Game #14: East Tennessee State

Day: Saturday
Date: January 2, 2016
Location: Cullowhee, NC (Ramsey Center)
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
TV / Video: SoCon Digital Network
Radio: Catamount Sports Network  (Gary Ayers and Daniel Hooker)

The Series:  In a series that began in 1947, the Catamounts are 24-44 all time against the Bucs. The Cats are 16-35 in conference play, and 14-20 in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats dropped both conference games to  ETSU last season, however, in the conference tournament held in Asheville last March, Western broke a 17 game losing streak that stretched back to the 1998 season, beating the Bucs by a final score of 67-61.

Game Notes:       Western Carolina       -        East Tennessee State   


The Bucs travel over the mountains to meet the Cats in what will be conference openers for both teams.  ETSU is 6-6 overall record, and are 5-1 at home, and 1-5 in games on the road.  Like Western, the Bucs played an out-of-conference game on Wednesday night, in that game the Bucs beat Morehead State by a final score of 76-73.   If you'll recall, Western played  Morehead State as part of the Gotham Classic back on December 20th, losing to the Eagles on the road, 52-60.

As a team, the Bucs are scoring 77.8 points per game, while giving up an average of 75.0 points. ETSU is averaging 44.9% of the field goals attempted, while hitting 34.4% past the arc, making an average of 7 three-pointers per game. At the free throw line, the Bucs are hitting 72.1%  of their shots. ETSU is committing 13.3 turnovers per game and averaging 7.2 steals. Individually, the Bucs have two players averaging scoring in double figures.  Senior guard Ge'Lawn Guyn (6'2" 180) leads scoring with 18.4 ppg, followed by junior guard T.J. Cromer (6'3" 190) with 14.3 ppg.

Realtime RPI projects an 83-71 home court victory for the Cats.


Probable Buc Starters
T.J. Cromer - G Jr. 6-3, 190 - 14.3 ppg
Petey McClain - G Sr. 6-0, 185 - 2.4 ppg
Ge’Lawn Guyn - G Sr. 6-2, 185 - 18.4 ppg
Peter Jurkin - C Jr. 7-0, 230 - 5.1 ppg
A.J. Merriweather - G Jr. 6-2, 185 - 9.5 ppg

Current SoCon Standings

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	0 - 0	11 - 2
Mercer	0 - 0	10 - 3
Samford	0 - 0	9 - 4
The Citadel	0 - 0	7 - 6
ETSU	0 - 0	6 - 6
Furman	0 - 0	6 - 7
VMI	0 - 0	5 - 6
Western Carolina	0 - 0	5 - 8
UNCG	0 - 0	4 - 9
Wofford	0 - 0	3 - 8

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Wednesday's SoCon Basketball results

Wednesday, December 30, 2015


Four games were scheduled for Wednesday and this time the SoCon did it...... they won all four.



Mars Hill at Western Carolina
Western's Mike Brown scored 22,to lead Western Carolina past Division II Mars Hill 82-62 Wednesday. Elijah Pughsley hit three 3s and finished with 13 points while Torrion Brummitt had 12 points and nine rebounds. Michael Carson led Mars Hill with 17 points. Western Carolina out-rebounded the Lions 54-35, including 21-11 on the offensive board.

Mercer at Kennesaw State
Mercer's Stephon Jelks scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Bears past Kennesaw State by a final score of 76-73, on Wednesday. The Bears led by 14 twice in the second half, however the Bears went six-plus minutes without a field goal, allowing the Owls to trim the deficit to 74-73 with 36 seconds left. Jestin Lewis' layup with 29 seconds put the Bears up by three, then the Owl's Yonel Brown missed a potential tying 3. Kendrick Ray led Kennesaw State with a career-high 30 points.

Bridgewater College at VMI
The Citadel's QJ Peterson scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, to lead the Keydets past Bridgewater 72-37 on Wednesday night. VMI led by 14 points at halftime, 35-21, and outscored the Eagles 31-5 to start the second half. The Eagles only made four field goals in the second half and were 7 of 11 from the free-throw line.

Morehead State at ETSU
East Tennessee State's T.J. Cromer scored 25 points to lead the Bucs to a 75-72 win over Morehead State on Wednesday. Morehead State rallied in the second half, going 16-8 to close the gap to eight points, 66-58, with 3:26 to play, but the Buccaneers held on for the win. Xavier Moon scored 20 points to lead the Eagles .


