WCU Player of the Game vs. King (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount "Player of the Game" for the King University Tornado basketball game on December 30th is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his tenth (NCAA Leading) double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 90-62 home victory the King University Tornado.  

Woolbright hit 8 of 17 field goals and went 7 for 8 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 9 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebound to a total of 10 and he made 3 assists and 1 steal on the night.  Woolbright also scored his 1,000th career point during the game.  

Our congratulations to Vonterius Woolbright on his selection as Player of the Game vs. King and his 1,000 career points.

                                                       

Scanning the SoCon (Results from Friday & Saturday)

Friday, December 29, 2023

Saturday, December 30, 2023

In the last weekend of basketball for the 2023 year, the SoCon went 3-1 on Friday and 2-2 on Saturday.  Let's take a look at those games, on the Road to Asheville.

Friday, December 29, 2023

Talladega 50 - Mercer 74

Mercer scored 19 points off of 18 turnovers and shot better than 50 percent from the field for the second time in the last three games as the Bears wrapped up a six-game December home stand with a convincing 74-50 victory over visiting Talladega on Friday afternoon in Hawkins Arena. The win results in a 5-1 home stand for the Bears who have outscored opponents by an average of 15 points per game over their current five-game win streak. The loss marked the end of a nine-game win streak for the Tornadoes who designated Friday's contest in Macon as an exhibition matchup.

Southern Wesleyan 55 - Wofford 75
Wofford men's basketball overcame a 7-for-35 shooting performance to win over Southern Wesleyan 75-55, to secure the third straight undefeated home non-conference slate. Trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, Wofford tied the game at the 11:46 mark of the second half and took the lead at the 10:19 mark. The three-point field goal served as the catalyst in the second half as the Terriers shot 9-for-15 from beyond the arc, that incuded a string of four straight possessions that ended with three-point baskets capped off by Corey Tripp's third triple to tie the game.

ETSU 86 - East Carolina 70
The Buc's Jaden Seymour scored 24 points as ETSU beat East Carolina 86-70 on Friday night. Seymour added six rebounds and three blocks for the Buccaneers. Quimari Peterson added 21 points while going 8 of 16 and had five assists, while Karon Boyd had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Johnson finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four steals for the Pirates. RJ Felton added 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals for East Carolina. Ezra Ausar also had 12 points and eight rebounds.

UNCG 37 -  Texas 72

The UNCG men's basketball team fell to No. 21 Texas on Friday night, 72-37, at the Moody Center in the Spartan's final non-conference matchup of the 2023 calendar year. The Longhorns capitalized on their 46% in field goals in the second half and held the Spartans to 24%.  Texas climbed to its largest lead of 38, 72-34, following a three-pointer by Devon Pryor with 1:19 left on the clock. Keyshaun Langley drained his second three of the game with 54 seconds left to cut the deficit to 35, 72-37.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Toccoa Falls 76 - The Citadel 106

The Bulldog's Elijah Morgan had 22 points in The Citadel's 106-76 win over Toccoa Falls on Saturday. Keynan Davis added 14 points and Winston Hill finished with 13 points, while adding five rebounds and three steals. Anthony Williams II led the Screaming Eagles in scoring, finishing with a game high 25 points, and Trashawn Wilson added 14 points,  and Josh Parker scored 13.

Anderson 79 - Furman 74

In the season's biggest upset of the year,  Anderson's senior Garrett Denbow poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Trojans to a 79-74 upset of Furman at Timmons Arena. The loss snapped Furman's 10-game winning streak inside Timmons and dropped the Paladins to 6-7 on the season.  After trailing 65-55 with under seven minutes remaining, Furman fashioned a 10-0 run to even the game on Tyrese Hughey's putback with 4:24 left.  Luke Denbow restored Anderson's lead with a jumper from just inside the three-point arc, Garrett Denbow converted on a turnaround jumper in the paint, and Cole Middleton forced a turnover before connecting on one of his two trips to the foul line to increase the Trojans' advantage to 70-65 with 3:09 to play.

