Game #7 - Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

 

Who: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

When: Saturday, December 2, 2023 

Time: 7 pm 

Where: Paul Porter Arena

Radio:  Catamount Sports Network

TV/Video: ESPN+

  -announcers:  

Live Stats: GWU Live Stats

Conference: Big South Conference (BS)

Location: Boiling Springs, NC

Enrollment  3,144

Nickname: Runnin' Bulldogs

Mascot:  Mac and Lulu

Colors: Scarlet and Black

Head Coach:  - Tim Craft  - Head coach Tim Craft has firmly established himself as one of the Big South Conference’s premier basketball minds, winning 171 games through 10 seasons and leading the program to its first NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament in 2018-2019. He enters his eleventh season at the helm in 2023-2024.

Current Record (GWU): 3-5 overall, 2-0 home, 0-3 away, 1-2 neutral, 0-0 conference

Last Seasons Record (GWU): 15-16 overall, 8-5 home, 6-10 away, 1-1 neutral, 10-8 conference

The Series: Western owns a 6-10 overall record with GWU, going 4-6 in the last 10 games played. The Cats are on a two-game skid against the Runnin' Bulldogs, dropping the last two games in 2021 & 2022 in a home and home series.  

The Catamounts start a four-game stretch of Big South Conference opponents, first up, Gardner Web. The Running Bulldogs were picked fourth in the Big South's 2023-2024 men's basketball preseason poll, and senior guard DQ Nicholas was named to the Big South's Preseason All-Conference First Team. Currently, the Runnin' Bulldogs are 3-5 overall, with wins over Erskine, Weber State, and Limestone. They have losses to Arkansas, Baylor, Colgate, Yale, and Queens. 

Seven games into the season, Gardner-Webb is averaging 72.0 points per game, 39.7 rebounds per game, and 13.1 assists. Julien Soumaoro leads the 'Dawgs in scoring with 98 points. He is averaging 14.0 points per game and is third on the team in assists with 16. Caleb Robinson is second on the team in points with 86, and a team-leading 37 rebounds. He is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. DQ Nicholas is third in scoring with 54, with Brendan Mykalcio in fourth with 43. GWU newcomer Isaiah Richards is fifth with 42 points and leads the team in field goal percentage at .842. Among the Runnin' Bulldog freshman, Darryl Simmons II is making his presence known with 39 points and 10 assists thus far. Four different 'Dawgs tallied double-digits in the victory over Limestone. DQ Nicholas and Caleb Robison led the way each putting up 15. Darryl Simmons II scored 12, and Julien Soumaoro continued his early season hot streak with 11.

WCU MBB Player of the Game vs. TTU - Vonterius Woolbright

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the Tennessee Tech basketball game on November 28th is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his fourth consecutive double-double with a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 69-65 road victory over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.

Woolbright scored 6 of his 22 points from beyond the three-point arc,  and was 10 for 19 in field-goal shots. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 14 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds to a total of 16 and he made 5 assists on the night. 

Our congratulations to Vonterius Woolbright on his selection of Player of the Game.

                                                       

Game #6 - Tennessee Tech

 

Who: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 

When: Tuesday, November 28, 2023 

Time: 7 pm 

Where: Hooper Eblen Center

TV/Video: ESPN+

  -announcers:  Dylan Vazzano and Steve Smith

Live Stats: TTU Live Stats

Conference: Ohio Valley (OVC)

Location: Cookeville, Tenn

Enrollment 10,117

Nickname: Golden Eagles

Mascot:  Awesome Eagle

Head Coach: John Pelphrey - John Pelphrey is in his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagle program.

Record at Tech:  41-82 (.333, 4 years) 

Career Record: 190-208 (.477, 13 years)

Current Record (TTU): 2-4 overall, 1-1 home, 1-3 away, 0-0 neutral, 0-0 conference

Last Seasons Record (TTU): 16-17 overall, 11-5 home, 4-11 away, 1-1 neutral, 11-7 conference

The Series: The series is tied at 5-5, with the Cats on a 5-game win streak over the Golden Eagles. The two teams last played in 2022 in Cookeville. 