Standings
1 - Chattanooga     11-2
2 - Mercer             10-3
3 - Samford             9-4
4 - Citadel               7-6
5 - ETSU                6-6
6 - Furman              6-7
7 - VMI                   5-6
8 - Western             5-8
9 - UNCG                4-9
9 - Wofford              3-8



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WCU Player of the Game (Mars Hill)

The Purple & Gold "Player of the Game" for Wednesday's Mars Hill basketball game is senior guard Mike Brown.


Mike scored a game-high 22 points while also corralling seven rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 82-62 win over the Lions.

Brown shot 9 of 16 from field goal range, hitting 2 of 6 from outside the arc and went 2 for 2 at the charity stripe. Brown had 2 offensive and 5 defensive rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 3 steals in the game.

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Basketball: Cats over Mars Hill (82-62)

Courtesy CatamountSports.com              

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Tuesday's SoCon Basketball results

Tuesday, December 29, 2015


Four games were scheduled for Tuesday, with a real opportunity for the SoCon to improved both the out-of-conference win.loss record and the conference RPI. However, the SoCon only went 2-2 on the day.

The Citadel at Charlotte
Charlotte's Joseph Uchebo connected on 9 of 11 field goals to finish with a career-high 19 points, as Charlotte beat The Citadel 111-93 on Tuesday night. Quinton Marshall scored 20 points to lead The Citadel, as  Derrick Henry scored 19, and Brian White added 14.

Chattanooga at Lipscomb
Chattanooga's Eric Robertson & Duke Ethridge both scored 18 points to lead Chattanooga past Lipscomb 80-56 on Tuesday night. Chattanooga's win made it six in a row and the Mocs are off to their best start since the 1993-94 season. A one point, the Mocs pushed their lead out to as many as 29 points as Lipscomb  hit only 29% of their field goals. Brett Wishon led the Bisons with 14 points.

Furman at UNCA
Asheville's Dylan Smith scored the game-winning shot at the buzzer as the Bulldogs defeated Furman 67-65 Tuesday night. Stephen Croone scored Furman's final five points, pulling the Paladins from one point  behind to a one-point lead. However, Smith's 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play put the Bulldogs up 65-63, and he scored the the game-winner as time expired.

Miles College at Samford
Samford's Matt Rose scored 16 points to lead three Samford players in double figures as the Bulldogs crushed Division II Miles College 104-76 Tuesday night. Maiscei Grier made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points for Miles, which turned it over 20 times in its third straight loss.


Standings
1 - Chattanooga     11-2
2 - Mercer               9-3
3 - Samford             9-4
4 - Citadel               7-6
5 - Furman              6-7
5 - ETSU                5-6
7 - VMI                   4-6
8 - Western             4-8
9 - UNCG                4-9
9 - Wofford              3-8

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Monday's SoCon Basketball results

Monday, December 28


Only one game scheduled on the Monday after Christmas.  The Spartans traveled  to Chapel Hill, guess how that turned out.


UNCG at UNC Chapel Hill
The Tar Heel's Brice Johnson had 16 points to lead the No. 7  Heels past UNCG 96-63 on Monday night.  The Tar Heels had a double-digit lead in the first half, leading by 19 at the break. Francis Alonso scored 17 points to lead UNCG. The Spartans shot 52% after halftime and 44% for the game. . Demetrius Troy scored 14, all in the first half. The Spartans were within 11 as late as the 9:13 mark. 



Standings
1 - Chattanooga     10-2
2 - Mercer               9-3
3 - Samford             8-4
4 - Citadel               7-5
5 - Furman              6-6
6 - ETSU                5-6
7 - VMI                   4-6
8 - Western             4-8
9 - UNCG                4-9
9 - Wofford              3-8

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2016 WCU football prospect - Quintarius Neely

Quintarius Neely



Position:  Dual-threat quarterback
Hometown: Roswell, GA
High School:  Roswell
Height:  5'10"
Weight:  177 lbs
Class:  2016

hudl highlights                 more on Neely



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Game #13: Mars Hill

Day:  Wednesday
Date:  December 30, 2015
Location:  Cullowhee, NC (Ramsey Center)
Time:  2:00 p.m. EST
TV / Video:  SoCon Digital Network
Radio:  Catamount Sports Network (Gary Ayers and Daniel Hooker)

The Series: The Cats are 20-7 overall against Mars Hill, in a series that started back in 1945. Western is 15-5 against the Lions in games played in Cullowhee, with the last game played in 2012.


Game Notes: Western Carolina        -       Mars Hill 

The Division II Lions enter the game with an overall 5-6 record. Mars Hills has played two Div. I programs this season, losing to both Presbyterian (90-84), and UNCA (84-51), with both games played as exhibitions, as is their game with Western Carolina. The Cats are 97-37 inside the Ramsey Center under head coach Larry Hunter.

