Greenville, S.C. – The Furman men's basketball team returns to the road and resumes Southern Conference play on Saturday evening when it heads to Macon, Ga. for a 6 p.m. matchup against the Mercer Bears inside Hawkins Arena.

Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. The game is being televised on CBS Sports Network. Updates will be posted on the Furman men's basketball Twitter page (@FurmanHoops).

Fans can also listen to the "Voice of the Paladins" Dan Scott on 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM/950 AM in Spartanburg, and thru Audacy.com.

The Paladins (15-7, 7-2 SoCon) won their third consecutive game, and fifth in a row at home over league opponents, on Wednesday after defeating VMI 79-64 in Greenville. Conley Garrison scored a game high 22 points and Jalen Slawson chipped in 21.

Garrison and Slawson both knocked down eight field goals in the contest while combining for nine of the Paladins' 14 3-pointers. Slawson registered a game high nine rebounds to go with four steals, three blocks and two assists. Garrison added eight rebounds and four assists. Mike Bothwell poured in 14 points and eight rebounds, and Alex Hunter contributed 10 points and five assists. Marcus Foster recorded seven points, six rebounds and three blocks.

Furman concluded the game shooting 41.8 percent from the field and held a 47-32 advantage in rebounding highlighted by 18 offensive boards. The Paladins led in second chance points (22-7), fast break points (7-5) and bench points (5-0).

Bothwell leads Furman offensively this season averaging 15.8 points per game while Hunter and Garrison contribute 14.6 and 9.7 points, respectively. Slawson adds 15.4 points and a team high 7.6 rebounds per game.

Mercer is currently 12-9 overall and 5-3 in the SoCon following a 75-61 loss at Samford on Wednesday. Felipe Haase is one of four players averaging in double figures with a team best 15.2 points per game. He is joined by Jalen Johnson (14.7), Neftali Alvarez (13.9) and James Glisson III (11.4). Defensively, Haase pulls down a team best 6.1 rebounds per game. The Bears are under the direction of third-year head coach Greg Gary.

The Paladins are facing Mercer for the 33^rd time in program history with Furman leading the all-time series 22-10 and has won each of the past 13 meetings dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Paladins defeated the Bears, 81-66, in the first meeting this season back on January 8 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville.

Furman begins a two-game homestand on Wednesday, February 2 when it hosts The Citadel at 7 p.m. from Timmons Arena.