TRAVELERS REST, S.C. (Interstat) — In a game that defied pregame projections and required an extra five minutes to decide, Western Carolina edged Furman in a tense Southern Conference men’s basketball showdown Saturday at Timmons Arena.

The Catamounts, who entered as significant underdogs, secured an 80-77 overtime victory to snap a two-game skid and improve to 5-8 overall. The Paladins, who had won four of their last five, fell to 10-5.

The most critical sequence of the contest unfolded in the final chaotic seconds of regulation. With Furman leading 73-71, Western Carolina’s Julien Soumaoro committed a turnover with 28 seconds left. Furman’s Ben VanderWal capitalized, finding Charles Johnston for a layup that pushed the lead to four.

Soumaoro then turned the ball over again on the ensuing inbounds pass, stolen by Abijah Franklin. VanderWal immediately fed Alex Wilkins for another layup, seemingly sealing the game at 77-71 with just 23 seconds remaining.

Undeterred, Western Carolina raced downcourt and drew a foul on Charles Johnston. Cord Stansberry calmly sank both free throws to cut the deficit to 77-73. Furman then called timeout to advance the ball.

On the inbound play, the Paladins’ Tom House was called for a foul before the ball was inbounded, a critical error. Stansberry returned to the line and made two more free throws, making it a two-point game with 15 seconds left.

Needing only to inbound successfully and force a foul, Furman instead turned it over on the ensuing pass. Western Carolina called timeout with 6.6 seconds left. Out of the break, the Catamounts executed perfectly, finding Soumaoro for a mid-range jumper that swished through as time expired, knotting the score at 77 and sending the game to overtime.

The extra period was a defensive struggle. The only scoring came from Western Carolina’s Marcus Kell, who connected on a crucial 3-pointer with 3:08 remaining, providing the final margin. Furman had multiple chances to tie or take the lead but missed its final four shots, including a last-second 3-point attempt by Wilkins.

Wilkins led all scorers with 24 points for Furman, adding six assists. VanderWal posted a strong all-around line with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Johnston contributed 14 points and six rebounds.

Western Carolina was led by a balanced attack. Soumaoro shook off his late turnovers to finish with 16 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Kell also scored 16, including the decisive overtime three. Stansberry added 15 points, and Tidjiane Dioumassi had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Statistically, the game was a study in contrasting efficiencies. Western Carolina won despite being outscored 34-28 in the paint and 16-3 on fast breaks. The Catamounts’ advantage came from beyond the arc, where they shot 50% on 10-of-20 shooting, compared to Furman’s 11-of-32 performance. The Paladins also struggled at the free-throw line, making just 8 of 17 attempts.

Western Carolina’s offensive rating of 108.7 on 74 possessions narrowly bested Furman’s 106.8 on 72 possessions, underscoring the razor-thin margin in a game the Catamounts were projected to lose with a probability of over 92%.

The victory marks a significant road result for Western Carolina as it opens conference play. Furman will look to rebound from a defeat where it let a six-point lead vanish in the final 23 seconds of regulation.