Currently, the Lions are in a two game losing streak, having dropped games to Newberry (99-93) and Queens (87-75). Mars Hill is averaging 84,5 points per game and their opponents to 78.4 ppg. The Mountain Lions have three players averaging double figures, led by senior, guard Justin Yeargin (6-1,  175), with 13.4 ppg,  followed by senior guard Michael Carson (6-0, 175) with 12.5 ppg, and  senior forward Tyree Griffin ( 6-7, 223) with 12.0 ppg.  Griffin is also the leading rebounder, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.




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Merry Christmas from Purple & Gold

Hunter post-game press conference (Pitt)

Wednesday's SoCon Basketball results

Wednesday, December 23


The final game before Christmas break, was also the final game of the Gotham Classic.


Western Carolina at Pittsburgh
Pitt's Jamel Artis scored a season-high 29 points as the Panthers needed a late rally to survive an upset bid by Western Carolina with a 79-73 victory Wednesday. The six point win was Pitts closest call to a loss in the four game Gotham Classic. Pitt decimated Davidson 94-69 in Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Rhett Harrelson connected for six 3-pointers to lead Western Carolina with 21 points. Mike Brown scored 13 points and Elijah Pughsley added 11 and Justin Browning chipped in 10. Western Carolina led 61-54 with seven minutes left, but the late Pitt rally overcame the deficit.

The Cats ended the game with a total of 25 personal fouls, sending the Panthers to the charity strip for 33 attempts, where Pitt scored 29 points.  While the Panthers were only charged with a total of 14 personal fouls the entire game, sending the Cats to the line for only 12 attempts, and the Cats scored 9.

A twenty point difference at the free throw line is where the game was given to the Panthers.


Standings
1 - Chattanooga     10-2
2 - Mercer               9-3
3 - Samford             8-4
4 - Citadel               7-5
5 - Furman              6-6
6 - ETSU                5-6
7 - VMI                   4-6
8 - Western             4-8
8 - UNCG                4-8
10 - Wofford            3-8

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Tuesday's SoCon Basketball results

Tuesday, December 22


The SoCon had six games scheduled for Tuesday night, and plenty of opportunities to increase the overall conference RPI.  However, only Chattanooga was only able to take advantage, and picked up the only win of the night for the SoCon.


Radford at Chattanooga
Chattanooga's Jonathan Burroughs-Cook scored 17 points to lead Chattanooga over Radford 77-75 Tuesday. The win extended the Moc's winning streak to five games without leading scorer Casey Jones. Rashun Davis led Radford (7-6) with 24 points.

UNCG at NC State
State's Anthony Barber scored 27 points to lead the Wolfpack past UNCG 58-52 on Tuesday night. Diante Baldwin scored 13 points to lead the Spartans, who have now lost their fifth game in six outings. R.J. White had 11 points for UNCG. The Wolfpack led 20-18 at halftime after a half in which both teams shot below 30 percent from the floor.

ETSU at Tennessee
Tennessee outlasted ETSU in a 76-67 victory Tuesday night. Ge'Lawn Guyn scored 22 points and A.J. Merriweather added 11 for ETSU, which erased a 12-point deficit with less than three minutes left.  With the game tied at 67-all and 1:01 remaining, Tennessee's Detrick Mostella hit the Vol's only three pointer of the second half to give Tennessee the lead for good, as the Bucs missed eight of their last nine shots.

Furman at Navy
Navy's Tim Abruzzo scored a career-high 16 points as Navy used a big first half doubling up on Furman's points, to beat Furman 62-47 on Tuesday night. Furman used an 11-1 run to close within 58-47 with 2:38 to play as they outscored the Midshipmen 31-26 in the second half. Stephen Croone led Furman (6-6) with 13 points and John Davis III had four assists.

Wofford at Austin Peay
Austin Peay's Josh Robinson scored a career-high 30 points  to lead the Governors past Wofford, 84-77 Tuesday night. Austin Peay shot over 60 percent from the field and made 4 of 7 beyond the arc, out-rebounding Wofford 31-22. Freshman Fletcher Magee paced Wofford with a career-high of his own, 27 points that included 7 of 11 from three-point range.

Mercer at Ohio State
Ohio State's JaQuan Lyle scored 18 points to lead the Buckeyes past Mercer, 64-44 Tuesday night. Ohio State was 26 for 60 from the floor but had 17 steals and a 17-4 advantage in fast break points against the Bears. Desmond Ringer had 18 points for Mercer, But the Bears only made 17 of 49 field goals (35%) in the game.


