CHARLESTON, S.C. – With 9:13 to go in regulation, The Citadel men's basketball team found themselves down 17 to in-state rival Furman. Just a few weeks ago, the same Bulldogs may have folded under such circumstances, but the team has shown considerable growth in recent weeks, and the young, resilient 'Dogs stormed back to claim a huge 100-92 Southern Conference win in overtime Saturday afternoon inside McAlister Field House.

"When we went down 17, we called timeout and told the guys it's time to either put up or shut up and y'all better go play better than we have been because we are not playing like we are capable of," said head coach Duggar Baucom. "The guys took that to heart and we got a stop and we made the shot. Then we got a rebound and made another shot, and when we got it down to five (points) I said we have a chance and that last two minutes was pretty hectic. I thought our guys played lights out."

The Bulldogs (9-14, 4-7 SoCon) have now won three of their last four games and broke up a four-game winning streak by Furman (16-8, 7-4 SoCon) in the head-to-head series. The Paladins entered the week ranked 19^th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, marking the third game in a row that the 'Dogs have played a team featured in the poll, including ETSU at No. 5 on Monday, Jan. 29, and Wofford at No. 17 on Thursday, Feb. 1.

The Bulldogs started the game by hitting their first six shots as a team, including four 3-pointers. The 'Dogs then ended regulation by hitting their last six shots heading into overtime, including eight points by Kaelon Harris during that stretch and 3-pointers from Harris, Zane Najdawi and Matt Frierson.

After Furman took a 52-44 lead into halftime, the Paladins appeared to be on cruise control as they steadily built up a 17-point, 75-58 lead with 9:13 to play in regulation.

With 7:18 left in the second half, Frierson hit one of his four 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 13, 77-64, and the comeback was on. Including Frierson's trey, The Citadel scored 11 straight points to pull back to within five of the Paladins.

After Matt Rafferty hit a layup with 2:15 to go, setting the score at 82-72, the Bulldogs closed regulation on a 16-6 run to force overtime, including the eight points by Harris in the span of just 43 seconds. In the final 33 seconds of the second half, Frierson hit a 3-pointer and Frankie Johnson drove the lane for a layup, tying the game up with just five ticks left on the game clock.

With the momentum completely in The Citadel's favor, overtime belonged solely to the Bulldogs as Johnson opened the period up with a layup, spurring a 12-4 advantage in overtime by The Citadel.

The Bulldogs ended the game shooting 49.2% (31-of-63) from the field and 43.8% (14-of-32) from 3-point range. In comparison, the Paladins shot 45.8% (33-of-72) for the game and 33.3% (11-of-33) from beyond the arc. Furman shot 57.6% (19-of-33) in the first half while The Citadel shot 51.7% (15-of-29) in the second half and 90.9% (10-of-11) from the free throw line in overtime.

With the monkey off his back from finally scoring his 1,000^th-career point Thursday night against Wofford, Najdawi exploded for a game-high 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three blocks in 38 minutes of work. Najdawi opened the game by hitting his first five shots of the game, including a pair of 3-pointers, and ended the game shooting 75% (9-of-12) from the field.

Frierson ended the game with 21 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 performance at the charity stripe and four 3-pointers. His four treys matched both Najdawi and Harris for tops in the game.

Harris rounded out the Bulldogs in double figures with 18 points. After securing his first collegiate double-double on Thursday, Harris just missed out on repeating the feat as he corralled in seven boards. Johnson also almost had a double-double as he scored nine points and finished the game with nine assists, matching his career-high for assists in a single game.

Furman was led by John Davis and Devin Sibley, each with 18 points. Raffery, Jordan Lyons and Daniel Fowler rounded out the Paladins in double-digit scoring with 14 points, 12 points and 10 points respectively.

At halftime of the game, a banner was unveiled with the No. 22 on it in honor of acclaimed author and Citadel graduate Pat Conroy who played point guard for the Bulldogs from 1964-67. Conroy was named the team's Most Valuable Player his senior year.

FAST BREAK FACTS

• With Saturday's 100-92 win over Furman, the Bulldogs have now won three of their last four games. Last season's team won three of their last four games to end the season, including two in the 2017 SoCon Men's Basketball Championships.
• The win over the Paladins broke up a four-game winning streak by Furman over The Citadel.
• Each of the Bulldogs' last three opponents, ETSU on Monday, Jan. 29, Wofford on Thursday, Feb. 1 and Furman on Saturday, Feb. 3, were ranked inside the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
• Each of the Bulldogs' last five games have been decided by single digits. The 'Dogs are 3-2 during that stretch.
• Saturday's game marked the first time since Feb. 24, 2011 that the Bulldogs have rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to win a game. The last time it happened, the Bulldogs won 70-62 at Western Carolina after trailing by 17, 37-20 at halftime.
• With Saturday's 100-point performance Saturday, the Bulldogs are now 14-2 under head coach Duggar Baucom when scoring at least 100 points, including 5-0 this season. The Citadel posted two 100-point performances during the 2015-16 season and went 7-2 last season when eclipsing the century mark.
• Saturday's game marked just the second overtime game for the Bulldogs this season and just the second overtime game at home since the 2011-12 campaign.
• The 100-92 win over the Paladins avenged a 107-67 road loss to Furman back on Thursday, Jan. 4.
• Zane Najdawi led the Bulldogs in scoring for the ninth time this season, including seven of the last eight games.
• Najdawi recorded his second double-double of the year and the eighth of his career Saturday with 28 points and 10 rebounds. It was just the fourth double-double for The Citadel this season.
• Najdawi's three blocks Saturday marked the fourth game in a row he has had multiple blocks in a game. It also marks the 37^th time the junior forward has had multiple blocks in a game.
• Matt Frierson connected on four 3-pointers Saturday afternoon against Furman, marking the 11^th game in a row and 21^st game this season the junior guard has converted multiple 3-pointers in a game. Frierson is currently riding a 29-game streak where he has hit at least one 3-pointer.
• Frierson has hit a team-high 82 three-pointers this season, a mark that has him currently fourth in program history for treys made in a season. The record is 102 set by Travis Cantrell during the 2001-02 campaign. Frierson needs just one more to reach tie third and 14 to catch second.

 UP NEXT
The Citadel will now hit the road for a two-game trek to Chattanooga, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama. The Bulldogs will first play at Chattanooga on Thursday, Feb. 8 before heading to Samford on Saturday, Feb. 10.

2018 SOCON BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets are now on sale for the 2018 SoCon Basketabll Championships held at the U.S. Cellular Center located in Asheville, North Carolina. The tournament runs March 1-5, 2018. Ticket prices start at $10 for kids (ages 6-12) and SoCon students (kids 5 and under get in free) and $20 for general admission to a single session. Other packages, including VIP experiences and suites, are also available. For more information or to order your tickets, call The Citadel ticket office at (843) 953-DOGS (3647) or visit CitadelSports.com and click on the "Tickets" tab.

For more information on The Citadel basketball team, follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports or visit CitadelSports.com.