For the 2023-24 season, the Golden Eagles were selected to finish sixth in the league's preseason predicted order of finish, just four points back of Southeast Missouri. This season, the purple and gold welcome 10 newcomers with seven members of the 2022-23 squad back in Cookeville. Back for the Golden Eagles are Harvey, Wood, Grant Slatten, Grant Strong, Erik Oliver, Bogdan Zimonjic, and Jerome Beya.

Last Wednesday, the Golden Eagles delivered an impressive road win over a Presbyterian team that was 5-1 with a victory over Vanderbilt, defeating the Blue Hose in overtime, 79-75. Tech overcame multiple, double-digit deficits in the affair, including a 15-point hole toward the end of the first half.

The purple and gold were led by a trio of 20-point performances, a first by the program since Jan. 21, 2016 at Morehead State. That contest saw Torrance Rowe drop 22 points, Aleksa Jugovic post 21 and Ryan Martin add 20 to effort.

   

     

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Ranking (11-27-23)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2023 SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings

This is the Monday, Nov. 27, 2023 SoCon Basketball Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

  1. (3) Western Carolina 

  2. (1) UNCG

  3. (4) Chattanooga  

  4. (2) Furman 

  5. (5) Samford 

  6. (6) Wofford  

  7. (7) Mercer

  8. (9) The Citadel 

  9. (8) ETSU  

10. (10) VMI

 

WCU MBB Player of the Game vs. UNA - Vonterius Woolbright

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the North Alabama basketball game on November 26th is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his third consecutive double-double with a game-high 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 81-63 home victory over the North Alabama Lions. 

Woolbright scored 5 of his 19 points from the free throw line, going 5 for 5 at the charity stripe, and was 7 for 15 in field-goal shots. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 13 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds to a total of 15 and he made 6 assists on the night. 

Our congratulations to Vonterius Woolbright on his selection of Player of the Game.

                                                       

Game #5 - North Alabama

 

Who: North Alabama Lions 

When: Sunday, November 26, 2023 

Time: 4 pm 

Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee 

TV/Video: ESPN+

Live Stats: WCU Live Stats

Conference: ASun

Location: Florence, Alabama

Enrollment 8,832

Nickname: Lions

Message Board: UNA Pride Forum

Head Coach: Tony Pujol - Tony Pujol enters his sixth season as men's basketball head coach at North Alabama in 2023-24 - 63–86 (.423) overall, 34–47 (.420)

Current Record (UNA): 3-2 overall, 3-0 home, 0-2 away, 0-1 neutral, 0-0 conference

Last Seasons Record (UNA): 18-15 overall, 9-4 home, 8-10 away, 1-1 neutral, 10-8 conference

The Series: This is the first meeting between the two teams on the hardwood.

The Lions return four starters from the 2022-23 squad. Will Soucie, Damian Forrest, KJ Johnson and Dallas Howell all return for another season, while reigning ASUN Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year Jacari Lane comes back for his sophomore season. Lane and Johnson both averaged double figures in the 2022-23 campaign. 2023-24 Schedule Features Four Power Five Match

The North Alabama men’s basketball program finished the 2022-23 season with an 18-15 record and a 10-9 record in conference play. Both of those totals represent the most wins since the Lions made the jump to Division I in 2018-19. UNA had a winning record for just the second time in the Division I era and the 18 win total is the highest since 2013-14 when the Lions finished 23-10 and won the Gulf South Conference.

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

 Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.   

WCU All-Conference Homors

Gonzales Headlines 14 Catamounts Named All-SoConles Headlines 14 Catamounts Named All-SoCon

Sophomore quarterback Cole Gonzales collected the Roy M. "Legs" Hawley Offensive Player of the Year honor from the voting media.
 
Sophomore running back Desmond Reid, senior offensive linemen Christian Coulter and Tyler Smith, and fifth-year placekicker Richard McCollum each earned first-team plaudits from both the coaches and media. Four including OL Blake Whitmore, TE Ajay Belanger, DL Marlon Alexander, and DB Andreas Keaton all collected second-team honors from the coaches. Gonzales was the first-team offensive quarterback with WR Censere Lee landing on the second-team in the media tabulation.

Four Catamounts earned SoCon All-Freshman Team plaudits from the head coaches including WR Corey Washington and RB Camury Reid on offense, DB Ken Moore Jr. on defense, and first-year punter Stephen Brantley on special teams.
 

