Sixth-seeded Furman stunned top-seeded East Tennessee State, 76-61, to capture the Southern Conference tournament title and earn their second trip in four seasons to the NCAA Championships.
The Paladins led for the final 36:39 of the game, shooting 50.9% (27 of 53) from the floor and outrebounding the Buccaneers 36-24 in Asheville, N.C.
Cooper Bowser led Furman (22-12) with 21 points, hitting 9 of 12 shots from the floor. He added a game-high 11 rebounds. Reserve Tom House added 13 points, while Alex Wilkins scored 12.
Brian Taylor paced East Tennessee (23-11) with 16 points and Blake Barkley pitched in with 14. But the Buccaneers misfired on 13 of 16 3-point attempts, including eight of nine while trying to rally in the second half.
Furman led, 42-35 at halftime and scored five of the second half’s first six points to take command.
Troy 77, Georgia Southern 61
The Trojans defended their Sun Belt tournament title, cruising past the Eagles in Pensacola, Fla.
Thomas Dowd paced top-seeded Troy (22-11) with 23 points and 13 rebounds and Jerrell Bellamy added 15. The two combined to convert 15 of 23 shots from the floor.
The Trojans will make their fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships, with previous trips in 2003, 2017 and 2025.
Georgia Southern (21-16) entered the tournament as the 10th seed and won four games in four days before running out of gas. Tavarus Webb led the Eagles with 16 points, but they made only 8 of 26 shots in the first half and trailed, 38-25.
