ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Alyssa Ervin poured in a career high 27 points and No. 4 seed Furman used stifling  second half defense to defeat No. 5 seed Mercer, 66-45, in Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinal round action Thursday evening at Harrah's Cherokee Center.
 
The victory pushes Furman (18-12) into a Friday, 11:00 a.m. semifinal matchup against No. 1 seed Chattanooga, which knocked off Western Carolina 66-47 in Thursday quarterfinal round action.
 
Ervin connected on 8-of-15 shots, including 4-of-7 3-pointers, and 7-of-8 free throws for her new career high, which topped the 24 points she tallied in a 69-56 win over UNC Greensboro in Greenville on Jan. 15. The Galax, Va., native and second team All-SoCon performer this season combined her big scoring effort with six rebounds, five steals, and three assists in 38 minutes of action.
 
Ervin's 27 points also marked the highest tally by a Paladin in SoCon Tournament play since Rushia Brown poured in 37 points in a 77-73 win over Appalachian State in 1994 league tournament play.
 
Setting the table for Furman's first SoCon tournament win over Mercer in five tries was a Paladin defense that limited the Bears to just 20.8 percent shooting (5-for-24) in the second half.
 
After the game was tied at 37-37 almost seven minutes into the third quarter, Furman took over behind Ervin, who converted five consecutive free throws to put the Paladins up 42-37, and Raina McGowens found Clare Coyle behind Mercer's defense for a fast break layup an a 45-37 advantage with 1:09 to go.
 
A 7-0 Furman run to open the fourth quarter, spiced by a Chantelle Stuart 3-pointer three minutes in, gave the Paladins a 52-39 lead, and the Paladins put the game on ice with a 12-0 spurt, highlighted by Ervin's final 3-pointer of the contest and a 3-ball by Sophia Pearl with 1:41 to go.
 
Limited to only 25 minutes of action due to foul trouble, Coyle joined Ervin in double figures with 10 points and claimed a team high eight rebounds, helping Furman to 38-28 advantage on the boards.
 
The Paladins' strong defense forced Mercer into 21 turnovers.
 
Furman converted 7-of-16 3-point attempts (.438) and finished the contest shooting 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field.