                                                                   Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Ranking (11-20-23)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2023 SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings

This is the Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 SoCon Basketball Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

  1. (1) UNCG

  2. (2) Furman 

  3. (4) Western Carolina 

  4. (5) Chattanooga  

  5. (3) Samford 

  6. (8) Wofford  

  7. (6) Mercer

  8. (7) ETSU  

  9. (9) The Citadel 

10. (10) VMI

 

Game #11 - VMI Keydets

For the regular season final, the Catamounts travel to Lexington, VA to face the Virginia Military Institute Keydets in Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. The Keydets finished the 2022 season with a 1-10 overall record but with a new coach and staff, the Keydets are 4-6 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference games in 2023.

            

           

   

Game # 11 - VMI Keydets

When: Saturday, November 18, 2023

Time: 12 noon

Where:  Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, Lexington, VA
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

   -Play-by-Play:  Gary Ayers • Daniel Hooker • Producer: Jeff Bryson

TV/video: ESPN3

  -Play-by-Play:  Kevin Gehl  •  John Mount Shoop 

Live Stats:  VMI Live Stats

Fan Message Board:  Keydet Sportstalk
Game Notes:    Western Carolina    -     VMI      -    SoCon Notes
Mascot:  Moe (Kangaroo) 

Enrollment: 1,685

School Colors:  Red, Yellow & White

The Series: Western currently leads the series with VMI, by a 24-4 margin. The Cats and Keydets first played on the gridiron in 1978, and the Cats owned a sixteen-game winning streak over the Keydets until the spring of 2021 when the Keydets broke that streak on their road to a SoCon Championship.  The Cats do hold an 11-3 record for games played in Lexington and are 8-1 over the Keydets since their return to the Southern Conference in 2014.  

The last game played vs. VMI:  October 1, 2022 -  Lexington, Va.  - Davis, Defense Lead Western Carolina Past VMI, 38-17 -  Cullowhee, N.C. – Carlos Davis tossed four touchdown passes to four different receivers in guiding the Catamount offense while the defensive unit created three takeaways and seven sacks as Western Carolina claimed a 38-17 victory over VMI on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference play at Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

Head Coach: Danny Rocco -  VMI Athletics announced its new head football coach on Saturday, hiring Danny Rocco as the 33^rd head coach in Keydet football history. Rocco brings a decorated coaching history with him to Lexington, with experience at the FBS and FCS levels, as well as the NFL. A six-time national coach of the year finalist, Rocco has won seven conference championships (4 Big South, 3 CAA) in his 16 years at the helm. Some of Rocco's other accolades include five FCS playoff appearances, four Big South Conference Championships, three Colonial Athletic Association Championships, 10 top-25 finishes, and 12 seasons with seven or more wins while coaching 42 All-Americans.

Danny Rocco's record vs. Western Carolina:  0 - 0

Kerwin Bell's record vs. VMI:  2 - 0  

Last Season's Record 2021 (VMI):   1-10 overall, 1-5 home, 0-5 away,  0-8 SoCon

Starters Returning/Lost: 11/11

Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 70/15

VMI was picked to finish 9th in the 2023 Coaches' & media preseason polls, with Alex Oliver (defense) and Jack Culbreath (specialist) being named to the first team SoCon honors, while Evan Eller (defense) and Tyriq Poindexter (offense) garnered second team honors. 

Just a short day after the Southern Conference Media Day, Phil Steele announced his 2023 Preseason Football All-American and All-Conference teams. Jack Culbreath was named a fourth-team All-American, while eight Keydets were named to his All-SoCon preseason teams. Alex Oliver earned a first-team nod, with Evan Eller and Christian Dunn getting second-team defensive honors. Offensively, Tyriq Poindexter (OL) was slated on third-team offense, while Rashad Raymond (RB), Aidan Twombly (TE), and Will Reid (OL) were named third team. Culbreath, meanwhile, was named to the first team special teams squad. While losing 18 players to the transfer portal after the last season, the cupboard is certainly not bare for the Keydets. 

