Monday, November 28, 2005

Contact: Stan Cole

Furman Edges Campbell 79-78 In Overtime

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Eric Webb scored 15 points and hit what proved to be the decisive free throw with 14.4 seconds remaining in overtime and Furman edged Campbell 79-78 Monday night at Carter Gym.

The Paladins (3-2) withstood a Campbell rally and miss at the buzzer in regulation to win their second-straight game. Campbell (0-3), which trailed by 10 at the half, had a chance to win at the end of the second period, but Ledell Eackles' 15-foot pull-up from the left baseline bounced off the front of the iron.

Webb, who scored just three points in the opening half, added six assists and five steals while hitting 4-of-10 three pointers for the Paladins. Robby Bostain added 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and made 6-of-8 from the floor. Tony Carter had 12 points, seven boards and seven assists.

Senior Comerlee Poole led Campbell with a career-high 20 points, plus a season-best eight boards in his first start of the year. Eric Smith had 15 points and six assists, while Ruell Pringle chipped in 12. Eackles finished with a season-best 10 assists.

Furman forged a 41-31 half-time lead on the strength of 61.5 percent (16-26) shooting in the first 20 minutes.

Campbell, however, rode a 15-4 run to open the second period to take a 46-45 lead with 16:11 remaining.

The teams traded the lead 10 times and the score was tied on six occasions in the second half alone as neither led by more than four over the final 17 minutes. Pringle's twisting drive put the Camels in front 69-66 with 2:49 to play, but Carter drove the length of the floor to cut the gap to one just nine seconds later.

Webb hit a three from the wing with 1:59 to go to put the Paladins ahead 71-69, but Pringle answered with another driving layup to knot the score at 71-all with 1:23 remaining. Furman turned the ball over twice and Campbell once leading to the final possession when Eackles drove the left baseline, but missed the mid-range jumper.

In the overtime, Diego Aguiar's tap gave the Camels a 77-75 edge with 2:11 left, but Webb canned both ends of a one-and-one opportunity with 1:23 to go to knot the score. After Smith missed a three, Tony Carter made the first of two free throws with 1:04 remaining for a 78-77 edge.

Pringle missed on a jumper with 31 seconds to go and Webb made one of two foul shots with 15 seconds to go for a two-point edge. Eackles then was fouled on a drive to the bucket, but he was able to make just one-of-two shots from the line for what proved to be the final margin.

Bostain missed both ends of a two-shot chance with 3.2 seconds to go, but Smith's half-court effort at the buzzer was short of the iron.

Furman finished the game shooting 57.7 percent (30-52) from the field and held a 39-31 edge on the glass, but committed 26 turnovers, which Campbell turned into 32 points. The Camels held a 44-32 edge on points in the paint, but shot just 44 percent (33-75) for the game and made just 8-of-27 threes (.296) and only 4-of-8 from the foul line.

Campbell, which saw its losing streak stretch to 25 games since a Dec. 2004 victory at North Carolina A&T, hosts Stetson Thursday at 8:00 p.m. in its Atlantic Sun Conference opener. [ Box Score ]