GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women's basketball team (8-13, 0-6 SoCon) fell to Furman (11-9, 4-1 SoCon), 59-75, Sunday afternoon. The Spartans have lost six-straight games and are winless in league play this season. UNCG trailed by as many as 25 points before they closed the deficit to 10 with three minutes left in regulation. The Paladins held on to win by 16 for their third-consecutive win.

Lucy Mason (Stone Mountain, Ga./Chamblee Charter) had a team-high 21 points while Shanese Harris (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) scored in double-figures for the third consecutive game as UNCG's second leading scorer with 14 points.

Furman scored first and led the entire game. The Spartans opened the game on a three and a half minute scoring drought before the team's offense warmed up. Furman held a 20-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Furman outscored UNCG by six points in the second frame to lead 41-25 at halftime when the Paladins Whitney Bunn hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

The Spartans shot just 26.5 percent from the field in the first half while Furman shot 48.6 percent and was paced by Bunn who had 16 points shooting seven-for-nine from the field. UNCG held a 22-21 edge in rebounds with Jade Scaife (Fort Washington, Md./Archbishop Spalding) pulling down seven boards.

The Paladins extended their lead to as many as 23 points closing the third period on an 11-0 run. Harris scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half to lead the Spartans as they improved to shoot 32.5 percent from the field. She was the only player to score in double figures in the final 20 minutes.

Furman pulled down 30 rebounds to UNCG's 21 in the second half. The Spartans defense played a key role in the second half, especially late in the fourth quarter when they closed the gap to ten points. UNCG scored 14 points on fast breaks and 19 points off of turnovers in the final half.

Overall, UNCG shot 29.7 percent in the loss. The Spartans shot just 10.5 percent from three-point range, making 2-of-19 attempts. Furman was 31.6 percent from downtown and 43.1 percent overall in the win. Three Paladins scored in double-figures while Cierra Carter was the only player to have double-figures in rebounds with 12. The Spartans, who lead the SoCon in steals per game, forced 20 Furman turnovers and tallied 16 steals.

UNCG now leads the all-time series 22-21, and is 6-13 against Furman at home. The two will meet again for the second game of the regular season series in Greenville, S.C., February 18 at 7 p.m. UNCG is 12-8 all-time in on the road against the Paladins.

-UNCG-