CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Tate Walters scored a game high 22 points and Tierra Hodges followed with 20 to lead Furman past Western Carolina, 63-58, in Southern Conference women's basketball action on Thursday evening at the Ramsey Center.

Walters, who scored 17 points in Furman's 71-59 win over Western Carolina in the season's first meeting in Greenville on Jan. 8, made it two strong outings in a row against the Catamounts by connecting on 7-of-12 shots, including 5-of-8 3-point attempts, en route to her game-high performance, which also featured eight rebounds and four assists.  The sophomore guard and Buford, Ga., product, who registered 11 of her points in a decisive third quarter, also converted 3-of-4 free throws, including a pair of freebies with 3.1 seconds remaining, to seal the game's outcome.

The victory was third straight for Furman (12-9, 5-2 SoCon), which entered the contest in third place in the SoCon, and 10th consecutive triumph over Western Carolina (6-16, 0-8 SoCon).

Hodges' 20-point outing included 7-of-20 shooting and was coupled with a game high 10 rebounds, which gave the senior forward her SoCon leading 14th double-double of the season. The Covington, Ga., native also climbed to eighth on Furman's career scoring chart with 1,481 points, surpassing Lucy Dunn (1,465 points, 1985-88).

Joi Reid led four Catamounts in double figures with 12 points.

Furman, which led 32-27 early in the third quarter, used a 13-2 run, fueled by five points from Walters, to go up 45-29 following a Sydney James 3-pointer with 4:28 remaining in the period.

A Walters 3-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter gave Furman its largest lead of the contest, 56-40, but the Paladins did next to nothing offensively the rest of the way.  Western Carolina methodically chipped away at the advantage and pulled to within 61-58 on a Madison Pack 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining.  The Paladins held on, however, as Walters tallied her final two points of the contest from the free throw line with 3.1 seconds on the clock.

Furman, which shot 35.6 percent from the field (21x59), outscored Western Carolina 21-9 from 3-point range, converting 7-of-19 treys to the Catamounts' 3-of-8.  Western Carolina finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (24x48).

The Paladins fashioned a 37-28 advantage on the boards, including an 18-8 margin on the offensive glass.

Furman continues its road swing on Saturday when it plays UNCG in a 4:00 p.m. contest.