Presbyterian 75 Furman 71

Clinton, SC. The Paladins (6-5, 0-2) gave up a four-point halftime lead early in the second frame and lost to the Blue Hose (5-5) for the first time in the last five meetings in a proverbial "trap" game against red-shirt-senior-laden team in a high-school-caliber gym in between trips to Western Kentucky last Saturday and UGA this Friday. Senior Brandon Sebirumbi led Furman in scoring with 20 points. Senior Bryson Barnes added 10 points.

Update. Graham was in uniform for the first time this season and hopes to return to full-contact practice next week.

Furman 76 Western Kentucky 63

Bowling Green, KY. The Paladins (6-4, 0-2) took a 10-point lead into the locker room at halftime and made it stand up for a 13-point win over the Hilltoppers (4-8).

Furman was led by senior Bryson Barnes who came off the bench in his first action of the season to record a double-double by leading all scorers with 26 points (including 3-3 from behind the arc and 11-14 from the free-throw line) and pulling down 11 rebounds. Graham's roommate, Richard Brown, contributed 11 points and seven assists (with only one turnover), and senior Brandon Sebirumbi added 10 points, including 6-6 from the line.

The Paladins return home tomorrow before traveling to Presbyterian on Tuesday night and the University of Georgia on Friday night.

Furman 85 Jacksonville 79

Timmons Arena. The Paladins (5-4, 0-2) built a 16-point in the second half and hung on from there to defeat the Dolphins (2-6) and even the series between the two schools at 7-7.

Furman was led by Graham's roommate Richard Brown, Bobby Austin, and Charlie Reddick, each of whom contributed 16 points. Rich and Bobby combined to shoot 16-20 from the free-throw line, most of them coming in the final minutes of the game when the Paladins turned back a Dolphin surge that cut the lead to as few as three points.

Furman now hits the road for four games over the holiday break and returns to home action against the Citadel on January 5.

Injury Update. Graham reports that trainer Steve Hopkins clear him to return to full practice this week. Or maybe next.

Clemson 59 Furman 49

Clemson, SC. The Paladins (3-2) raced out to a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game, but the Tigers (3-2) clawed their way back to a 24-24 halftime tie. Clemson's defensive pressure and Furman's missed opportunities in the second half resulted in the Tigers evening their record in the SoCon at 1-1 (which is probably where they are going to wish they play by midway through their ACC schedule). Junior Bryant Irwin was Furman's leading scorer with 13 points.

Injury Update. Graham was joined in street clothes by freshman guard David Brown who suffered a concussion in practice yesterday.

Furman 63 Loyola (Chicago) 51

Timmons Arena. The Paladins (3-1) came out of the chute as intense and sharp this afternoon as they were flat last Thursday evening in handing the Ramblers (0-4) their fourth straight road loss to start the season. Running out to an 8-0 cushion to start the game, Furman was led in scoring by Graham's roommate, sophomore Richard Brown, and senior Brandon Sebirumbi with 14 points each. The Paladins reduced their turnovers from 20 on Thursday to 4 today and nearly doubled Thursday's woeful shooting percentage by hitting 47% from the field.

Injury Update. Graham may or may not return to full-contact pactice this week, as the pain in his neck is still limiting him. He was in street clothes for today's game.

Mercer 66 Furman 46

Timmons Arena. The Paladins (2-1) shot 25% from the floor (15% on three-pointers) and committed 20 turnovers to give the game to the visiting Bears (2-1).
Injury Update. Graham was in uniform for the first time this season, as he returned to non-contact practice this week with full contact to begin next week (I remember when basketball was a "non-contact" sport!).

Furman 62 Columbia 58

New York City. The Paladins (2-0) spotted the Lions (0-2) the first nine points of the game and trailed by 11 at the half only to power their way back to earn their first road win of the season behind a career-high 15 points by Graham's roomie and NYC native sophomore Richard Brown and 13 points from senior Bobby Austin who hit six out of his seven shots from the field. Furman's first lead came with 2:09 left in the game on a three-pointer by junior Bryant Irwin on an assist from Brown.
Injury Report. Graham reports that his range of motion is increasing now that he and trainer Steve Hopkins have been more agressive in their treatment since last week's MRI showed no evidence of a fracture in his neck.

