ASHEVILLE, N.C.. -- Tierra Hodges scored 20 points, including six points in a decisive late run, to power No. 3 seed Furman past No. 2 seed Wofford, 64-59, in women's Southern Conference Tournament semifinal round action Friday afternoon at Harrah's Cherokee Center.

With the victory Furman (19-11) advances into Sunday's noon championship game against regular season champion Mercer (22-6), which defeated Samford, 65-35, in Friday's other semifinal contest.  The Paladins were the only league team to beat Mercer this season, posting a 69-66 verdict in Macon on Jan.20.  The championshp game will be streamed via ESPN+ and televised over the Nexstar Network.

Sunday's title game appearance will be the ninth in Furman's history. The Paladins won championships in 1995 and 2000.

Sophomore wing Sydney James delivered a 15-point, eight-rebound performance, and fellow sophomore Tate Walters rounded out Furman's double-figure scoring effort with 12 points, which she combined with eight assists and six rebounds.

Furman needed all of Hodges, the SoCon's consensus player of the year, to beat Wofford. The 5-9 fifth year senior forward, who scored 20 points and claimed 20 rebounds in Thursday's quarterfinal — a 70-63 overtime win over Chattanooga — connected of 8-of-18 shots, including a 3-pointer, and 3-of-4 free throws for her 20 points.  She also added a team high 12 rebounds to notch her 20th double-double of the season and 52nd unique performance of her career.

The Paladins led 55-52 with 3:19 to go but saw it quickly evaporate after James was whistled for a technical foul following her block of a Reagan Rapert shot.  Rapert converted one of two free throws, and on the ensuing possession Lilly Hatton tied it at 55-55 on a layup following an offensive rebound.

Furman turned the ball over on the inbounds play, and Walters was called for an intentional foul on a scramble for the ball.  Rapert cashed in the two free throws to give the Terriers a 57-55 lead with 2:38 to go.

Hodges put an end to the mess with a layup off a Walters pass to tie it at 57-57, and added two free throws with 1:10 to go to put the Paladins ahead for good, 59-57.

Following a Walters steal, Hodges finished off her late game flurry with jump shot with just under a minute left to make it 61-57.

Greyson Boone added a free throw to give the Paladins a 62-57 lead, and Walters finished the contest by draining two from the stripe with six seconds on the clock.

The contest featured nine lead changes and six ties. Furman's largest advantage was only five points, which it only matched in game's final 14 seconds.

Furman, which entered the game as the SoCon's top rebounding team, forced a 47-30 advantage on the glass, including a 17-10 differential on the offensive end that led to a 19-9 edge on second chance points.

The Paladins topped their season work from 3-point range, connecting on 9-of-25 treys, while Wofford hit on just 5-of-24 attempts beyond the arc.  James and freshman guard Niveya Henley chipped in three 3-pointers apiece.

Furman suffered 13 turnovers in the first half but still managed to take a 28-24 lead into intermission.  The Paladins dialed it down to six miscues over the final 20 minutes.