Greenville, S.C. – Furman starts the second half of its 18-game Southern Conference schedule on Sunday with a 3 p.m. rematch versus the UNC Greensboro Spartans inside the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
Sunday's game is the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week and will be available on The CW62 in the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville market, as well as Nexstar affiliates in the Charlotte, N.C., and Roanoke, Va., markets. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be heard on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM, 1330 AM, and through the Audacy app with Dan Scott and Tom Van Hoy on the call.
 
Furman (16-6, 7-2 SoCon) clawed its way to within a game of the SoCon lead with a 91-84 overtime victory versus first place Samford on Wednesday night at Timmons Arena. Fifth-year senior Jalen Slawson led the way with a season-best 26 points and 11 rebounds, while redshirt-junior Marcus Foster delivered the go-ahead triple with 30.1 seconds to play in the extra period to give the Paladins the lead for good. Mike Bothwell added 17 points and JP Pegues contributed 15 points and a game-high seven assists.
 
The Paladins rank 12^th in the country averaging 82.8 points per game this season and lead the SoCon through nine league games at 83.0 points per game. Over the first nine SoCon games, Furman has dished out a league best 15.1 assists per game and ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (47.0%), three-point field goal percentage (35.8%), and free throw percentage (77.5%). While posting a 6-1 record over its last seven outings, the Paladins have shot 83.1% at the line and averaged 19.3 made free throws per game.
 
UNCG (14-8, 8-1 SoCon) is riding a five-game winning streak entering Sunday's contest and is tied atop the league standings with Samford (14-8, 8-1 SoCon). The Spartans claimed an 88-80 overtime victory in the first meeting of the year between Furman and UNCG on January 14 behind 24 points from guard Keyshaun Langley. The Spartans erased a 13-point deficit in the second half and shot 41 free throws in the contest.
 
Sunday's game will be the 44^th all-time meeting between the schools with UNCG holding a 23-20 series lead. The Spartans have won two straight and three of the last four meetings, but Furman captured a 58-54 decision in last year's encounter at the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
Following Sunday's trips to Greensboro, N.C., Furman hosts Chattanooga at Timmons Arena on Wednesday, February 1, before entertaining Wofford at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday, February 4.