Furman 75 Roanoke 49

Timmons Arena. The Paladins (1-0) started slowly and finished strong against the feisty D-III Maroons (0-1). Senior forward Brandon Sebirumbi led Furman in scoring (15 points) and rebounding (11), followed by junior Bryant Irwin (14 points), and red-shirt sophomore Charlie Reddick (11 points). The game only stayed as close as it did on account of the Paladins' collectively cold shooting hand, as they made 39% of their shots but only 26% (7-27) from beyond the three-point line.
Injury Report. Graham got good news yesterday, as Wednesday's cervical and thoracic MRIs showed no evidence of a fracture or structural damage from the neck strain he incurred in practice on October 15. He could return to practice as early as next week, when the team returns home from a Monday-night matchup against Columbia in New York City.

Furman 85 Belmont Abbey 73 (Exhibition)

Timmons Arena. Youth was served as true freshman Dominic Early (22 pts.) and red-shirt sophomore Charlie Reddick (21 pts.) carried the Paladins past the pesky Crusaders in an exhibition game opening the 2011-2012 men's basketball season. Furman spotted Belmont Abbey a four-point half-time lead, only to take control of the game in second half.

Graham did not play. He has been sidelined since practice on October 15, when he incurred a stubborn neck strain.

Furman at East Tennessee State (DNP), College Insider Tournament, March 15, 2011

The Paladins (22-11) closed out the program's winningest season since 1979-1980 with a 76-63 loss to the Buccaneers (23-11) in the opening round of the College Insider Tournament, the first post-season appearance for Furman since 1991. Down by 22 points in the second half, the Paladins clawed their way back into the game to cut the lead to 8 points with 7:11 to play but couldn't get any closer as Amu Saaka, Furman's leading scorer, had more fouls than points in his final game as a Paladin.

Furman vs. College of Charleston (DNP), SoCon Tournament Semifinal, March 6, 2011

The Paladins (22-10) turned a four-point halftime lead into an 11-point advantage midway through the second half before falling to the Cougars (24-9) by a score of 63-58 thanks to a 31-point performance by Southern Conference player-of-the-year Andrew Goudelock.

Furman vs. UT-Chattanooga (DNP), SoCon Tournament Second Round, March 5, 2011

The Paladins (22-9) went up 13-0 early and led the Mocs (16-16) wire-to-wire in a 61-52 win on UTC's home court in the second round of the Southern Conference tournament. Furman won two games in the SoCon tournament for the first time since 2002 thanks to a victory that avenged a disappointing loss at UTC 12 days ago. Seniors Amu Saaka, Jordan Miller, and Darryl Evans led the way offensively to overcome the Paladins' season-high 22 turnovers and subpar shooting as Furman played without second-leading scorer Noah States who did not dress because of back spasms.

Furman vs. Samford (DNP), SoCon Tournament First Round, March 4, 2011

The Paladins (21-9) jumped out to a 24-4 lead over the slow-motion Bulldogs (12-19) and made it stand up for a 61-48 victory behind 23 points from senior Jordan Miller. It was Furman's first Southern Conference tournament win since 2007 and the first time the Paladins have won 21 games in a season since the 1979-80 campaign. Furman weathered a second-half Samford run that cut the lead to nine points before securing the win.

Furman vs. Wofford (DNP), February 26, 2011

Graham and roommate Rich Brown look on as senior
point guard Darryl Evans is introduced for his last
home game in Timmons Arena. Photo by MIKE BONNER
for the Spartanburg Herald Journal at GoUpstate.com.

The Paladins (20-9, 12-6) dropped consecutive games for the first time this season in losing to the Terriers (18-12, 14-4) by a score of 79-65. With the loss, Furman finished third in the SoCon South Division and failed to earn a bye for next weekend's Southern Conference tournament in Chattanooga. The Paladins begin play Friday against Samford, the lowest-seeded team in the North Division but a team whose slow-down offense and match-up zone defense has given Furman fits in its two wins over Bulldogs this season. Since the Southern Conference began the four-day format for the tournament in 1993, no team without a bye in the first round has won it.

Photo by Eddie Burch for The Greenville News at www.greenvilleonline.com.

