MACON, GA. -- Whitney Bunn scored 17 points and Holli Wilkins and Brittany Hodges registered 15 points  apiece to ignite a second half comeback that lifted Furman to a 58-55 victory over Mercer in Southern Conference women's basketball action Monday evening at Hawkins Arena.

The win, the first for Furman (12-8, 1-3 SoCon) in league play, halted the Paladins' modest three-game losing streak and handed Mercer (11-9, 3-1 SoCon) its first conference defeat since joining the SoCon this past summer.

"I'm so proud of our girls for grinding through adversity and getting the win," said Furman head coach Jackie Carson.  "They did a great job focusing on the aspects that we could control — rebounding, defense, and executing our offense, especially during crunch time.  After the Samford game (Saturday), we refocused on having fun and getting the swag back that we had at the beginning of the season.  We had a great practice yesterday, and I knew we would compete tonight — and we did."

The Paladins trailed 49-40 with just under 12 minutes remaining when Hodges and Wilkins both delivered  a pair of baskets along with a Bunn layup and Kelsey Ellis baseline jumper — the latter with 6:11 to go — to cap a 12-2 run that gave Furman a 52-51 lead.

Wilkins put the Paladins ahead for good, 54-53, with a basket the 5:21 mark, and Hodges' two free throws with 3:39 left stretched the advantage to 56-53.

Kahlia Lawrence pulled the Bears to within a point with a jump shot with 2:21 remaining, but Mercer would not score again as Hodges, following a timeout, provided the game's final margin by connecting on a jump shot with just under two minutes to go.

Hodges, who played just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, was whistled for her third foul four minutes into the second period and forced to the bench. The senior forward, however, returned to the floor for good with 11:40 remaining and, with her squad trailing 49-40, proceeded to score eight of her 15 points in the decisive 18-6 close by the Paladins.

Furman shot 44.8 percent (26x58) from the field while Mercer hit only 9-of-32 shots in the second half to finish at just 32.4 percent (22x68).  

The Bears were paced by Lawrence's game high 21 points.  Alicia Williams added 13 points and Precious Bridges, the SoCon's leading scorer who entered the game averaging 21.2 ppg, was limited to just 11 points on 5-of-23 shooting.

Bunn chipped in six assists for Furman, which battled to a 40-38 advantage on the boards despite losing senior forward Sarah Durdaller to a first half ankle injury.  Durdaller, who had missed the Paladins' previous three games due to concussion, sustained against USC Upstate on Jan. 7, had four points and four rebounds when she exited the contest.

Furman freshman Cierra Carter claimed a game high nine rebounds, continuing her solid stretch of recent work in Durdaller's absence.

The Paladins play at Chattanooga on Saturday.

Hunter Reid, Furman Sports Information