Tuesday, February 27, 2001

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furman was victorious in its fifth consecutive senior night Monday with a late rally that overcame the Bucs of East Tennessee State 68-64 in Southern Conference action.

The Bucs led the Lady Paladins from the 18:46 mark of the first half to the 9:16 point in the second period, when a 13-4 Lady Paladin run gave Furman a 47-44 advantage. ETSU refused to give up easily however, and regained the lead with 7:16 on the clock with a pair of made free throws by freshman Lauren Trantham. The Bucs extended their lead to as many as six, 59-53, but Furman's Kim Lawrence scored six of her 20 points in the last 1:24 to lead Furman to a the four-point victory.

In addition to Lawrence's 20 point performance, four other Lady Paladins scored in double figures: Orion wake tallied 12, Kena Hodges scored 11, and Althea Bufford and Mary Brock each scored 10. Hodges also led Furman on the boards, with six.

The Bucs, who fell into sixth place in the Southern Conference standings with Monday night's loss, were led by Chris Forman's 22 point performance, while Trantham added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

With the win, the Lady Paladins improved to 18-9 overall and 12-6 in the Southern Conference. Furman will face Western Carolina Friday at 11 a.m., while the Bucs (7-20, 7-11) meet UNC Greensboro Friday night at approximately 7:30. All Thursday and Friday SoCon Women's Tournament games will be played at Timmons Arena.