Furman at UTC (DNP), February 21, 2011

The Paladins (20-8, 12-5) turned in subpar shooting and rebounding efforts in Chattanooga to lose to the SoCon North Division leading Mocs (15-14, 11-5) by a score of 75-59. Furman fell a half game behind Wofford in the race for second place in the SoCon South Division heading into Saturday's showdown in Timmons Arena.

Furman at Samford (DNP), February 19, 2011

The Paladins (20-7, 12-4) battled back from a 14-point first-half deficit to take the lead briefly in the second half only to fall back down by seven points and then scratch out a hard-fought 70-63 win over the Bulldogs (12-16, 4-12). The victory gave the Paladins their first 20-win season since 1990-91, and it set up a head-to-head show-down with Wofford next Saturday with second place in the SoCon South Division on the line and a first-round bye in the conference tournament awaiting the winner.

Furman vs. Davidson (DNP), February 12, 2011

Two nights after scoring only 54 points in a win over Georgia Southern, the Paladins (19-7, 11-4) used a 51-point second half to power past the Wildcats (13-13, 7-8) and break an 11-game losing streak against Davidson in an 88-79 victory. Senior point guard Darryl Evans scored a career-high 24 points; sophomore Colin Reddick recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds; and senior Jordan Miller tallied 14 points (and two crowd-pleasing blocks in the final minute) after scoring a total of 14 points in three games since returning from a bout with pneumonia. Furman hit 13 consecutive free throws down the stretch to hold Davidson at bay in the closing minutes. Two of them were by Graham's roommate, freshman guard Rich Brown, who entered the game at the 1:33 mark and hit nothing but net twice with 1:13 left to push Furman's lead from five to seven points.

Photo by Richard Shiro for The Greenville News.

Furman vs. Georgia Southern (DNP), February 10, 2011

The Paladins (18-7, 10-4) survived subpar shooting from the field and from the free-throw line to scratch out an unimpressive 54-45 win over the hapless Eagles (4-22, 0-13). Furman's regular season sweep of Georgia Southern (the first since 1997) tied the series at 22-22 and moved the Paladins back into a tie for second place in the South Division of the Southern Conference.

Furman at The College of Charleston (DNP), February 5, 2011

The Paladins (17-7, 9-4) were mauled by the Cougars (17-7, 10-2) as Charleston swept the season series from Furman for the third straight year on the strength of a 73-54 drubbing that was not as close as the final score might suggest. The Paladins, who lost to the Cougars by only four points in Greenville, went down by nine in the first four minutes and never really recovered. Graham got very little CT on the CSS television broadcast and no PT.

Furman at The Citadel (DNP), February 3, 2011

The Paladins (17-6, 9-3) swept the season series from the Bulldogs (9-14, 5-6) by grinding out a 59-55 victory in Charleston. Coupled with Wofford's blow-out loss across town at the College of Charleston, the win moved Furman back into a tie for second place in the SoCon South Division, a half-game behind the Cougars whom the Paladins face Saturday at 4 p.m. with the division lead on the line.

Furman vs. Appalachian State (DNP), January 29, 2011

The Paladins (16-6, 8-3) returned to the friendly confines of Timmons Arena to bounce back from Thursday's futility in Cullowhee to bury the Mountaineers (8-13, 4-7) in an 81-61 win. After going 2-21 (9%) beyond the arc at Western Carolina, Furman connected on 12 of 22 threes (55%) against App State. Amu Saaka led the way with 31 points on 11-17 from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line, while Noah States netted 19 points, including 5 out of 6 three pointers.

















Photos by Richard Shiro for The Greenville News at greenvilleonline.com.

Furman at Western Carolina (DNP), January 27, 2011

Playing their fourth game in eight days, the Paladins (15-6, 7-3) tallied only 16 points in the first half against the Catamounts (9-12, 5-4) and never recovered in a 65-41 blowout loss in Cullowhee, NC. No Paladin reached double figures, as Furman shot 27% from the floor and 9% beyond the three-point arc. It was the fewest points the Paladins have scored since 2001, and they slipped back into third place in the SoCon South division.

