GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Brittany Hodges and Holli Willkins scored 23 points apiece and Furman used solid shooting to down Western Carolina, 84-72, in Southern Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

Hodges battled through foul trouble for her 23 points, converting 10-of-12 field goal attempts and 3-of-4 free throws in just 21 minutes of action.  Wilkins, meanwhile, played all 40 minutes and drained 7-of-13 shots, including a 3-pointer, and all eight free throw attempts to help Furman (14-9, 3-4 SoCon) claim its second straight victory and improve to 10-2 at home this season.

Whitney Bunn contributed 15 points and 12 assists -- her second best dish tally of the season -- to spark the Paladins, who shot 50.0 percent for the game (28-of-56).

"I'm proud of our ladies for pushing through and beating a tough Western Carolina team," said Furman head coach Jackie Carson following her squad's triumph.  "We went with a different lineup to maximize the number of offensive threats on the floor, recognizing that it could have caused some problems defensively if we didn't play with energy, but we had that energy, which helped us get off a great start.  We struggled with rebounding, but overall I was proud of our effort on both ends of the floor and for the work our bench gave us at key points in the game."

Justin Taylor registered a game high 28 points to pace Western Carolina, which hung tough on the strength of offensive rebounding.  The Catamounts posted a 22-9 advantage on the offensive glass that gave WCU a 20-13 advantage in second chance points.

Erika Joseph finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Western Carolina.

Furman blistered the nets early, using a pair of 3-pointers from both Kelsey Ellis and Allison Beasley, to  grab a 22-10 lead seven minutes into the contest.

A Bunn free throw with eight minutes to go gave the Paladins a 32-18 lead, but Western Carolina took advantage of Hodges' absence with two fouls to outscore Furman 13-6 to slice the advantage to 38-31 following a Taylor 3-pointer just before intermission.

The Catamounts got within three points twice early in the second half, but the Paladins had an answer both times — the first on a Hodges layup and second time via a Wilkins three-point play for a 43-37 lead.

Taylor's two free throws pulled WCU to within four at 43-39 before the Paladins responded with a 9-2 sput, keyed by another Wilkins three-point play and back-to-back 3-pointers by Wilkins and Beasley off Bunn assists that put Furman up, 52-41, with 14:39 remaining.

The Catamounts trailed 71-65 when Hodges, playing with four fouls, converted a layup and was fouled at the 3:03 juncture.  Wilkins collected the offensive carom following Hodges' missed free throw, and Bunn, with the shot clock nearing zero, buried a 3-pointer from six feet beyond the arc to give Furman a 76-65 advantage with 2:30 to go.

The Paladins put the game away with a Hodges layup and six made throws over the final minute and a half.

Furman aided its effort by converting 21-of-26 free throws (80.8%), including 17-of-20 in the second half, and committing a season low seven turnovers.  The Paladins also outscored Western Carolina 21-9 from 3-point range, making good on 7-of-17 treys.

Hodges' 23 points upped her career total to 1,284 points and moved her from 10th to eighth on Furman's career scoring chart.  Bunn, meanwhile, improved her SoCon leading assist tally to 157, the second highest season tally in Furman history and just 34 assists shy of the school record of 191 set by former teammate Brigid Morrissey last year.

Ellis had six points and six rebounds, two assists, and steal in her first career start for Furman.

The Paladins play at UNCG Monday in a 7:00 p.m. game.

Hunter Reid, Furman Sports Information