GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Coming off a 79-67 win over Samford Thursday and winners of six of its last seven games, Furman women's basketball team will entertain Southern Conference front runner Mercer on Saturday in a 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ live streamed clash at Timmons Arena.

The game will mark the final home contest of the season for Furman (15-10, 8-3 SoCon), which will honor seniors Bea Mateo, Greyson Boone, Grace van Rij, and Tierra Hodges in pre-game ceremonies.

Mercer (18-6, 11-1 SoCon) comes to Greenville riding a seven-game winning streak, the latest addition coming on Thursday with a 74-57 triumph over Wofford in Spartanburg.

Furman head coach Jackie Carson's squad owns the only league victory over Mercer this year, a 69-66 triumph in Macon on Jan. 22.  Tierra Hodges keyed the victory, scoring 26 points in helping the Paladins rally from a 45-38 late third quarter deficit for the win, their first in Macon since the 2014-15 campaign.   

Furman heads into Saturday action in third place in the conference, a half game behind second place Wofford and a game and half up on fourth-place Samford.

The Paladins have been paced all season by Hodges, who leads the league in both scoring (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (11.9 rg), and ranks third in free throw percentage (.832).  The fifth-year senior matched her career scoring high with 28 points versus Samford, and combined it with 13 rebounds to post her SoCon leading 17th double-double of the season and 51st of her career.

Hodges, a two-time All-SoCon performer who earlier this year became Furman's all-time leading rebounder, a standard she has since raised to 1,198, moved up to sixth place (1,552 points) on the school's scoring chart with her 28-point outing against Samford, surpassing Whitney Bunn (1,538 points).

Senior forward Grace van Rij (9.4 ppg) has helped fuel the Paladins' late season surge and, like Hodges, is coming off a career high scoring 19-point tally on Thursday.  The Knoxville, Tenn., product ranks second in the SoCon in field goal percentage (.517).

Sophomore guard Tate Walters (13.2 ppg) ranks second on the squad in scoring and tops the SoCon in assists (85).

Freshman guard Niveya Henley has also come on of late, scoring 33 points in the last games, including a season high 14 against Samford.

Mercer, the reigning SoCon Tournament champion, boasts a talent-laden squad, led by guard Amoria Neal-Tysor (15.2 ppg), forward Jaron Dougherty (11.9 ppg), and wing Shannon Titus (10.7 rpg).

Furman wraps up its regular season next week with road contests at Chattanooga (Feb. 24) and East Tennessee State (Feb. 26).