GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's women's basketball team tips off its Southern Conference season on Thursday when it makes the short trip to Spartanburg to take on Wofford at Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Tipoff for the ESPN+ streamed event is set for 6:00 p.m.  Fans can also follow the action via live stats thru FurmanPaladins.com and get timely updates via twitter @FurmanWBB.

Furman (8-7, 0-0 SoCon) closed out its non-conference schedule on Sunday with a 71-51 win over South Carolina State in Timmons Arena.  Graduate forward Grace van Rij paced the victory with 20 points, and junior forward Sydney James contributed 16 points and game high 12 rebounds for the Paladins.

Wofford (10-4, 0-0 SoCon) wrapped up a strong first half season with a 78-48 triumph over Erskine on Dec. 31.  In addition the Terriers also posted wins over common foes Coastal Carolina (84-69) and UNC Asheville (79-67), among others.  Furman defeated Erskine, 84-27, and UNC Asheville, 65-64, but fell at Coastal Carolina, 69-54.

Furman holds a commanding 48-13 lead in the all-time series with Wofford, but it's become a more interesting disagreement of late.  Last year the Terriers notched their first win in Greenville in 29 attempts with a 72-54 triumph, and recorded a fifth consecutive win victory the Paladins in Spartanburg, 74-69.  Furman gained a measure of revenge by knocking off Wofford in the SoCon Tournament semifinal action, 64-59.  The Paladins are 17-11 all-time versus the Terriers in Spartanburg.

Challenged from the season's start to work around season ending injuries to a pair of key performers, All-SoCon point guard Tate Walters (12.9 ppg, SoCon leading 137 assists a year ago) and SoCon All-Freshman forward Niveya Henley, head coach Jackie Carson's squad has made progress in the chemistry lab over the last two months.

The mid-summer decision by All-SoCon forward Grace van Rij to exercise her final year of eligibility has given Furman's front court a much-needed dose of experience and leadership. The Knoxville, Tenn., product is contributing 13.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg while shooting 53.5 percent from the field.

She's been helped by the improving Jada Session, a sophomore forward tasked with filling the spot in the lineup that last year was occupied by consensus SoCon Player of the Year Tierra Hodges.  She is averaging 8.5 ppg and a team leading 7.9 rpg.

Sydney James has come on of late after being slowed in the early going with injuries, having averaged 13.2 ppg and 9.0 rpg over the last five contests, including the last three that have seen her registered double figure rebounds.  She delivered a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in the Paladins' 75-67 overtime win over Radford on Dec. 18.

While the drop off in scoring has been pronounced at point guard with Walters' absence, some of offensive production has been assumed by redshirt freshman second guard Jaelyn Acker, who is contributing a team leading 13.6 ppg in her first season as a Paladin.  Currently the top scoring freshman in the SoCon, Acker is Furman's best threat from 3-point range (.333, 37x111). 

Another newcomer, freshman wing Sydney Ryan (8.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg), has fashioned stretches of solid play.

Janay Outten has stepped in at point guard and contributed a league leading 69 assists and +3.0 assist/turnover ratio, also tops in the SoCon.