 

King 62 - Western Carolina 90
WCU's Vonterius Woolbright posted 23 points in Western's 90-62 win over King University on Saturday night. Woolbright 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Tre Jackson scored 20 points and added three steals. and  DJ Campbell went 8 of 11 from the field to finish with 16 points. Mikhail Pocknett led the Tornados in scoring, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals. King also got 14 points from Seth Cullen. In addition, Kenny Turner finished with nine points and 13 rebounds.

Chattanooga  66 - Auburn 101
Auburn's Jaylin Williams had 21 points, as Auburn never trailed in its 101-66 win over Chattanooga on Saturday night. The Tigers, who were just outside the Top 25 in the latest poll, have won five games in a row by an average margin of 28.8 points per game. Broome scored eight points in a 12-0 run to open the game before Chaney Johnson, Chad Baker-Mazara and K.D. Johnson each hit a 3-pointer as the Tigers scored 11 straight to make it 25-8 with 11:51 left in the first half and Chattanooga trailed by double figures the rest of the way. Williams made 9 of 9 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and Broome was 9-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds and four blocks. Baker-Mazara added 13 points, including three 3-pointers, for Auburn (10-2) Honor Huff scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers, for Chattanooga and Sam Alexis added 13 points and three blocks. The Mocs, despite committing just one more turnover (10-9) than Auburn, were outscored 15-2 in points off turnovers.
                                      

Game #13 - King University

Who: King University
Where: The Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
When: Saturday, December 30, 2023
Time: 4 pm
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/Video: none
Live Stats: Live Stats
Conference: Conference Carolinas (Div. II)
Location: Bristol, Tennessee
Enrollment: 1,357
Nickname: The Tornado
Colors: Blue and Red

Head Coach: Jason Gillespie - Gillespie began his second stint at King in April of 2020. Gillespie previously served as an assistant coach for the Tornado in the early 2000s before stints at Cincinnati Christian University, Bluefield College and Reinhardt University.

Current Record (King ): 2-8 overall, 1-3 home, 1-4 away, 0-1 neutral, 0-3 conference.
Last Season's Record (King ): 7-22 overall, 4-9 home, 4-9 away, 0-1 neutral, 6-14 conference.

The Series: The Cats are 1-0 vs. King, winning a game vs. the Tornado back in 1958.

The Tornados are out of the Conference Carolinas,  and the Cats were a part of the same conference under its previous names, Old North State Conference & the more familiar name of  Carolinas Conference. King was picked to finish 11th in the 14-team Conference Carolina's preseason poll. The Tornado dropped four straight games including three in conference play with two against the top two teams in the preseason poll – a 10-point loss at home to preseason favorite UNC Pembroke and a 25-point defeat at preseason No. 2 Emmanuel.

Scanning the SoCon (Friday & Saturday)

Friday, December 29, 2023

Saturday, December 30, 2023

The SoCon has one last weekend of basketball for the 2023 year, playing 4 non-conference games on Friday, and four on Saturday (VMI is not scheduled for a game this weekend).  Five of the eight games on the schedule are against non-DI competition, on the Road to Asheville.

Friday, December 29, 2023

-2:00 PM on ESPN+
Talladega at Mercer (6-6, 4-2 Home)
Hawkins Arena - Macon, GA
The Talladega Tornadoes (NAIA) enter the contest at Mercer on a nine-game winning streak and sporting an 11-1 record. The home-standing bears are 6-6 on the season but are expected to handle the upset mined Tornadoes in Hawkins Arena Friday afternoon.

-2:00 PM on ESPN+
Southern Wesleyan at Wofford (6-6, 3-0 Home)
Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, SC
In the second tipoff of the day, Division II Southern Wesleyan of the Conference Carolinas travels from Central, SC the short distance up I-85 to play the Wofford Terriers. The Warriors are 2-10 on the season and are 2-3 in the last five games. Wofford's perfect home game record should not in in jeopardy in the game.

