Game 16: Furman (10-5, 4-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (7-8, 0-6 SoCon)
Saturday, January 30, 2021 – 1:00 p.m.
Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C.
Ingles SoCon Game of the Week
TV: Nexstar/ESPN+
Radio: ESPN Upstate (97.7 FM/1330 AM Greenville, 97.1 FM/950 AM Spartanburg, Radio.com)
Live Stats: FurmanPaladins.com
 
FURMAN NOTABLES

• Furman, ranked No. 7 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 and a SoCon-best No. 72 in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings, looks to snap a two-game skid when it takes on Western Carolina in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week Saturday afternoon in Cullowhee, N.C.
• The Paladins and Catamounts were originally scheduled to play in Cullowhee on Jan. 6, but the game was postponed until Feb. 15 due to COVID issues in the WCU program. After Furman had its Saturday contest at home versus Chattanooga postponed due to UTC's COVID issues and Western Carolina had its matchup with Samford postponed the Paladins and Catamounts elected to move the Feb. 15 contest to Jan. 30.
• This past Monday's Furman-UNCG contest at Timmons Arena was postponed, but after the Paladins tested negative on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, WCU was added to the schedule for Saturday and the UNCG game was rescheduled for Feb. 8. The Paladins will face UNCG on Feb. 8 at Timmons Arena and on Feb. 10 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Both games will be televised live on ESPNU. Next Wednesday's trip to Samford was postponed due to COVID testing and quarantine requirements in the Bulldog program.
• Last time out on Jan. 23, ETSU held Furman to 41.7% shooting from the field and did not allow a basket during a stretch of almost nine minutes in the second half to rally past the Paladins, 71-62, at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn. Clay Mounce paced the Paladins with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Mike Bothwell and Noah Gurley added 17 and 13 points, respectively.
• Losses to VMI and ETSU marked the first time Furman had dropped back-to-back SoCon games since January of 2019. Furman hasn't lost three straight league games since February of 2016.
• Junior Mike Bothwell comes into Saturday's contest leading Furman in scoring (18.2 ppg), assists (3.5 apg) and steals per game (2.0 spg). The Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native poured in a career-high 32 points in a 78-66 win over ETSU on January 16. He has reached double figures in 21 of his last 22 games and topped 20 points five times this season.
• Head coach Bob Richey (83-30), now in his fourth year, ranks in the top 12 among active NCAA Division I coaches with a .735 winning percentage. He guided Furman to 23 victories in his first year as head coach before setting a school records with 25 wins in each of the last two seasons.
• The Paladins boast one of the most experienced starting lineups in the country with two seniors and three juniors. The lineup of senior Alex Hunter, junior Mike Bothwell, fifth-year senior Clay Mounce, redshirt-junior Noah Gurley and junior Jalen Slawson have combined to appear in 451 games and record 294 starts in the purple and white.
• Forward Noah Gurley is closing in on becoming the second Paladin this season and 47^th all-time to reach the 1,000-point plateau. The junior, who averages 14.0 points per game, scored 13 at ETSU and enters Saturday's game with 942 career points.
• Clay Mounce (15.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg) grabbed two rebounds in a Dec. 15 loss at Alabama to reach 500 for his career and become just the 10^th player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 150 assists in a career. Mounce currently ranks 35^th in school history with 1,155 career points.

 
Furman vs. Western Carolina Series

• Saturday's game marks the 78^th all-time meeting on the hardwood between Furman and Western Carolina with the Paladins holding a 48-29 series advantage.
• Furman has won nine straight meetings in the series and 11 of the last 12 versus the Catamounts.
• Last season, Furman held off the Catamounts, 83-79 at Timmons Arena before Jordan Lyons netted 33 points and Alex Hunter added 21 in an 82-73 win over Western Carolina in the last meeting on February 8, 2020, at the Ramsey Center.
• The Paladins have won on each of their last four trips to Cullowhee.
• Furman sports a 7-0 record versus Western Carolina under head coach Bob Richey.

 
Up Next:
Furman vs. Wofford
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 – 6:00 p.m.
Timmons Arena | Greenville, S.C.
TV: Nexstar/ESPN+
Radio: ESPN Upstate