TRAVELERS REST, S.C. (Interstat) — Tom House scored 30 points and Furman defeated Northern Iowa 98-83 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at Timmons Arena. House added two rebounds, three assists and one block in 32 minutes for the Paladins, who improved to 3-0. Northern Iowa fell to 1-1. The attendance was 2,107.

Abijah Franklin had 21 points and seven rebounds for Furman, Luka Toews added 14 points and three assists, Charles Johnston had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Collin O’Neal scored eight points and Marcus Kell had five points and four rebounds. Northern Iowa was led by Isaiah Johnson-Arigu’s 20 points and two blocks, Carson Vis’ 17 points, Greyson Uelmen’s 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Tate McCubbin’s 11 points.

Furman built a 32-18 lead on House’s jumper with 7:06 remaining in the first half and led 44-31 at halftime. House hit a 3-pointer and made three free throws during the first-half surge, while Franklin and Toews also helped the Paladins take control. Northern Iowa opened the game with an Isaiah Johnson-Arigu layup, but Furman answered with a Luka Toews 3-pointer and an Abijah Franklin three-point play. The Panthers briefly led 9-6 on Geon Hutchins’ 3-pointer before the Paladins pulled away.

Furman shot 26-for-54 from the floor, 15-for-33 from 3-point range and 31-for-44 from the free-throw line. Northern Iowa shot 29-for-69 from the floor, 9-for-29 from beyond the arc and 16-for-19 from the line. The Paladins scored 98 points from 75 possessions, an offensive rating of 130.8. The Panthers scored 83 points from 77 possessions, an offensive rating of 107.8. Furman had nine offensive rebounds, six assists, three blocks, nine turnovers and 20 fouls. Northern Iowa had 10 offensive rebounds, five assists, two blocks, nine turnovers and 27 fouls.

Northern Iowa tried to rally in the second half. Johnson-Arigu made two free throws to start the half, and Vis and Johnson-Arigu combined for a series of baskets that kept the Panthers within striking distance. But Furman had an answer each time. House made 3-pointers at 19:35, 16:54 and 15:23, and Johnston added a 3 as the Paladins maintained a double-digit lead. Northern Iowa got within 84-70 on Levi Valdo’s 3-pointer with 5:39 remaining, but House answered with a 3 and Furman made free throws down the stretch.

House made a jumper and free throw with 1:36 remaining to push Furman’s lead to 94-79, and the Paladins closed the game at the free-throw line. O’Neal made four free throws in the final 1:22, and Toews made one of two free throws with 1:07 left. Uelmen led Northern Iowa’s late push with a transition jumper and two free throws, while Vis added a layup and free throw with 3:51 remaining. The Panthers could not close the gap below double digits in the final minutes.

Furman’s victory came after a 121-52 win over Bob Jones and a 79-70 win over Bethune-Cookman. Northern Iowa had opened its season with a 106-70 win over Cornell College. Furman next plays at Holy Cross. Northern Iowa hosts Green Bay.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Furman 72, Northern Iowa 70. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Northern Iowa with a 60.5 percent probability to win. Furman had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -5.5. The total score of 181 went under the over/under line of 149.5.