-7:00 PM on ESPN+
ETSU (7-5, 1-5 Away) at East Carolina (7-5,7-3 Home)
Minges Coliseum - Greenville, NC
In the third game of the day, ETSU travels to the eastern North Carolina town of Greenville to face the East Carolina Pirates of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). While both teams enter the game with identical 7-5 records, the Pirates have played the more difficult schedule, but the Bucs come in with a 4-game win streak.

-8:00 PM on Long Horn Network 

UNCG (9-3, 1-3 Away) at  #21 Texas (9-2, 7-0 Home) 

Moody Center - Austin, TX 

In the last game of the day, the Spartans travel to Austin, Texas to face the #21 team nationally, the Texas Longhorns in the Moody Center. The Longhorns are 7-0 this season on their home court, and are bring a 7-0 wint streak into the game. It will be very difficult for the Spartans to pick up a win in this game.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

-1:00 PM on ESPN+
Toccoa Falls at The Citadel (7-5, 3-1 Home)
McAlister Field House - Charleston, SC
The Toccoa Falls Screaming Eagles visit Charleston to face the Bulldogs in the first game on Saturday. The Screaming Eagles are members of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division II level. Toccoa Falls enters the game with a 4-8 overall record, and are on an eight-game slide. The home-standing Bulldogs are flying high after their upset of Notre Dame and will be able to score as many points in the game as they want.

-2:00 PM on ESPN+ 

Anderson at Furman (6-6, 5-0 Home) 

Timmons Arena - Greenview, SC 

The Anderson Trojans travel the short distance to Travelers Rest, SC to face the Furman Paladins in the second game of the day.  Furman sports a perfect 5-0 record in games played in Travelers Rest, while the Trojans are 1-4 in road games.  Anderson is a Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC)

-4:00 PM on ESPN+
King (TN) at Western Carolina (10-2, 5-0 Home)
Ramsey Regional Activity Center - Cullowhee, NC
The King University Tornados travel from Bristol, Tennessee to face the Cats in the Ramsey Center where the home team has a 5-0 record this season. The Tornados are a member of the Division II Conference Carolinas and are 2-8 overall in the season.

-9:00 PM on SECN
Chattanooga (8-4, 2-3 Away) at Auburn (9-2, 5-0 Home)
Neville Arena - Auburn, AL
In the final game of the day, the Mocs travel to Auburn to face the Tigers in Neville Arena. Auburn is 5-0 at home and comes into the game on a four- game winning streak. 
                                         

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings (12-26-23)

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

This is the Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

  1. (3) Samford

  2. (2) Western Carolina 

  3. (1) UNCG

  4. (4) Furman 

  5. (5) Chattanooga  

  6. (6) Wofford  

  7. (7) ETSU  

  8. (8) The Citadel 

  9. (9) Mercer

10. (10) VMI

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Catamount Nation from Purple & Gold

Scanning the SoCon (12-22-23)

Friday, December 22, 2023

Not a good day for the SoCon, with three scheduled games, the SoCon ended up 1-2 dropping two road games, on the Road to Asheville.

Penn State-New Kensington, 65 - VMI 82

VMI picked up the lone win over Penn State-New Kensington, a member of the USCAA, 82-65. VMI outrebounded the Nittany Lions 46-26, led by sophomore Taeshaud Jackson II with 14. Junior guard Brennan Watkins grabbed a career-high eight boards, all on the defensive end. Tyran Cook paced VMI with 17 points, while Jackson and Watkins each scored 15. Jackson earned his eighth career double-double by posting 15 points to go with 14 rebounds on the day.

Chattanooga 83 - Milwaukee 85 (OT)

In one of the day's two losses, the Mocs lost in overtime to Milwaukee Panthers of the Horizon League by two points, 83-85.  The Panthers' Erik Pratt scored 29 points and Kentrell Pullian added 26 points in Milwaukee's win in overtime on Friday. Chattanooga forward Tyler Millin made a contested 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 72-all. The Mocs took their first lead of the game with 1:29 left in overtime. Pullian made two free throws in the closing seconds for an 85-82 lead. Honor Huff missed the second of two free throws, but Milwaukee secured the rebound to win it.

