GREENVILLE, S.C. – Winners of five straight and off to its best start in Southern Conference play in two decades, Furman tips off the second half of its league schedule on Thursday when it plays host to league front-runner Chattanooga in a 7:00 p.m. showdown at Timmons Arena.
A win by Furman (14-8, 6-1 SoCon) would move the Paladins into a first place tie with Chattanooga (15-5, 7-0 SoCon), which dealt Furman its only league setback with a 61-44 verdict in Chattanooga on Jan. 10.
Thursday's ESPN+ live streamed event will represent the first of five league home games over the Paladins' final seven SoCon clashes. Furman sports a 9-2 home record this season in its first season in the newly renovated Timmons Arena — its only losses coming to Clemson (76-58) and Campbell (68-61) in November.
The Paladins take notable momentum into the game, aided by a dramatic 65-64 road victory over Wofford on Friday that saw
Alyssa Ervin score the game winning basket off an inbounds lob pass with .4 seconds remaining. Ervin's decisive score capped another gritty fourth quarter by the Paladins, who erased a pair of seven-point deficits in the final period for their fourth second half comeback victory in the five-game winning streak.
The successful first half of Furman's 14-game league season was the product of many factors, chief among them the stellar play of sophomores
Clare Coyle (14.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Ervin (13.7 ppg).
Coyle tallied 11 of her 17 points against Wofford in the decisive fourth quarter and completed the contest with 11 rebounds for her SoCon leading eighth double-double of the season — a performance that netted her conference player of the week a second time this season. In addition to topping the league in rebounds, the 6-foot-1 Jacksonville, Fla., native ranks first in field goal percentage (.531) and steals (46), and fifth in scoring. Coyle has been on a tear on the boards in league play, averaging 13.0 caroms per game to go along with 12.0 points per game.
Ervin has been an outstanding addition to the program this year after spending her freshman year at Elon. A career high 24-point performance in a 69-56 win over UNC Greensboro on Jan. 15 and 21-point display against Wofford book ended the Paladins' five-game winning streak. The 5-foot-10 Galax, Va., product has also delivered two game winning shots in league play — the first coming with 20 seconds remaining in a 72-70 win over East Tennessee State on January 8.
Furman, which leads the SoCon in scoring (70.4 ppg), rebounding margin (+5.2), blocks (4.1), and steals (11.9), has also gotten quality contributions from a host of other players, including
Raina McGowens (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg),
Chantelle Stuart (8.3 ppg, 85 ast.), and
Lauren Bailey ( 6.3 ppg, .359 3PFG%). Stuart's career high 26-point outburst in the win over UNC Greensboro signaled the arrival of her potential, and Bailey, a transfer from Gardner-Webb, has helped bolster Furman's perimeter attack this year. She has connected on 8-of-15 shots from beyond the arc in the last two games.
The Paladins' surge has come despite a sidelining injury to 6-foot-4 starting sophomore forward
Kyraha Parnell (6.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg), who has missed the last five games. Injury has also put forward
Channing Warren, another sophomore. on the shelf the last three contests.
The absence of Parnell and Warren has led to increased playing time for freshman forward
Brooklyn King, whose play includes a 10-point, seven-rebound outing against Western Carolina and seven-point, eight-rebound performance in the Paladins' 70-62 road triumph over Samford.
Furman, whose roster doesn't feature a senior and sported no returning starters off last year's 16-16 team that went 5-9 in league play, was a fifth place pick in a poll of SoCon head coaches.
Chattanooga will bring an impressive 10-game winning streak to Greenville. The Mocs are the league's top defensive team, yielding only 56.8 points per game and a just 36.7 percent shooting from the field by the opposition.
UTC holds a 64-32 lead in the all-time series and has won the last three clashes in Greenville.
