Greenville, S.C. – The Furman men's basketball team opens a two-game road swing on Saturday when it travels to Cullowhee, N.C., to face Western Carolina. Tip-off at the Ramsey Center is slated for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
The first place Paladins arrive in Cullowhee at 19-5 overall and 9-2 in the Southern Conference following a 79-57 victory over Mercer on Wednesday night at Timmons Arena. Noah Gurley scored 15 points to pace five Paladins in double figures and senior Jordan Lyons connected on three triples to become Furman's career leader with 274 three-point baskets. Furman held the Bears to 33.3% shooting from the field and turned 18 Mercer turnovers into 19 points.
 
Lyons, who also picked up his 90^th win as a Paladin to join 2019 seniors Andrew Brown and Matt Rafferty as the winningest players in school history, leads the Paladins averaging 16.9 points per game. Joining him in averaging double figures are Gurley (14.2 ppg), Clay Mounce (13.6 ppg) and Mike Bothwell (10.3 ppg).
 
The Paladins have won four straight entering Saturday's trip to Cullowhee and sports a perfect 10-0 mark at Timmons Arena this season. A win on Saturday would give Furman a school-record fourth straight 20-win season. Over the Past four seasons, Furman has posted a 90-35 overall record.
 
Saturday's matchup marks the 77^th meeting between the Paladins and Catamounts with Furman holding a 47-29 series lead.
 
The victory improved the first place Paladins to 19-5 overall and 9-2 in SoCon play, while the Bears slipped to 12-12 overall and 6-5 in the league. Furman has won eight straight in the series, including an 83-79 victory over the Catamounts in last meeting on January 15, 2020, at Timmons Arena. The Paladins have defeated Western Carolina (15-7, 7-4 SoCon) in each of the last three meetings at the Ramsey Center and claimed a 64-45 win in Cullowhee last season.
 
Following Saturday's game, Furman travels to Birmingham, Ala., to take on Samford on Wednesday night at the Pete Hanna Center. The Paladins return home on February 15, to host Chattanooga for Legend's Weekend.
 
Tickets for Furman's remaining home games are on sale now at the Timmons Arena Box Office and online at FurmanPaladins.com. 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.