Standings
1 - Chattanooga     10-2
2 - Mercer               9-3
3 - Samford             8-4
4 - Citadel               7-5
5 - Furman              6-6
6 - ETSU                5-6
7 - VMI                   4-6
8 - Western             4-7
9 - UNCG                4-8
10 - Wofford            3-8

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Monday's SoCon Basketball results

Monday, December 21




Only one game was scheduled for Monday, with VMI traveling to Gardner-Webb
 

VMI at Gardner-Webb
The Keydet's QJ Peterson scored 22 points to lead VMI'76-75 over Gardner-Webb. Peterson made 3 of 4 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win for the Keydets. Tyrell Nelson scored 14 points to lead the Runnin Bulldogs who shot 40 percent from both the floor and three point range.



Standings
1 - Chattanooga       9-2
1 - Mercer               9-2
3 - Samford             8-4
4 - Citadel               7-5
5 - Furman              6-5
5 - ETSU                6-5
7 - VMI                   4-6
8 - Western             4-7
8 - UNCG                4-7
10 - Wofford            3-7

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Game #12: Pittsburgh

Day: Wednesday
Date: December 23, 2015
Location: Pittsburgh, PA - Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
TV / Video:  Root Sports Network / Fox Sports South / ESPN3
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

The Series: This will be the first meeting between the Catamounts and Panthers

Game Notes:     Western Carolina        -      Pitt

The Pitt Panthers of the ACC will enter Wednesday's game coming off a 94-69 victory over Davidson in the Gotham Classic at the Madison Square Garden. Davidson led 29-23 when Pittsburgh went on a 23-4 run to take control. If you'll remember, the Wildcats were 87-54 winners over the Catamounts in Western's first game of the Gotham Classic.

Pitt is averaging 86 points per game on 50% field goal scooting. while holding opponents to only 62 points. The Panthers are averaging 40% from three-point range, and hitting a team average 79% at the free throw line. Individually, junior forward Michael Young (6-9,235) lead the Panthers in scoring with 18 points per game, followed by junior forward Jamel Artis (6-7, 235) with 14 points and senior guard James Robinson (6-3, 198) with 11 ppg.



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Sunday's SoCon Basketball results

Sunday, December 20


Only two games were played Sunday, and the SoCon was 1-1 on the day. Samford took care of business, while the Catamounts had shooting woes.


Western Carolina at Morehead State
Morehead State's DeJuan Marrero scored 16 points to lead Morehead State past Western Carolina 60-52 on Sunday.  The Catamounts tied the game at 52-all with 1:50 left,  But Morehead State went on a 8-0 run, as the Cats missed their last five shots. The Eagles held the Catamounts to 30.6% shooting.


Samford at Nebraska
Samford's Christen Cunningham scored 29 points to lead Samford past Nebraska 69-58 on Sunday night. Nebraska struggled against Samford's defense, turning the ball over 17 times, Nebraska made just 10 of its 20 free throws compared to Samford's 21. Shavon Shields had 22 points to lead Nebraska (7-5) and Andrew White III added 17.


Standings
1 - Chattanooga       9-2
1 - Mercer               9-2
3 - Samford             8-4
4 - Citadel               7-5
5 - Furman              6-5
5 - ETSU                6-5
7 - Western             4-7
7 - UNCG                4-7
9 - VMI                   3-6
10 - Wofford            3-7

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2016 WCU football prospect - Adam Smith

Adam Smith


Position:  Cornerback
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
High School: Hough
Height:  6'0"
Weight:  178 lbs
Class:  2016

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Saturday's SoCon Basketball results

Saturday, December 19, 2015


The SoCon had a nice shot at RPI building on Saturday, with five games against pretty good out-of-conference competition.  However, it was not to be, as only Mercer was able to pull out a win, and it took the Bears overtime to accomplish it.


UNCG at Elon
Elon's Christian Hairston scored 17 points to lead Elon to a 79-69 win over UNCG on Saturday. The Phoenix led 72-69 with 1:33 left, and closed the game on a 7-0 run. UNCG was held without a field goal over the final 3:45, its only point coming on a free throw. The Spartans finished 0 for 4 from the field with two turnovers. Diante Baldwin scored 15 points for UNCG.

The Citadel at Campbell
Freshman Chris Clemons scored 31 points to lead the Camels past The Citadel 101-82 on Saturday. Campbell shot over 58%, including 10 of 26 from beyond the arc. The Camels used a 13-2 run early in the second half, including 11 straight by Clemons, to build a 16-point lead. Derrick Henry tied his career high with 30 points for The Citadel.

