Greenville, S.C. – Furman men's basketball opens its 2019-20 home schedule Friday evening with a "Purple Out" when it plays host to 2018 NCAA Final Four participant and 2019 Missouri Valley Conference champion Loyola Chicago. Tip-off at Timmons Arena is slated for 7 p.m. and the contest will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
All fans are encouraged to wear their purple as the Paladins and Ramblers clash in a rematch of last season's thrilling contest in Chicago, Ill., that saw Clay Mounce lift Furman to a 60-58 victory with a last second slam that grabbed national attention for the Paladins. The first 300 Furman students at Friday's game will receive a free Furman basketball "Better Together" t-shirt and the first 500 fans in the door will get a purple light baton.
 
Tickets for Friday's contest and all Furman homes games at Timmons Arena are on sale now at the Timmons Arena Box Office and online at FurmanPaladins.com. Furman basketball season tickets, starting at $110, are also on sale, along with four-packs for Furman's "Weekends at the Well" series at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Current Furman students will have access to free tickets on Furman basketball game days. Click here to learn about the student ticket policy for the 2019-20 season.  
 
Furman (1-0), coming off of a record-setting 2018-19 campaign that featured two wins over final four teams from the year before, a 12-0 start, school-record 25 victories and the school's first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25, opened the 2019-20 season with a 70-63 victory over defending Big South Conference Tournament champion Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C., on Tuesday that halted the Runnin' Bulldogs 14-game home winning streak. Sophomore Noah Gurley paced the Paladins with 18 points, junior Alex Hunter scored 13 and junior Clay Mounce added 11 points and nine rebounds in the opener.
 
Loyola Chicago (1-0) opened its season with an 82-48 victory over UC Davis at Gentile Arena in Chicago on Tuesday evening. Cameron Krutwig totaled 15 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists to lead four Ramblers in double figures.
 
Friday's home opener will mark the fourth all-time meeting between the Paladins and Ramblers with Furman holding a 2-1 series advantage. The Paladins claimed a 63-51 decision in the only previous meeting in Greenville during the 2011-12 season before falling 77-50 in Chicago the following year. Last season, Matt Rafferty scored 18 points, Jordan Lyons registered 15 and Gurley added 11 to help the Paladins spring the upset on the road.
 
Following Friday's home opener, Furman travels to face Charleston Southern on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Paladins return to Timmons Arena to host Southern Wesleyan at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 15.