GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's women's basketball team returns to action on Thursday when it takes on Mercer in Macon, Ga., in the first of a pair of Southern Conference games against the Bears.

Tipoff for the ESPN+ streamed contest at Hawkins Arena is set for 7:00 p.m.  Fans can also follow the action via live stats available thru FurmanPaladins.com

The Paladins and Bears are slated to play their second game of the series at 6:00 p.m. Saturday.

Furman (5-7, 1-2 SoCon) opened league play last weekend by splitting a pair of home contests against Chattanooga.  The Paladins dropped game one on Friday, 68-56, before battling back with a spirited effort to trim the Mocs, 52-46, in Sunday's contest.

Mercer (8-4, 2-1 SoCon) swept its two-game road set at UNC Greensboro, claiming game one, 53-43, and game two, 73-58.

Head coach Jackie Carson's Paladins have been dealt a tough hand this year with injuries, the latest coming on Friday against Chattanooga when starting freshman point guard Paraskevi Koilia saw her season end after the Athens, Greece, native suffered a fractured ankle in the first quarter.  She joins senior Jarya Outten, the Paladins starting second guard, who was lost for season in mid-December with a knee injury.

Furman's new back court composed of senior Tyah Hunter (6.8 ppg) and freshman Tate Walters (8.5 ppg) rallied to combine for 22 points in Sunday's win over UTC.

As expected redshirt senior All-SoCon small forward Tierra Hodges (16.6 ppg) has been the Paladins' big producer so far this year. The Covington, Ga., product, leads the league in rebounding (10.4 rpg) and owns seven double-doubles on the campaign.

Freshman guard Sydney James (11.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) has been another bright spot for Furman and, like Walters, appears to be regaining strength and stamina after missing a pair of games earlier this month.

The Paladins and Bears split last year's two meetings, but Mercer has had the upper hand in the series of late, winning 12 of the last 13 meetings, including the last five in Macon.