The Citadel overcomes 19-point deficit to upset Furman 77-75 in OT

Charleston, S.C. (Furman SID) – The Citadel erased a 19-point deficit in the second half and Sola Adebisi posted a game-high 22 points to lift the Bulldogs over Furman in overtime, 77-75, in Southern Conference men’s basketball action on Wednesday night at McAlister Field House.

The Paladins (13-7, 4-3 SoCon) held a 55-36 lead with under 10:30 to play in regulation when Christian Moore drained back-to-back threes to ignite a Bulldogs rally. Furman still maintained a 60-46 advantage with over seven minutes left, but converted just one field goal attempt in a stretch of nearly six minutes as The Citadel trimmed the margin to 60-56 on the strength of a 10-0 run.

Cole Bowser’s basket gave the Paladins a 67-64 edge with 1:10 to go and Furman got a stop on The Citadel’s next possession. After Furman failed to convert on its possession with under one minute left, Adebisi scored in the paint with under 10 seconds to go and drew a foul. He drained his free throw to even the game at 67-67 and Alex Wilkins floater came up short as time expired.

A Ben Vander Wal basket and two free throws from Wilkins helped the Paladins gain a 75-74 lead in overtime with 1:21 remaining. After Adebisi hit 1-of-2 at the line to tie the game, Charles Johnston had an open three-pointer from the top of the key, but the potential go-ahead shot with 35 seconds to go was short. The Citadel, with the last possession, got the ball in the hands of Adebisi, who drove to the basket and was fouled with 3.3 seconds on the clock. He converted on both free throws and Wilkins desperation shot from half court missed to the right at the buzzer.

Adebisi connected on 9-of-10 shots from the floor and 4-of-5 trips to the foul line to pace all scorers with 22 points while also adding eight rebounds. Braxton Williams hot all seven of his free throw attempts to add 18 points and Moore finished with 14 points after going scoreless in the first half.

The Citadel shot just 42.1% from the floor, including 6-for-28 from behind the arc, but made good on 23-of-30 trips to the foul line.

Johnston notched his eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Wilkins also scored 15 points for the Paladins while matching a career-high with nine assists. Ben Vander Wal and Abijah Franklin added 12 and 11 points respectively.

Furman shot 43.1% from the field despite connecting on just 6-of-29 three-point tries.

Wednesday’s game marked the third consecutive meeting between the Paladins and Bulldogs in Charleston to reach overtime. Furman won the previous two meeting at McAlister Field House in 2024 and 2025.

The Paladins return to action on Friday at 3 p.m. when they travel to Greensboro, N.C., to face the UNC Greensboro Spartans at Bodford Arena on the UNCG campus. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved up a day with inclement weather set to hit the Carolinas this weekend.

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