GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman's women's basketball team will attempt to extend its winning streak to four games and match the program's best five-game start in Southern Conference play in 20 years this Saturday when it takes on Samford in 5:00 p.m. ET showdown at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, Ala.
The Paladins (12-8, 4-1 SoCon) claimed their third consecutive victory on Thursday night with a 60-49 triumph over Mercer in Macon, Ga., improving to 6-1 in their last seven games while notching a third straight win over the Bears.
The 4-1 start in league play is Furman's best since the 2016-17 season. The last time the Paladins went 5-1 out of the gate in league play was the 2004-25 campaign.
Samford (8-13, 1-3 SoCon) fell at home to Wofford, 80-56, on Thursday.
Furman, a 16-16 team a year ago that went 5-9 in league play under head coach
Pierre Curtis, now in his third season, returned no starters but appears well on the way to improvement this year due to the combined effort of several players, chief among them are a pair of sophomores — forward
Clare Coyle (14.1 ppg) and guard
Alyssa Ervin (13.5 ppg).
Coyle, a SoCon All-Freshman Team pick last season and preseason all-conference selection this year, leads the SoCon in both rebounding (8.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (.532) while ranking fourth in scoring, first in steals (42), and fourth in blocks (22). The 6-foot-1 Jacksonville, Fla., product has been on rebounding tear of late, pulling down 61 caroms (15.2/game) in Furman's last four games, including a career high 18 in Thursday's win over Mercer. Her stellar play during that span couldn't have come at a better time because it followed sidelining injuries to two key inside performers — starter
Kyraha Parnell (6.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and
Channing Warren (3.7 ppg).
The other big cog in Furman's lineup Ervin, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week who tallied a game high 20 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals against Mercer. The 5-foot-11 transfer from Elon now in her first season as a Paladin, combined to ring the register for 41 points (6x13 3PFGs), 11 rebounds, five steals, and three blocks in wins over UNC Greensboro (69-56) and Western Carolina (69-38) last week. Her career high 24 points against UNCG helped snap the reigning SoCon champion Spartans' seven-game winning streak and 16-game run of succcess versus SoCon foes that spanned 362 days.
The Paladins have gotten key contributions from other players in its recent winning stretch, including sophomore guard
Raina McGowens (9.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg),
Chantelle Stuart (8.2 ppg, 75 ast.),
Sophia Pearl (5.8 ppg, 55 ast.), and
Lauren Bailey (5.7 ppg).
McGowens scored only five points against Mercer but delivered a career high 11 rebounds in the victory. The streaky sophomore guard ignited Furman's second half explosion against Western Carolina by going 5-for-5 from the field in the third quarter to help the Paladins erase a 26-18 halftime deficit to the Catamounts.
The play of Stuart has also proven to be critical in the recent upswing. The Paladin sophomore guard, who ranks third in the SoCon in assists (75), poured in a career high 26 points against UNC Greensboro and tallied 51 points in the last three games, including 14 versus Mercer. She's also leading the Paladins in 3-point shooting (.367).
Pearl, a freshman, came off the bench to score five huge points, including a 3-pointer, in a decisive 8-0 fourth quarter run against Mercer that choked off any comeback designs the Bears entertained.
Bailey went 3-for-5 from 3-point range in the win over UNC Greensboro. The junior guard transfer from Gardner-Webb in her first season at Furman, is the Paladins' second best 3-point threat (.330, 34x103) behind Stuart.
Furman's defense has been stellar in its three-game winning streak, limiting UNC Greensboro, Western Carolina, and Mercer to just 46-of-158 shooting from the field (.291), including 15-of-64 (.234) from 3-point range. The Paladins held Mercer to four points in the second quarter and Western Carolina to just five points in the fourth period, including 12 points total in the second half.
Samford sports a four-game series winning streak against Furman and owns a 23-15 edge in the series. The Bulldogs have won six straight against the Paladins at the Pete Hanna Center, where the Paladins last won during the 2019-20 season by a 72-59 score.
In addition to the ESPN+ live stream, fans can also follow Saturday's action via StatBroadcast live stats and receive timely updates and highlight clips thru @FurmanWBB's "X" account. Links to the livestream and stats are available on Furman's women's basketball schedule page at FurmanPaladins.com.
