Now they know it’s a long, hard road.
Actually, everyone in the Southern Conference who follows men’s basketball knows … but Nitty Gritty Dirt Band broke the song, written by Rodney Crowell, in 1984.
Furman men’s basketball plays its third road game in its last four outings on Wednesday when it visits Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga., for a 7 p.m. tip-off versus the Mercer Bears.
Mercer (10-13, 3-7 SoCon) defeated VMI, 90-69, on Saturday. The Bears also defeated UNCG in Greensboro, 70-64, on Jan. 27.
“You face high expectations and emotions when you go on the road,” said Furman head coach Bob Richey. “There’s one expectation. It’s going to be really hard. We have to play really well. That’s every game, and this one is going to be no different.”
The Paladins travel to Mercer for the 38th all-time meeting versus the Bears. Furman holds a 27-10 series lead and has won each of the last 18 meetings, including seven straight encounters at Hawkins Arena. Last season, Furman swept a pair of regular season meetings against the Bears before eliminating Mercer in the SoCon quarterfinals with a 73-58 decision in Asheville, N.C.
Mercer is the only SoCon team the Paladins have not already played. They have played The Citadel and UNCG twice. The Bears take on Furman at Timmons Arena on March 2 in the final regular-season game.
Furman (12-11, 6-4) trailed by 10 points late in the second half against UNCG, but J.P. Pegues hit a pair of three-pointers in the final minutes to tie game. The Spartans’ Jalen Breath hit a go-ahead basket with under a minute to play, and Furman went 0/3 from the field and 0/2 at the free-throw line in the final moments, falling, 89-87.
“That’s one of the nights they were on,” said Pegues. “We did battle back at the end, but we needed to execute better on defense at the end and get a couple more stops.”
Marcus Foster, who leads the Paladins averaging 19.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, paced Furman with 26 points and six boards against the Spartans. Pegues, who has added 17.1 points per game, scored 25 points and connected on five three-pointers in the loss.
Fifth-year senior Jalyn McCreary leads the Bears, averaging 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
The Paladins continue their road swing on Saturday with a 6 p.m. tip-off in Johnson City, Tenn., versus ETSU before returning to Timmons Arena to host VMI on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
Fans can watch Wednesday’s game on ESPN+ and listen to the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, on 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, or via the Audacy app.
Senior Anna Morgan enhanced her prodigious Furman career by winning the Lady Puerto Rico Classic with a final-round 67.
The Spartanburg product was 10 strokes under part after firing rounds of 68, 71 and 67 (206) to win by two strokes in the Purdue-hosted tournament at the par-72, 6,305-yard Grand Reserve in Rio Grande, P.R.
In the final round, Morgan teed off on No. 7 and birdied her first hole, then added birdies on Nos. 11 and 12. She concluded the near-flawless round with back-to back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to seal the seventh title of her career.
Morgan’s win last fall at the Landfall Tradition established a new Furman record for career victories, topping former Paladins Betsy King, Beth Daniel, Dottie Pepper and Jennifer Perri, who each collected five.
“Anna is truly amazing,” stated Furman head coach Jeff Hull. “She beat a very strong field for her seventh win and made it look so easy. She has positioned herself as one of the best, if not the best, players in the country and solidifies herself as Furman golf royalty. Anna isn’t done, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for her.”
Furman finished 11th as a team.
No. 3 Arkansas (+10) surged to the team win after blistering the field with a 276 on Tuesday. No. 11 LSU (-9) was one stroke back, followed by 17th-ranked Auburn (-8), No. 12 Texas A&M (-6) and Oklahoma State (-4) in fifth. Furman (+17) finished 11th, ahead of Ole Miss (+18) and SoCon rival Mercer (+35), among others.
The Paladins tied for second with a 3.02 scoring average on the par 3s.
Furman will compete at the ICON Invitational in Humble, Texas, Feb. 26-27.
11 Furman 292 291 298 881 +17
1 Anna Morgan (1) 68 71 67 206 -10
T42 Alise Knudson (2) 73 72 77 222 +6
T42 Audrey Ryu (3) 74 72 76 222 +6
80 Liza Lapeyre (5) 77 76 79 232 +16
82 Kelsi Mauzy (4) 79 78 78 235 +19
Freshman Leonardo Dal Boni is Southern Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the second time.
A native of Sarasota, Fla., Dal Boni went 2-0 last week to help lead the Paladins to wins over Army and Boston College in West Point, N.Y. He won one match each at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
DalBoni was also named Player of the Month
Carson Williams and Megan Marvin are SoCon Indoor Track Men’s and Women’s Athletes of the Month for January.
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