The Keydet defense – which recently suffered the loss of All-SoCon corner Alex Oliver – ranks 4th in the SoCon, holding teams to 368.7 yards per game and continues to rank in the top 50 nationally in various categories: -16th in passing yards allowed (178.2) -40th in first down defense (179) -46th in Red Zone defense (0.788) -47th in scoring defense (25.0).  Evan Eller is third in the SoCon and 29th nationally with 9.1 tackles per game, while Eric Rankin is 39th in that same category (8.4). Josh Knapp (7.7) and Christian Dunn (7.1) are just a behind Eller and Rankin, sitting 7th and 11th in the league entering the final week. 

Twice this season, Jack Culbreath was named the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week. The Charlottesville native punted seven times against Samford, averaging 48.1 yards per kick, including a program-record 76-yard punt that was downed at the Samford nine-yard line. Culbreath’s current season average of 43.6 yards per punt ranks 8th in the nation at the FCS level, while his career punt average of 42.9 is 3rd among active FCS players. Evan  Eller has been a key component to the VMI defense since his sophomore campaign. After ranking second in the SoCon in tackles in 2022, the Roanoke native is thriving in a hybrid linebacker/safety role this year with 91 tackles (3rd SoCon, 29th nationally)

2022 VMI Statistics  (10 games)

Rushing Offense: 1121 yards

Yards per game: 112.1
Yards per rush: 3.1 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 75
TDs rushing: 11
Passing Offense:1815 yards or 181 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 6.2 yards
Passing 1st downs: 79
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 291-177-9

TDs Passing: 7
Total Offense: 2936 yards or 294 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 12-6
3d Down Conversions: 46 of 140 (33%)
4th Down Conversions: 4 of 12 (33%)
Field goal attempts 6 - 12
PAT-Attempts: 14 of 16
On-side kicks: 0 - 1
Red Zone Scores: 17 of 24  
Red Zone Touchdowns: 13 of 24
Punts - Yards: 63 - 2660 - Avg per punt: 42

WCU 2-Deep Roster vs. VMI

WCU MBB Player of the Game (vs. MTSU) Vonterius Woolbright

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the Middle Tennessee State basketball game on November 13th in is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his second consecutive double-double with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Western Carolina to a 66-64 road victory over the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. Woolbright scored 7 of his 21 points from the free throw line including the final two in the waning moments to hold off the MTSU. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 11 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebound to a total of 12 and he made 5 assists on the night. 

Our congratulations to Vonterius Woolbright on his selection of Player of the Game.

                                                       

2023 SoCon Football Power Rankings - (after week #11)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2023 SoCon Football Power Rankings

Each Monday throughout the season, we'll release that week's Power Rankings.  Here are this week's power rankings, after week #11 -  (last week's ranking in parenthesis):

1. (1) Furman (9-1, 7-0 SoCon)

Next:  at Wofford  (1-9, 1-6 SoCon)

2. (2) Mercer (7-3, 5-2 SoCon)

Next: Samford (5-4, 4-3 SoCon)

3. (3) Western Carolina  (7-3, 5-2 SoCon)

Next: at VMI (4-6, 3-4 SoCon)

4. (4) Chattanooga  (7-3, 6-2 SoCon)

Next: at  

Alabama

5. (5) Samford (5-5, 4-4 SoCon)

Next:  at UT Martin (8-2)

6. (6) VMI (4-6, 3-4 SoCon)

Next:  Western Carolina  (7-3, 5-2 SoCon)

7. (7) ETSU  (2-8, 1-6 SoCon)

Next:  The Citadel (0-10, 0-7 SoCon)

8. (9) Wofford  (1-9, 1-6 SoCon)

Next: Furman (9-1, 7-0 SoCon)

9. (8) The Citadel (0-10, 0-7 SoCon)

Next:  at ETSU  (2-8, 1-6 SoCon)

                                        

WCU MBB Player of the Game (vs. Notre Dame) Vonterius Woolbright

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball game on November 11th in is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright is the Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year. He tallied a double-double with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Western Carolina to a 71-61 road victory over ACC-foe Notre Dame. Woolbright scored 11 of his 22 points from the free throw line including six in the waning moments to hold off the Fighting Irish. Western Carolina connected on 7-of-9 free throws over the final four minutes including 6-of-6 by Woolbright to ice the win, just the fourth for WCU over an opponent currently in the ACC. 

Our congratulations to Vonterius Woolbright on his selection of Player of the Game.