 points and grabbing three rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs hit the road again next week as they travel to ETSU on Feb. 9 and VMI on Feb. 11. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3 with live stats available at CitadelSports.com.
 
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