GREENVILLE, S.C. -- After tipping off the second half of its Southern Conference schedule with a 93-88 double overtime home victory over Wofford on Saturday, Furman's women's basketball team hits the road this week for matchups against league front-runner UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina.

Furman (13-11, 3-5 SoCon) will take on UNCG (17-6, 8-1 SoCon) on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the Spartans' Fleming Gymnasium, followed by a Saturday, 1:00 p.m. matchup versus Western Carolina (11-13, 1-8 SoCon) at the Ramsey Center.  Both games will be live streamed via ESPN+, and Thursday's contest at UNCG will also be broadcast over the SoCon's Nexstar Network. Live stats will be provided by UNCG an Western Carolina, with links available thru the women's basketball schedule page on FurmanPaladins.com.

The Paladins will look to turn the tables on UNCG, a winner of six straight and nine of its last 10 games.  The Spartans claimed a 64-54 win in the season's first clash on Jan. 18 in Greenville behind hot 3-point shooting (10x21, .476). Tasia Johnson led the UNCG's balanced attack that also fashioned a 41-30 rebounding edge. 

Tate Walters and Jada Session paced Furman with 17 points apiece.

UNCG has had Furman's number of late, winning six straight in the series and five of the last six battles in Greensboro.

The Paladins, conversely, have had the upper-hand on Western Carolina in recent years, winning the last 15 clashes, including an 82-73 triumph over the Catamounts in the season's first encounter on Jan. 16 at North Greenville University's Hayes Gymnasium, Furman's primary home court this season while Timmons Arena undergoes a $40M renovation.

Walters, a graduate guard, led Furman to its latest win over Western Carolina with a career high 30 points on the way to landing SoCon Player of the Week honors, and junior forward Sydney Ryan followed with a 22-point effort.

Furman turned the tables on Wofford in its latest outing, avenging a earlier 68-51 loss in Spartanburg with the double overtime triumph at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.  After Wofford forced overtime with a pair of free throws in the final second of regulation, Furman got a dramatic game tying basket from freshman forward Clare Coyle with a second remaining to complete a comeback from seven points down in the first extra period and take the contest in double overtime. 

Coyle's heroics highlighted her 14-point, six-rebound performance against the Terriers, who also watched another Paladin freshman, guard Chantelle Stuart, go for 14 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.  Walters and Jada Session paced Furman with 18 points apiece, and Session notched her third double-double of the season with 11 rebounds.

Walters, who became the 27th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club in a 61-57 win over Elon on Dec. 4, 2024, currently has 1,189 career points, good for 19th in program history.  She also owns 433 assists, which is second on Furman's all-time ledger.  She completed her return to action last year and averaged 10.0 ppg while contributing 107 assists after missing the 2023-23 season with a torn Achilles tendon.