ETSU 65 - Utah State 80

In the second loss, the Utah State Aggies of the Mountain West conference downed the Bucs by a final score of 65-80.  Utah State run its win streak to 11, led by Darius Brown II's 19 points. Brown also contributed eight assists, and Great Osobor scored 15 points while going 3 of 7 and 9 of 14 from the free throw line. ETSU's Jaden Seymour finished with a game-high 30 points and nine rebounds, just missing a double-double, for the Buccaneers. Quimari Peterson added 20 points, four assists, and two steals in the loss.

WCU Player of the Game vs. Brescia (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" in the Brescia Bearcats basketball game on December 21st is (who else?) senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

Vonterius Woolbright posted his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to an 85-47 home victory over NAIA opponent Brescia University.  

Woolbright hit 5 of 8 field goal attempts, including 1 three-pointer, and went 5 for 6 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 12 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds to a total of 17 and made 7 assists and 2 steals on the night. 

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

                                                       

WCU Player of the Game vs. Vanderbilt (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the Vanderbilt Commodores basketball game on December 19th is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his eighth double-double of the season with a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 63-62 road victory over SEC opponent Vanderbilt 

Woolbright hit 7 of 20 field goals, including 1 three-pointer, and went 7 for 10 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 11 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebound to a total of 12 and he made 3 assists on the night. 

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

                                                       

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings (12-18-23)

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

This is the Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

  1. (1) UNCG

  2. (2) Western Carolina 

  3. (4) Samford

  4. (3) Furman 

  5. (5) Chattanooga  

  6. (7) Wofford  

  7. (6) ETSU  

  8. (8) The Citadel 

  9. (9) Mercer

10. (10) VMI

 

Scanning the SoCon - Saturday's Games

Saturday, December 16, 2023


The Southern Conference had five games on Saturday, winning four of five, a pretty good showing for the SoCon.  Here's a look at the games, on the Road to Asheville

Western Carolina 70 - USC Upstate 53
Vonterius Woolbright scored 15 points (6 of 13) and added 16 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double, just missing a triple-double with eight assists. Tre Jackson posted a team-high 17 points and added five rebounds for the Catamounts. Russell Jones shot 5 for 11, going 3 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points.  Upstate's Trae Broadnax finished with a game-high 18 points for the Spartans. Upstate also got 13 points and eight rebounds from former Catamount, Ahmir Langlais.

Florida Gulf Coast 65 - Mercer 70

Mercer's  Jalen Cobb led the Bears with 19 points helping defeat FGCU 70-65 on Saturday in Macon.  Cobb was 6 of 8 shooting field goals and 5 for 7 from 3-point range for the Bears.  Jalyn McCreary scored 13 points, going 4 of 10 field goals, and hitting 5 of 6 from the charity stripe. Jah Quinones finished with 10 points, hitting 5 of 8 from the field.  GGCU's Keeshawn Kellman finished with a double-double, posting 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks for the Eagles.  FGCU also got 14 points from Zach Anderson and Franco Miller Jr. added 11 points and two steals.

Belmont 93 - Samford 99
The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to nine games and Samford's A.J. Staton-McCray led Samford with 19 points in the Bulldog's home win over Belmont on Saturday night.  Riley Allenspach hit 6 of 7 field goals and went 3 of 3 from the charity strip, for a total of 15 points. Achor Achor was 6 of 8 in field goals, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals.  the Bruins were led by Cade Tyson who finished with a game-high of 31 points and and added nine rebounds, just one rebound short of a double-double.  Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 18 points, five assists, and Keishawn Davidson p[ut up  13 points, in a loss that ended a six-game winning streak for the Bruins.

