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.