Game 18: Furman (11-6, 5-3 SoCon) vs. UNCG (13-5, 8-2 SoCon)
Monday, February 8, 2021 – 5:00 p.m.
Timmons Arena | Greenville, S.C.
GameDay Sponsor: Pepsi
TV: ESPNU
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. 9 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 and a SoCon-best No. 85 in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings, plays the opening leg of a Monday-Wednesday home-and-home series with UNCG when it hosts the Spartans at Timmons Arena on Monday at 5 p.m. on ESPNU
• Last timeout out, Wofford Storm Murphy scored 24 points and keyed a 17-2 second half run as the Terriers rallied from a nine-point deficit to down Furman, 75-67, at Timmons Arena and snap the Paladins 19-game home winning streak. Clay Mounce led the Paladins with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Noah Gurley also posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Alex Hunter hit 5-of-10 three-point tries to tally 15 points and six assists.
• Monday's game was originally scheduled for Jan. 25 but moved to Feb. 8 due to COVID testing issues. The contest marks Furman's second straight home game in a run of six home games in eight outings. 
• Despite having its 19-game winning streak at Timmons Arena snapped on Saturday, Furman has won 35 of its last 38 regular season contests played in the facility. Furman is 70-12 at Timmons over the last six seasons, including 40-6 versus SoCon opposition.
• Head coach Bob Richey (84-31), now in his fourth year, ranks in the top 12 among active NCAA Division I coaches with a .730 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 461 games and record 303 starts in the purple and white.
• Senior Alex Hunter, a starter at point guard in 81 of the last 82 games for the Paladins, is averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while leading the SoCon in assist-to-turnover ratio. He has shot a team-best 40.4% from behind the arc this season.
• 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 14.1 points per game, enters Monday's game with 971 career points.
• Clay Mounce (15.5 ppg, 6.2 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 33rd in school history with 1,188 career points.

 
Furman vs. UNCG Series

• Monday's game marks the 39^th meeting between Furman and UNCG in a series that dates back to the 1997-98 season.
• UNCG holds a 20-18 lead in the all-time series between the Paladins and Spartans and has won six of the last eight meetings.
• Last season, UNCG spoiled Furman's return to downtown Greenville and the Bon Secours Wellness Arena with an 86-73 verdict before Furman returned the favor with an 81-67 triumph in Greensboro, N.C., in the last meeting on February 26, 2020.
• The Spartans have won three of the last four meetings in Greenville versus the Paladins.

 
Up Next:
Furman at UNCG
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2021 – 5:00 p.m.
Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, N.C.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: ESPN Upstate