Wilkins' 33 Points Power Furman Past Chattanooga 75-70

Furman's Alex Wilkins stole the show at Timmons Arena, scoring 33 points and dishing out 5 assists to propel the Paladins to a 75-70 victory over Tennessee at Chattanooga. The win marked Furman's 16th of the season, as they improved to 16-7 overall. Chattanooga, on the other hand, fell to 9-14.

The first half belonged to Furman, as they built a 19-point lead by halftime, with Wilkins scoring 20 of his 33 points in the opening period. The Paladins' 42-23 advantage at the break seemed insurmountable, but Chattanooga had other plans. The Mocs came out fired up in the second half, outscoring Furman 47-33 and cutting the deficit to just 5 points in the final minutes. Brennan Watkins led the charge for Chattanooga, scoring 19 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, while Teddy Washington Jr. added 16 points.

Despite the strong effort from Chattanooga, Furman's lead proved too much to overcome. Wilkins' impressive performance was complemented by 9 points each from Cooper Bowser and Eddrin Bronson, as the Paladins held on for the 5-point win. CHD Scout's pre-game prediction had Furman winning by 8.5 points, and while the margin was slightly smaller than expected, the predicted winner was correct.

The win was a Quadrant 4 victory for Furman, which may not carry significant weight in terms of tournament resume, but it's a win nonetheless. For Chattanooga, the loss was a Quadrant 3 defeat, which won't hurt their resume too badly, but it's a missed opportunity to pick up a quality win. As the season enters its final stretch, every game counts, and both teams want to build on this performance.

Furman's victory keeps them in the mix for a potential postseason berth, although their tournament chances are still very much up in the air. With a current NET ranking of 179, the Paladins must string together some impressive wins to make a serious case for an at-large bid. For now, they'll take the win and look to build on the strong performance from Wilkins. As for Chattanooga, they'll regroup and try to bounce back from the tough loss, hoping to make a late push in their conference standings. The loss won't be devastating to their resume, but it's a reminder that there's still work to be done for the Mocs.