CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel cut a 17-point deficit to just five points three different times in the closing minutes but could not finish off the furious comeback attempt inside McAlister Field House on Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 94-88 decision against Furman for the Bulldogs' first defeat of the 2020-21 season.
 
Game Information
Final Score: Furman 94, The Citadel 88
Record: The Citadel (8-1, 1-1 SoCon), Furman (9-3, 3-0 SoCon)
Location: Charleston, S.C. (McAlister Field House)
Series: Furman leads 127-87
 
How It Happened

• The Citadel opened the game hot with a pair of three-pointers from Hayden Brown and Tyler Moffe, taking a 9-5 lead over the first three minutes of the opening half.
• Knotted up at 15-15, Furman used an 8-0 run spanning just over two minutes to piece together a three-possession lead. Garrett Hien keyed the run with a pair of baskets, and Jalen Slawson's free throws at the 11:09 mark left the Paladins with a 23-15 edge.
• Furman's lead grew to as many as 15 points (39-24) with just over six minutes remaining before the halftime break, but The Citadel fired back by scoring 11 of the next 13 points to close the gap back to just six. Freshman Brent Davis capped the Bulldogs' run with a three-pointer with 2:56 on the clock as The Citadel cut the deficit to 41-35.
• Two late triples from Kaiden Rice cut into the deficit yet again as Furman carried a 48-41 advantage into the locker room for halftime.
• After Furman came out hot to get its lead back to double digits over the opening seven minutes of the second half, the 'Dogs again responded with six straight points to trim it to 65-59. The Paladins, however, used an 11-0 run over the ensuing three minutes to grab their largest lead of the game, 76-59, with 8:38 remaining.
• Yet another long unanswered run, this time 10 straight points from The Citadel, brought the game back within reach at the five-minute mark. Davis again sparked the burst with five of the 10 points that left the Paladins clinging to a narrow 81-76 lead.
• The Bulldogs closed within five points two more times down the stretch but were unable to get closer than that as Furman connected on its free throws in the final minute to ice the 94-88 win.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Kaiden Rice scored a team-best 20 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season, and knocked down six three-pointers, his fourth game with at least five triples in 2020-21. Over his last five games, Rice is averaging 21.4 points per game with 4.8 makes from beyond the arc.
• Hayden Brown, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, tallied his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. For the year, Brown is averaging a double-double of 22.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
• The Citadel scored 88 points against Furman, the most surrendered in a single game by the Paladins since UNCG scored 89 points against them on Jan. 12, 2019.
• Stephen Clark entered the starting lineup for the second time this season and turned in his second straight game with five blocks, bringing his season total in the category to 21. The sophomore also enjoyed a well-rounded game by adding six points, five rebounds and three assists to his tallies.
• Brent Davis played a key role off the bench with 18 minutes of action. Only a freshman, Davis stepped up in a big way with 10 points, his most against a Division I opponent thus far in his young career.
• Tyler Moffe and Rudy Fitzgibbons III shared time at the point guard spot, combining for 23 points and seven assists.
• The Citadel forced 14 turnovers by Furman, who had not turned the ball over that many times against a SoCon opponent since also having 14 turnovers against VMI on Jan. 29, 2020.

 
Up Next
The Citadel will return to the court on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. as the Bulldogs make the trip north to face VMI. Head Coach Duggar Baucom, who led the Keydets from 2005-06 through 2014-15, will be squaring off against his former school for the 12th time since joining The Citadel, with the Bulldogs looking to improve on their 4-7 record in those contests.