Chattanooga 88 - Alabama A&M 72
The Moc's Honor Huff posted a game-high 24 points to lead Chattanooga past Alabama A&M 88-72 on Saturday night. Huff hit 7 for 15 field goals and was 4 of 5 from the charity strip for Chattanooga. Myles Che added 16 points, and Trey Bonham hit 4 of 7 field goals and finished with 14 points. Dailin Smith led the Bulldogs with 19 points and  Cameron Tucker added 10 points, while Anthony Bryant had 10 points in the loss.

UNCG 65 - Marshall 72
In the SoCon's lone loss of the day, the home-standing Hurd posted a 65-72 win over the Spartans that broke the UNCG's seven-game winning streak. Keyshaun Langley led the way for the Spartans with 26 points, and six assists, as Kobe Langley added 20 points and two steals. Joryam Saizonou also had eight points for UNCG.  Marshall's Kamdyn Curfman scored 18 points, Nate Martin had a double-double and Marshall beat UNC Greensboro 72-65 on Saturday night. Curfman was 6-of-16 shooting (4 for 10 from 3-point range) for the Thundering Herd (4-7). Kevon Voyles scored 16 points and added six rebounds. Martin finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. 

WCU Player of the Game at USC Upstate (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the UNC Asheville basketball game on December 9th is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his seventh  double-double of the season with 15 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 70-63 road victory over the USC Upstate Spartans. 

Woolbright hit 6 of 13 field goals, and went 3 for 7 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 14 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds to a total of 16 and he made 8 assists (two short of a triple-double). 

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

                                                       

Scanning the SoCon - So Far this week

Thursday, December 14, 2023


The Southern Conference had two games so far this week, one on Monday and one on Tuesday, and went 1-1 in those two games.  Here's a look at those games. 

Monday -

Samford 118 - Alabama A&M 91

Samford's A.J. Staton-McCray put up 18 points to lead Samford's to a 118-91 victory over Alabama A&M on Monday night. Staton-McCray added six rebounds and three steals for the Bulldogs.  Jermaine Marshall scored 16 points and Lukas Walls was 3 of 4 shooting, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 3 from the line to finish with 11 points. Dailin Smith led the way for the A&M Bulldogs putting up 18 points and Rayland Randall added 16 points Alabama A&M. Anthony Bryant also recorded 12 points and three steals.

Tuesday-
VMI 56 - Radford 73
Radford's DaQuan Smith posted 19 points to lead Radford over VMI, 73-56  Tuesday night at home. Chandler Turner scored 17 points shooting 6 for 8, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc,  and Kenyon Giles finished with 13 points. The Keydets were led by Tyran Cook, with a game high, 20 points, while DJ Nussbaum added 14 points for VMI. Koree Cotton also had 11 points for VMI in the loss.

Thursday -  Furman visits Tulane, while The Citadel travels across town to visit former SoCon foe, College of Charleston. Both are underdogs in these two out-of-conference games.

Friday - on Friday, ETSU hosts Tusculum as the only SoCon game that day.   

Whee, The Cats: A Season with the Catamounts - Episode 9

 

Game #10: USC Upstate

Who: USC Upstate Spartans

When: Saturday, December 16, 2023
Time: 4:30 pm
Where: GB Hodge Center
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Live Stats
Conference: Big South Conference (BS)
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Enrollment: 4,913
Nickname: Spartans
Colors: Green and Grau
Message Board: none

Head Coach: Dave Dickerson enters his sixth season as the head men’s basketball coach at USC Upstate during the 2023-24 season after being introduced as the program's 10th head coach on April 5, 2018.

Dickerson's record vs. WCU: 1-1

Gray's record vs. USC Upstate:  1-1

Current Record (USC Upstate): 4-6 overall, 2-1 home, 2-5 away, 0-0 neutral, 0-0 conference
Last Seasons Record (USC Upstate): 16-16 overall, 11-2 home, 4-12 away, 1-2 neutral, 10-8 conference

The Series: Western owns a 1-2 overall record with Upstate, having played only three times. 

