Greenville, S.C. – The Furman men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it travels to face the Mercer Bears for a Southern Conference tilt at Hawkins Arena.
 
Tip-off in Macon, Ga., is slated for 4:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, and via the Audacy app. Links for the broadcast, live audio, and live statistics are available at FurmanPaladins.com.
 
The Paladins enter Saturday's matchup at 15-5 overall and 3-4 in league play following a 91-82 setback at VMI on Wednesday night. The Keydets shot 51.8% from the field, went 9-of-22 behind the arc, and converted on 24-of-27 trips to the foul line to stop a five-game series skid against the Paladins. Wednesday's loss marked the third in the last four outings for the Paladins, who have struggled defensively during SoCon play allowing the opposition to score 75 points per game and shoot 36.8% from three-point range.
 
Mercer is 10-10 overall and 3-4 in the league after scoring a 79-78 win at UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night. The road win snapped a four-game skid for the Bears.
 
Saturday's game marks the 40^th all-time meeting between Furman and Mercer with the Paladins holding a 27-12 series lead. Mercer swept two meetings from the Paladins last season to halt Furman's 18-game series winning streak.