Macon, Ga. – Forward Noah Gurley posted his second double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds to power Furman to a 70-60 victory over Mercer and regular season sweep of its home-and-home series with the Bears on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
 
The victory marked the Paladins' 12^th consecutive triumph versus Mercer and improved Furman's record to 15-7 overall and 9-4 in Southern Conference play. Mercer fell to 13-9 overall and 6-8 inside the league.
 
With Furman trailing 32-31 and under 17 minutes to play, Gurley ignited a 13-0 run with a steal and a slam, followed by a basket in the paint. Mike Bothwell scored a scored a pair of baskets in the run, Colin Kenney drilled a triple and Clay Mounce capped the spurt with a pair of free throws to put the Paladins ahead 44-32 with 12:36 to play.
 
Mercer trimmed the Paladin lead back to four points at 55-51 with 3:12 remaining, but Gurley answered with a jumper in the lane and a three-pointer on Furman's next possession to boost the lead back to nine. Jalen Slawson and Alex Hunter combined to connected on 6-of-6 trips to the charity stripe in the final 38 seconds to secure the win.
 
Furman shot 52.2% from the field and converted on 17-of-19 trips to the foul line to claim its fifth consecutive win over the Bears in Macon. The Paladins boasted a 33-26 edge on the glass and Furman's bench outscored the Bears, 20-0, behind 12 points from Slawson.
 
Gurley connected on 9-of-12 shots from the floor and all four trips to the foul line, while Bothwell finished 7-of-11 from the field to add 17 points.
 
Neftali Alvarez led the Bears with 20 points. Felipe Haase and James Glisson III added 17 and 11, respectively. Mercer shot just 39.7%, including 5-for-20 behind the arc.
 
Furman returns home for a couple of games at Timmons Arena this coming week as the Paladins will entertain VMI at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 22, before celebrating Senior Day with a 7 p.m. tip-off versus The Citadel on Wednesday, February 24..Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can listen to the "Voice of the Paladins", Dan Scott, deliver the play-by-play call on ESPN Upstate at 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM/ 950 AM in Spartanburg, and thru the Radio.com app.