ATHENS, GA. -- Shacobia Barbee and Merritt Hempe scored 17 points apiece and Georgia used heavy second half defensive pressure to cruise to a 77-39 victory over Furman in women's basketball action Tuesday morning as part of Education Day at Stegeman Coliseum.

Barbee and Hempe both tallied 13 of their game high tallies in the second half as Georgia (9-1) outscored Furman (5-4) 18-11 in the third period to stretch a 32-25 advantage to a 50-36 lead.  The Bulldogs then ran away in the fourth quarter, limiting the Paladins to just one field goal and a free throw in notching their eight consecutive victory while improving to 12-0 all-time against Furman.

The Paladins were paced by Whitney Bunn's 10 points.  Cierra Carter finished with eight points and eight rebounds, but Furman was outboarded 51-23 and shot a season low 26.5 percent, making just 13-of-49 shots, including just 4-of-23 attempts in the second half.

Bunn's 3-pointer as time expired in the first period cut Georgia's lead to 17-13.  The Paladins remained within striking distance over the remainder of the first half, opening the second quarter with a Holli Wilkins layup to make it 17-15.

Shianne Goodwin's jump shot with 3:05 to go pulled Furman to within 24-23, but a Hempe tip-in and Tiaria Griffin 3-pointer pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 29-23.  Mackenzie Engram finished off the first half for Georgia with a 3-pointer at the 25-second mark for a 32-25 advantage.

Georgia took total control to start the second half, using a pair of Hempe baskets to spark an 8-0 run for a 40-25 lead following a Engram jump shot four minutes into the period.

A Carter basket halted the run, but Georgia followed it up with another 7-0 spurt that pushed the advantage to 48-27.

Engram finished with 14 points, and Griffin rounded out Georgia's double-figure scoring effort with 10 points.  The Bulldogs, who entered the game shooting a shade over 30.0 percent from 3-point range, made 9-of-24 from beyond the arc (37.5%).

Furman returns to action on Saturday when it makes the short drive to Spartanburg to take on USC Upstate in a 2:00 p.m. contest — the second game in a season long five-game road stretch for the Paladins.