GREENVILLE, S.C. – Having concluded the best Southern Conference road campaign in program history, Furman's women's basketball team returns home to Timmons Arena for its final three regular season games beginning with a Thursday clash against Samford.
Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
Furman (16-10, 8-3 SoCon), without the benefit of a returning starter and a preseason fifth place pick in a poll of SoCon head coaches, heads into the clash with Samford (11-16, 4-6 SoCon) tied for second place with Wofford, a half game back of first place Chattanooga (8-2 SoCon). The Paladins will play host Mercer on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and conclude the regular season campaign next Saturday when Wofford pays a visit to Timmons Arena.
Furman will look to complete season sweeps over each of its final three foes, a scenario made possible by a 60-49 win over Mercer in Macon (Jan. 22), a 70-62 triumph over Samford in Homewood (Jan. 24), and 65-64 victory over Wofford in Spartanburg (Jan. 30).
The Paladins' current position is due in large measure to its road success — specifically a 6-1 mark posted against SoCon foes this season. That's the best road slate posted by Furman in league play since the Paladins joined in the SoCon in 1984.
The win over Samford in the season's first meeting saw the Paladins rally from an eight-point fourth quarter deficit — one of four second half comeback victories by Furman this season. Five double figure scorers, led by
Lauren Bailey's 15 points and
Clare Coyle's 13 points and 15 rebounds, keyed the victory, but Furman won't have Bailey to lean on this Thursday after the Paladin junior guard sustained a season ending knee injury in last Saturday's 63-61 win over UNC Greensboro.
To cool off a Samford squad that comes to Greenville riding a three-game winning streak Furman will rely on Coyle to lead the way. The 6-foot-1 sophomore forward, who poured in 25 points versus UNCG, leads the squad in scoring (14.7 ppg) and tops the SoCon in rebounding (9.2 rpg), field goal percentage (.537), and steals (55).
Looking to join Coyle in leading Furman's attack will be sophomore guard
Alyssa Ervin (13.4 ppg), who tallied only eight points against UNCG, though they proved to be decisive. Her 3-pointer with 1:36 to go put the Paladins up 62-59, and a free throw by the Elon transfer in the final seconds capped the 10-point Furman comeback victory.
Raina McGowens (8.9 ppg, 5;0 rpg), another sophomore guard, delivered a huge performance against the Spartans, tallying 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals.
With Bailey no longer available, Furman's back court will lean heavier on the play of sophomore
Chantelle Stuart (7.5 ppg, 103 ast.) and freshman
Sophia Pearl (4.8 ppg, 62 ast.), Bailey's expected replacement in the starting lineup.
The return of 6-foot-4 forward
Kyraha Parnell (5.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) following a multi-game absence due to injury offers promise to help the Paladins' front line.
Samford holds a 23-17 edge in the all-time series with Furman, though the Paladins are 9-7 versus the Bulldogs in Greenville.
In addition to the ESPN+ live stream, fans can also follow Thursday'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.
