The talk about the opening three game stretch in the conference was Furman University needed to steal one of the opening three games as the Paladins were slated to face the three favorites right out of the gate.
Thanks to a magical final 105 seconds, Furman University wakes ⏰ up this morning in second place at 2 -1!!
Before we breakdown the ending of the 69 – 56 victory over the defending champs 🏆, we need to travel back to late in the first half. Galax High School graduate, Kyraha Parnell was already unavailable due to an injury and the Paladins lost a second player.
UNC – G smelled blood in the water and proceeded to take a double digit lead after a 10 – 1 run. Alyssa Ervin had 12 points at the break but the team trailed 35 – 25, had committed double digit turnovers, was down two key 🔑 players and a third one was in foul trouble.
The deck was stacked against Furman and then some but that just made the improbable second half that much more storybook. 44 – 21 across the second half and 13 – 5 down the stretch after the Spartans closed to with 56 – 51 with 3:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.
CHASING 40 – 20 – 0
In a fictional conversation, Coach Pierre Curtis would have looked 👀 into the eyes of our 5’11 Sophomore before the game and said, Kid, I might need a little something extra from you tonight ! How about getting a 40 – 20 – 0 for the team ?
The fictional response – No problem Coach, I’ve got this.
Back to the real World, the 40 in the trilogy of numbers is a reference to minutes played. Both Ervin and Clare Coyle went the distance for Furman and Chantelle Stuart played 36.
Play the ENTIRE game, check ✔
It’s worth noting that Lauren Bailey stepped up big off the bench, playing a much larger role with 33 minutes and scoring nine points.
Next, we address the 20, as in points scored. Ervin put a check ✔ in the second box 📦 at 1:22 remaining when she sank a corner 3-Ball to push the lead out to 62-53. Ervin had missed a 3-pointer earlier in the same possession but didn’t hesitate in firing again after Furman secured the offensive rebound.
The exchange between Coach and Ervin after the shot was priceless as the pair exchanged high gives as Ervin ran back up the floor!
Addressing the Zero, play defense like you are trying to pitch a shutout. The third and final steal of the contest came in the final minute of play and led to a four point play by Ervin.
Picking the pocket of the Spartans guard, Ervin raced down the floor for a lay-up. Realizing that she couldn’t catch Ervin from behind, there was a two hand shove to the back. For good measure, Ervin made the lay-up and after a flagrant 1 was called, Kiddo finished up her night with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals while playing 40 minutes.
Stuart led the team with 26 points so the victory was far from being a one person show. Just focusing on the one person who played her ball on The Hill and did okay during those for years.
40 – 20 – 0, not sure if we will see that type of performance very often but it was fun to see it last night.
5 – 10 from the Field
4 – 6 from Deep
10-11 from the Free Throw Line
A.S.P.N on The Hill 