2018 Southern Conference Tournament Bracket (PDF)

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Cierra Carter scored 18 points and delivered a pair of key free throws to end a late game soring drought to help Furman hold off Wofford, 63-57, in the Southern Conference regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

The win, the fourth in the last five games for Furman (17-12, 7-7 SoCon), also improved the Paladins to 26-0 all-time versus Wofford (10-19, 3-11 SoCon) in Greenville.

Furman, which finished fourth in the regular season standings, will take the No. 4 seed into Southern Conference Tournament play, where it will face No. 5 seed Samford in a Mar. 1 first round matchup at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.  Tipoff is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.

Carter, the Paladins' senior All-SoCon forward who was honored in pre-game ceremonies, delivered in a big way in the final home game of her Paladin career, converting 11-of-13 free throws en route to her 18 points, while also claiming 10 rebounds.  The Columbia, S.C., product ranks 10th in Furman history in scoring with 1,348 points and fifth in rebounding with 840 caroms.

The Paladins sported a 58-48 lead with just under five minutes to go in the game but went almost the rest of the way without scoring.  After Wofford cut the lead to 58-55 following a Da'Ja Green basket with 38 seconds remaining, Carter halted the dry spell by sinking a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to give Furman a 60-55 lead.  She added the game's final point with a free throw in the final second.

Playing without injured senior DeAnneisha Jackson and freshman guard Jarya Outten, Furman grabbed a 17-14 first quarter lead and doubled up Wofford, 24-12, in the second period to take a 41-26 lead into halftime.

The Terriers trailed 51-38 after three periods before making a run in the fourth quarter against the under-manned Paladins, outscoring Furman 13-5 over the first six minutes to pull to within 58-53 following a Jamari McDavid layup at the 3:58 mark.  The Terriers, however, failed to sustain the momentum, suffering three turnovers and two missed shots on their next five possessions before Green's basket made it 58-55.

Celena Taborn followed Carter in the scoring column with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Le'Jzae Davidson finished with 14 points.  Senior point guard Stephania Oramas posted nine points to go along with nine assists for Furman, which shot 47.8 percent from the field (22x46) and 4-of-13 from 3-point range.  The Paladins outscored the Terriers by eight points at the free throw line, converting 15-of-23 opportunities to 7-of-11 for Wofford.

McDavid led Wofford with 15 points, and Emily Ryan had 12.

Furman registered a 36-29 rebounding advantage.

Three of the Paladins' five starters played all 40 minutes.

Hunter Reid, Furman Sports Information