Amu Saaka scored 24 points for his sixth straight game in doubles figures this season and Furman defeated Elon 80-65 on Wednesday night in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
The Paladins (4-2) dominated close to the basket, outscoring Elon in the paint and getting 14 second chance points on 12 offensive rebounds. Furman outrebounded Elon 40-27.
Three other players reached double figures for the Paladins - Noah States had 18 points on 8 of 9 shooting from the field, Jordan Miller added 13 points and Brandon Sebirumbi had 11.
Elon leads the series 7-4, but it was Furman's second win in the past three games.
Drew Spradlin scored 22 points and Chris Long added 14 points for Elon (2-4), which committed 12 turnovers that led to 17 points for Furman. Elon came into the game averaging 10 3-pointers, but made only seven.
