Game 22: Furman (14-7, 8-4 SoCon) at Mercer (13-8, 6-7 SoCon)
Saturday, February 20, 2021 – 2:00 p.m.
Hawkins Arena | Macon, Ga.
GameDay Sponsor: Wicked Weed
TV: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN Upstate (1330 AM Greenville, Radio.com)
Live Stats: FurmanPaladins.com
 
FURMAN NOTABLES

• Furman returns to the road on Saturday when it will go for the season sweep of Mercer in a 2 p.m. contest versus the Bears at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
• The Paladins (8-4, .667), ranked No. 16 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 and a SoCon-best No. 78 in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings, is in a tie with Wofford (10-5, .667) for second place in the SoCon behind UNCG (10-4, .714) entering the final eight days of the regular season. Following Saturday's game at Mercer, Furman hosts VMI on Monday and The Citadel on Wednesday before playing Wofford in the regular season finale on Saturday, February 27.
• Last time out, Furman shot 51.7% from the field and netted 17 points off of 17 Samford turnovers to upend the Bulldogs, 78-64, at Timmons Arena on Wednesday night. Alex Hunter led the way with a career-high 23 points, Mike Bothwell tallied 19 points and Noah Gurley added 16 as the Paladins claimed their third victory in the last four outings.
• The 14-point triumph over Samford marked Furman's 22 victory in its last 23 games at Timmons Arena and 38 in the last 41 regular season contests played in the facility. Furman is 73-12 at Timmons over the last six seasons, including 43-6 versus SoCon opposition.
• With his 16-point performance against Samford on Wednesday, redshirt-junior Noah Gurley became the 47^thplayer in Furman history and second this season (Mounce) to reach 1,000 career points.
• Senior Alex Hunter connected on a career-best seven three-point tries to post a career-high 23 points in Wednesday's 78-64 win over Samford. A starter at point guard in 85 of the last 86 games for the Paladins, Hunter is averaging 11.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while leading the SoCon in assist-to-turnover ratio. He has shot 41.4% from behind the arc this season, including 44.3% from long range in SoCon play. Hunter's 197 three-point baskets rank as the sixth most in Paladin history and the senior needs just three more to become only the fifth Paladins to ever reach 200 three-point makes.
• Head coach Bob Richey (87-32), now in his fourth year, ranks in the top 12 among active NCAA Division I coaches with a .731 winning percentage. He guided Furman to 23 victories in his first year as head coach before setting school records with 25 wins in each of the last two seasons.
• Clay Mounce (14.5 ppg, 6.5 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 31st in school history with 1,228 career points.

 
Furman vs. Mercer Series

• Saturday's game will mark the 31^st all-time meeting between Furman and Mercer with the Paladins leading the series 20-10.
• Furman has won 11 straight and 12 of the last 13 meetings versus the Bears, including four consecutive victories over Mercer in Macon, Ga.
• In the first meeting of the season on January 2, at Timmons Arena, Furman took a 10-point halftime lead and led by as many as 18 points in the second half before claiming an 83-80 victory as Mercer missed a desperation three at the buzzer. The Paladins shot 53.4% from the field, connected on 10-of-24 three-point tries and 11-of-15 trips to the foul line in the win. Clay Mounce and Noah Gurley paced the Paladins with 27 and 23 points, respectively. Ross Cummings led the Bears with 22 points. Mercer shot 55.6% from the field.
• Furman boasts an 8-0 record versus the Bears under head coach Bob Richey.

 
Up Next:
Furman vs. VMI
Monday, Feb. 22, 2021 – 7:00 p.m.
Timmons Arena | Greenville, S.C.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN Upstate