Furman at Dayton
Charles Cooke pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds as Dayton beat Furman 70-50 on Saturday night. The Flyers had a 31-29 lead at the half and never trailed in the second period. The Flyers opened the second half with a 10-2 run, scored nine straight to go up by 19 and stretched that to an 18-4 run overall for their largest lead at 68-44 with 2:26 left. Geoff Beans had 12 points to lead Furman.

Wofford at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt's Damian Jones scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Commodores to a 80-56 win over Wofford on Saturday night. Spencer Collins led Wofford with 13 points as the Terriers lost their third straight game. Justin Gordon added 11 points for the Terriers, which shot only 33% from the floor.

Mercer at Arkansas
Mercer scored a 69-66 overtime win over Arkansas on Saturday night. Jestin Lewis finished with 21 points for the Bears as Stephon Jelks added a career-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. Moses Kingsley led the Razorbacks with 18 points and 14 rebounds. After struggling to shoot the ball in the first half, the Bears finished shooting 48% (13 of 27) in the second half and 4 of 9 in overtime.


Standings
1 - Chattanooga       9-2
1 - Mercer               9-2
3 - Samford             7-4
4 - Citadel               7-5
5 - Furman              6-5
5 - ETSU                6-5
7 - Western            4-6
8 - UNCG               4-7
9 - VMI                  3-6
10 - Wofford           3-7


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2016 WCU football prospect - Mack Nash

Mack Nash


Position: Tight End
Hometown:  Kingsland, GA
High School:  Camden County
Height:  6'5"
Weight:  245 lbs
Class:  2016


hudl highlights                read more here


Along with an offer from Western Carolina, Nash has 13 offers, including App State, Furman, Mercer, Air Force. & Navy.

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Friday's SoCon Basketball results

Friday, December 18, 2015


Only three games were scheduled for Friday, and the SoCon came away with a 2-1 record on the day, losing the third in double overtime.


Eastern Kentucky at ETSU
Ge'Lawn Guyn scored 27 points to lead the Bucs past Eastern Kentucky 87-81 Friday night. Jarelle Reischel tied the game at 79 with a three-pointer with 1:48 to play before Ge'Lawn Guyn's 3-pointer gave ETSU the lead for good with 1:28 remaining. JaVontae Hawkins scored 23 points for Eastern Kentucky.


Kennesaw State at Chattanooga
Chattanooga's Justin Tuoyo scored a career-high 21 points leading the Mocs to a 78-66 defeat of Kennesaw State on Friday night. Kennesaw State and the Mocs were tied at halftime, but the Owls went on a 13-5 run to start the the second period. Kennesaw State was still ahead by five with 7:40 left in the game, only to see Chattanooga's Tre' McLean erase the lead in just 19 seconds with two foul shots and a 3-pointer. The Mocs then went on a 7-0 run to grab the lead for good.

South Alabama at Samford
South Alabama's Ken Williams converted two free throws with 20 seconds remaining in double overtime as South Alabama held on for a 72-70 win over Samford on Friday night. Samford's Wyatt Walker missed two free throws in regulation with less than a second remaining that could have won the game for the Bulldogs. Darius Jones-Gibson had 19 points for Samford.



Standings
1 - Chattanooga       9-2
2 - Mercer               8-2
3 - Samford             7-4
3 - Citadel               7-4
5 - Furman              6-4
6 - ETSU                6-5
7 - UNCG               4-6
7 - Western            4-6
9 - Wofford             3-6
9 - VMI                  3-6



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The 2016 Catamount Baseball Schedule

Courtesy WCU Athletic Media Relations             

Wednesday's SoCon Basketball results

Wefnesday, December 15, 2015


Only two games were scheduled on Wednesday, and the SoCon came out on top of both.



Bluefield at Furman
Furman's Matt Rafferty put up 16 points and 12 rebounds as Furman beat NAIA Bluefield College, 94-46 on Wednesday night. The Paladins had a 57-19 rebounding edge over Bluefield. Zeke Williams led the Ramblin' Rams with 19 points from the field including four 3-pointers.


The Citadel at Bethune-Cookman 
The Citadel's  Derrick Henry scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs over Bethune-Cookman 99-87 Wednesday night. The win ended a Wildcats' six-game home winning streak. Brian White added 19 points and Warren Sledge scored 20 points in the win for the Citadel. The Bulldogs built a 51-39 halftime lead and was not seriously challenged after that.


Standings
1 - Mercer              8-2
1 - Chattanooga      8-2
3 - Samford            7-3
4 - Citadel               7-4
5 - Furman              6-4
6 - ETSU                4-5
6 - UNCG               4-6
6 - Western            4-6
9 - Wofford             3-6
9 - VMI                  3-6



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