It’s been an uphill climb all season for first-year head coach Pierre Curtis, but the Furman women’s basketball team advanced modestly toward the summit in the regular season.

The Paladins tip off the Ingles Southern Conference Tournament as the seventh seed, meaning that their 1:15 p.m. quarterfinal pits them against second-seeded UNC Greensboro (19-10, 8-6 SoCon).

The tournament is at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.

UNCG swept Furman (15-15, 5-9) in the regular season, posting a 70-55 win in Greensboro on Jan. 13 and 59-56 verdict in Greenville on Feb. 8. In the Timmons Arena contest the Spartans took advantage of three Paladin turnovers in the final minute to erase a three-point deficit and eke out the victory. UNCG has won the last four meetings with Furman, though the Paladins and Spartans have split six tournament encounters.

The winner advances to meet the winner of the Wofford-Samford quarterfinal in a Friday, 1:30 p.m., semifinal clash.

Furman’s 15 regular season wins under Curtis, who succeeded Jackie Carson, scored four more victories from 2022-23’s 11-19 record.

The Paladins look to turn the tables on the Spartans behind the play of  three 2023-24 All-SoCon performers: forwards Jada Session and Kate Johnson and guard Niveya Henley.

Session made second-team All-SoCon after starting all 30 games and leading Furman in both scoring (12.3 avg.) and rebounding (8.1). The 6- 1, Locust Grove, Ga., product ranked third in the SoCon in board work and registered six “double doubles.”

Johnson, a 6-3, Canton, Ga., native, earned second-team All-SoCon in voting by the media improving by 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounding averages to 11.5 and 6.7, respectively. Her .606 field goal percentage led the SoCon, and she scored in double figures in 19 of the 27 games in which she saw action.

Henley’s selection to the media third team capped a comeback season after missing the 2022-23 campaign with a knee injury.  In averaging 11.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg, the 6-0, Seattle, Wash., saw action in all 30 games and started 12.  She scored a career-high 24 points against UNC Greensboro on Feb. 8.

Furman also looks guard Tate Walters, who won the league’s Ann Lashley Inspiration Award on Tuesday.  Sidelined last year with a torn Achilles tendon, the Buford, Ga., native completed her comeback this year, averaging 9.7 ppg while passing off 105 assists. She delivered 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Paladins’ 67-59 win over ETSU in the season finale on Saturday.

Johnson and Walters didn’t play in the season’s second contest with UNCG due to injury.

Furman (+7.4 margin) and UNCG (+4.6) rank 1-2 in the SoCon in rebounding.

The game is to be streamed via ESPN+.

Junior guard J.P. Pegues made first-team All-SoCon, and redshirt senior Marcus Foster was named to the second team in voting by the league’s head coaches and media.

Pegues, the only Paladin to start more than 22 games this season, averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game in 28 outings while leading the SoCon by shooting .888 at the foul line.The Nashville, Tenn., product finished the regular season ranked third in the league in scoring, third in assist-to-turnover ratio, and fourth in assists per game. He tallied 20 or more points in 13 of his 28 games, including a career-high 35 points at Western Carolina on February 28. The guard also eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau versus the Catamounts.

Foster rebounded from a knee injury that caused him to miss nine games by averaging 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 22 outings. The Atlanta, Ga., native earned Myrtle Beach Invitational MVP honors after setting a tournament record with 78 points over three games, including a career-best 30 against both Liberty and Coastal Carolina.

After his return in mid-January, the guard posted 12 double-digit scoring performances in 14 games and recorded five double-doubles. Foster surpassed 1,000 career points in a February trip to Mercer.

Furman (16-15, 10-8 SoCon) opens play in the Ingles SoCon Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday night when the fifth-seeded Paladins take on No. 4 seed Western Carolina in the quarterfinal round. Tipoff at Harrah’s Cherokee Center is 8:30 p.m. 

Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year
Vonterius Woolbright, Sr., G, Western Carolina
Newcomer of the Year
Rylan Jones, Gr., G, Samford

Sixth Man of the Year
Jan Zidek, Gr., F, Chattanooga

Defensive Player of the Year
Kobe Langley, Gr., G, UNCG
Anton Foy Coach of the Year
Bucky McMillan, Samford
First team
J.P. Pegues, Jr., G, Furman
Mikeal Brown-Jones, Sr., F, UNCG
Achor Achor, Jr., F, Samford 

Trey Bonham, Sr., G, Chattanooga
Vonterius Woolbright, Sr., G, Western Carolina

Second team
Marcus Foster, Sr., G, Furman

Jalyn McCreary, Sr., F, Mercer
Keyshaun Langley, Gr., G, UNCG 

Honor Huff, So., G, Chattanooga
Corey Tripp, Jr., G, Wofford
Third team

Jaden Seymour, Jr., F/C, ETSU
Kobe Langley, Gr., G, UNCG 

Rylan Jones, Gr., G, Samford
A.J. Staton-McCray, Jr., G, Samford
Sam Alexis, So., F/C, Chattanooga

All-Defensive team
Quentin Millora-Brown, Gr., F, The Citadel
Jadyn Parker, Jr., F, ETSU
Kobe Langley, Gr., G, UNCG
A.J. Staton-McCray, Jr., G, Samford
Sam Alexis, So., F/C, Chattanooga

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