GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's women's basketball team tips off Southern Conference play on Sunday when it travels to Spartanburg to face Wofford in a 2:00 p.m. contest at Richardson Indoor Stadium.

The game, originally slated to be played on Saturday, was rescheduled to Sunday due to adverse weather that moved into the Upstate on Friday.  The contest will be live streamed via ESPN+ and also carried over the new Palmetto Sports Network.  A link to Wofford-driven StatBroadcast live stats can also be accessed on Furman's women's basketball schedule page at FurmanPaladins.com.

The Paladins (10-6), who rolled past Southern Wesleyan, 107-51, in the last outing on Jan. 1, were a preseason third place pick in a poll of league head coaches while the Terriers (8-5) earned favorite status in the same poll.

Sunday's contest will represent Furman's 12th road game of the season (including three neutral site contests) while the Paladins' on-campus basketball venue, Timmons Arena, undergoes a $40 million renovation before re-opening for the 2025-26 season.  Furman's primary home court this year is North Greenville's Hayes Gymnasium in Tigerville, S.C.  The Paladins will also play a pair of contests (Jan. 18 vs. UNC Greensboro and Feb. 8 versus Wofford) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville.

Furman holds a commanding 49-16 lead in its all-time series with Wofford, but the Terriers have made it much more competitive in recent years, winning four of the last five meetings and seven of the last 12 contests.  Wofford also owns a seven-game winning streak over Furman in Spartanburg, including last year's 69-51 triumph at Richardson Indoor Stadium.  Furman claimed the last clash a year ago, earning a 64-51 verdict in Greenville behind a 17-point performance by guard Tate Walters.

Furman welcomed the return of senior All-SoCon forward Jada Session in December after she missed the first 10 games while recovering from a knee injury.  Furman's leading scorer (12.1 ppg) and rebounder (8.1 rpg) a year ago, she posted her first double-double (10 pts., 10 rebs.) of the season against Southern Wesleyan.  

While Session's return has been good news, Furman suffered a huge hit with the exit of starting redshirt junior guard Niveya Henley (11.7 ppg, .358 3PFG%), who suffered a season ending knee injury in the second quarter of the 78-77 loss at North Carolina Central on Dec. 30. Henley successfully returned to action last year, averaging 10.8 ppg and earning third team All-SoCon honors after sitting out the 2022-23 campaign with a knee injury.

Furman is paced in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) by senior forward Kate Johnson.  The Canton, Ga., product tallied 17 points in just under 12 minutes of playing time versus Southern Wesleyan, converting 8-of-9 shots. She leads the SoCon and ranks 11th nationally in field goal percentage (.617), and her work on the glass fronts a Paladin squad that ranks 12th nationally in rebounding margin (+10.5).

Tate Walters, who returned to action last year and averaged 10.0 ppg while contributing 107 assists after missing the 2023-23 campaign with a torn Achilles tendon, continues to move up Furman's career ledger in points (1,057/23rd) and assists (396/4th).

Junior Sydney Ryan, who could see more court time at guard following Henley's injury, is now the Paladins' top 3-point threat (.356) and Furman's leader at the charity stripe (.805). 

Three freshmen have emerged as key contributors this season — guard Raina McGowens (6.9 ppg), forward Claire Coyle (4.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg), and guard Chantelle Stuart (3.4 ppg, 48 ast.). Coyle tops all league freshmen in rebounding.