GREENVILLE, S.C. - Karim Souchu scored a game-high 22 points including the go head basket with six minutes remaining to lead Furman over Georgia Southern 65-59 in the Southern Conference opener for both teams Wednesday. <br>
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Souchu scored 20 in the second half as the Paladins (8-4) rallied from a nine-point deficit early in the half. They took the lead for good 51-49 on his layup with 6:15 left. <br>
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The shot came during a 13-3 run that gave Furman a 56-49 lead on Souchu's layup at 5:03. <br>
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Frank Bennett had 21 points to lead the Eagles (6-5). <br>
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After Furman took its largest lead at 62-54 on two free throws by Paul Foster with 1:20 remaining, Bennett scored five straight to close the gap to 62-59 on his free throw with 23 seconds left. <br>
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But the Eagles threw the ball out of bounds on their last two possessions killing any chance of a comeback. <br>
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Thomas added 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 on 3-point attempts. <br>
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Georgia Southern led 25-23 at the break and opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take its largest lead on Kordel Gibson's layup two minutes into the period.