Furman at Wofford (DNP), January 24, 2011

The Paladins (15-5, 7-2) scored the first seven points of the overtime period to earn a 73-68 OT road win over the Terriers (10-10, 7-2) in a battle for second place in the South Division of the Southern Conference. Even with second-leading scorer Jordan Miller at home in Greenville with the flu (later diagnosed as pneumonia), Furman powered out to a 27-18 first-half lead that Wofford cut to 37-33 at halftime. The Paladins pushed the lead back out to nine again early in the second half before the Terriers went on an 11-0 run to take the lead with seven minutes remaining. Furman fought back to tie the game 62-62 at the end of regulation on two free throws by Noah States. The Paladins went 7 of 8 from the free-throw line in overtime to win at Wofford for the first time since 2006. Furman has yet to lose this season when holding an opponent under 70 points.



Photo by Gwinn Davis, The Greenville News.

Furman vs. UT-Chattanooga, January 22, 2011

Graham saw his earliest action of the season as the Paladins (15-5, 6-2) raced out to a 16-point halftime lead and never looked back in an 85-59 drubbing of the SoCon-North-Division-leading Mocs (11-10, 7-2). Graham subbed in for Bryson Barnes with 1:49 left in the game and Furman ahead 81-54. He picked up his first foul as a Paladin contesting a drive to the basket by UTC's Dontay Hampton who hit one of two free throws. When Graham was called for the foul, Chuck Hussion, "the voice of the Paladins," announced on the radio broadcast, "He's in the recordbook!" Graham was credited with two minutes of playing time in the offical boxscore.

Furman vs. Samford (DNP), January 20, 2011

The Paladins (13-5, 5-2) pulled away from the Bulldogs (10-9, 2-5) late in the second half to post a 74-55 win. The 19-point difference all came in the second half after the teams went to the locker room tied at 30 at halftime. Furman hit 10 of its 15 three-point shots in the second half after hitting five of nine in the first half to shoot a blistering 62.5% from behind the arc for the game. In fact, the Paladins shot a higher percentage on three's than they did on two pointers and from the free-throw line.

Graham's younger brother Heath was a junior Paladin Club ball kid for the game.


Photos by Richard Shiro, The Greenville News (www.greenvilleonline.com)

Furman at Georgia Southern (DNP), January 15, 2011

The Paladins (12-5, 4-2) squandered most of a 19-point half-time lead before putting away the Eagles (4-15, 0-6) by a score of 74-56. Furman jumped out to a 22-4 lead by hitting 8 of its first 8 shots from the floor and won in Statesboro for the first time since January 17, 2006.

Furman at Davidson (DNP), January 12, 2011

The Paladins (11-5, 3-2) couldn't hold a nine-point first-half lead and dropped their eleventh straight decision to the Wildcats (8-8, 2-3), 79-70. With the loss, Furman slipped to third in the South Division of the Southern Conference behind the College of Charleston (4-0) and Wofford (4-1).

Furman vs. The Citadel, January 8, 2011

Graham saw his first action in a Southern Conference game as the Paladins (11-4, 3-1) pulled away from the Bulldogs (5-11, 1-3) in the second half to post an 88-67 victory. Walk-on time came with 0:48 remaining in the game, and officially Graham logged one more minute of playing time. He nearly missed his chance, as Coach Jeff Jackson called down the bench several times for "Grizz" (a short form of Graham's team nickname, Grizzy), and Graham thought he was calling for teammate "Chris" Toler--until Jackson barked out "Graham!"













Graham and fellow-walk-on Garrett Copeland stretch during warmups before the game against The Citadel.
Photo by Richard Shiro, The Greenville News

Furman vs. The College of Charleston (DNP), January 6, 2010

In a spirited game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties, the last coming with 2:40 remaining, the Paladins (10-4, 2-1) could not overcome a 31-point, 8-assist barrage by the Cougars' (10-5, 3-0) Andrew Goudelock, the preseason consensus player of the year in the Southern Conference. Furman's first home loss of the season was the sixth straight to Charleston and the 24th defeat in the last 27 meetings.

Furman vs. UVA-Wise, January 3, 2011

Graham played for the second game in a row as the Paladins (10-3) overwhelmed the Cavaliers (7-7) for an 82-55 victory and reached double-digit wins the faster than any Furman team since 1980. Walk-on time came at the 50-second mark when Graham once again subbed in at point guard for roommate Rich Brown and earned his second minute of playing time as a Paladin. As the video clip above shows, the only shot he got was to his (already broken) nose, and he continued to play after teammate Bryson Barnes shot two free throws.