Game #16 - Furman

The Catamounts return home to the Ramsey Center, to face the preseason favorite Furman Paladins, in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week. Saturday's game will mark only the fifth time the Cats have played in the Ramsey Center this season.  

When: Saturday, January 30, 2020, at 2 pm
Where:   Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC

Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcers:   Gary Ayers, play by play 

TV/video:  Nexstar / ESPN+ 

-announcers:  -  Pete Yanity (Play by Play), Dean Keener (Color Analyst)

Official Athletic Site:  Furman Paladins

Furman Fan Site:  GoPaladins

The Series: In a series that started in 1977, and the Cats & Terriers will play in the 78 meetings between the two schools. The Cats hold a 29-48 record with the Paladins, are coming into the contest riding a nine-game skid versus the Paladins.  Western last beat Furman in 2016 in a game played in Cullowhee, and have not won in Greenville since 2012.  

Mark Prosser's record vs. the Paladins:  0-4

Furman Head Coach:  Bob Richey
Bob Richey's Record at Furman:    73-26  /  4th season

Paladins' record this season (2020-21): 10-5 overall, 4-2 SoCon, 7-2 home, 3-5 away 

Terrier's record last season (2019-20): 25-7 overall, 15-3 conf, 14-1 home, 10-5 away, 1-1 neutral

Game Notes:    Western Carolina       -     Furman

Key Returners: Noah Gurley, Clay Mounce, Alex Hunter, Mike Bothwell, Jalen Slawson
Key Losses: Jordan Lyons
Key Newcomers: Joe Anderson, Garrett Hien 

Furman sports a 7-0 record versus Western Carolina under head coach Bob Richey. Furman, ranked No. 7 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 and a SoCon-best No. 72 in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings.

The Paladin will come to Cullowhee on a two-game conference skid, the losses to VMI and ETSU marked the first time Furman dropped back-to-back SoCon games since January of 2019. Furman hasn't lost three straight league games since February of 2016.  The Paladins boast one of the most experienced starting lineups in the country with two seniors and three juniors. The lineup of senior Alex Hunter, junior Mike Bothwell, fifth-year senior Clay Mounce, redshirt-junior Noah Gurley, and junior Jalen Slawson have combined to appear in 451 games and a record 294 starts for the Paladins.

The Paladins are averaging 83.4 points per game, hitting 49.4% of their field goal attempts and only giving up 69.6 ppg. As a team, the Paladins are converting 73.7% of their free-throw attempts.