Western comes into this game off a big win over mountain rival UNC Asheville, while the Spartans are coming off a loss to Kennesaw State. 

Upstate was picked sixth in the Big South preseason poll, while Justin Bailey and Trae Broadnax garnered Preseason Second Team All-Conference honors.  

The Spartans average 9.3 steals and 15.56 turnovers forced per game and have forced 10 or more turnovers in each game this season, the team’s longest streak to open a season since forcing 10 or more turnovers in each of the team’s first 19 games during the 2021-22 season.  The Spartans are averaging 73 points per game, which places them 7th in the Big South

            

             

   

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Ranking (12-11-23)

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

This is the Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

  1. (1) UNCG

  2. (2) Western Carolina 

  3. (3) Furman 

  4. (5) Chattanooga  

  5. (4) Samford

  6. (6) ETSU  

  7. (8) The Citadel 

  8. (7) Wofford  

  9. (9) Mercer

10. (10) VMI

SoCon Sunday - Scanning the SoCon (12-10-23)

Sunday, December 10, 2023


The Southern Conference had a good day, with wins in three out-of-conference games. Chattanooga, ETSU, and UNCG picked up wins Sunday afternoon.  

ETSU 73 - Tennessee Tech 72

ETSU's Quimari Peterson led the Bucs to a 73-72 win over Tennessee Tech. Peterson put up 23 points,  eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocks for the Buccaneers. Jaden Seymour scored 13 points, going 5 of 9 and 3 of 3 from the free throw line. Ebby Asamoah had 13 points and shot 4 for 9 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 2 of 4 from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles were led by Jayvis Harvey, with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Golden Eagles missed a 3 with a second left and Harvey had a putback at the buzzer to make it a one-point game. 

UNCG 82 0 Elon 73
The Spartan's Mikeal Brown-Jones posted 27 points in UNCG's 82-73 win against Elon as the Spartans picked up their seventh straight win. Brown-Jones had 11 rebounds and four blocks. Donovan Atwell added 16 points, including 4 for 10 from beyond the arc, Joryam Saizonou had 12 points and was 5 of 11 shooting (2 for 5 from 3-point range). The Phoenix were led by Rob Higgins, who posted 20 points. Sam Sherry added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Elon. In addition, Zac Ervin had nine points and two steals.

Chattanooga 112 - Tennessee Wesleyan 51

The Mocs men’s led for 38-plus minutes and scored the most points since 2016 during a non-conference win over Tennessee Wesleyan on Sunday. Chattanooga  used a balanced effort to post a 112-51 win over NAIA-member Tennessee Wesleyan in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon inside McKenzie Arena. Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 6-3 overall this season. The 112 points mark the most in a game for UTC since scoring 125 against The Citadel on February 1, 2016. Tennessee Wesleyan remains at 4-6 after the defeat as the contest for the Bulldogs was marked an exhibition. UTC shot 75.9% (22-of-29) from the floor in the second half including an 11-of-15 (73.3%) mark from three over the final 20 minutes.

On the Road to Asheville...

SoCon Saturday - Scanning the SoCon

Saturday, December 9, 2023


The Southern Conference had five out-of-conference games on Saturday, and picked up wins in four of five games, with Furman, Mercer, Wofford, and Western Carolina all collecting victories. 

Western Carolina 78 - Asheville 63 

Western's Vonterius Woolbright scored 23 points as the Catamounts beat UNC Asheville 78-63 on Saturday night. Woolbright had 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Catamounts. Bernard Pelote scored 13 points, going 6 of 8, Tre Jackson had 12 points, going 4 for 6 from 3-point range. Fletcher Abee led the way for the Bulldogs with 21 points, Drew Pember added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for for the Bulldogs. 

Furman 100 - Bob Jones 58 

Furman's Alex Williams' 31 points led the home standing Paladins past Bob Jones 100-58 on Saturday.  Williams also pulled down eight rebounds for the Paladins, as JP Pegues scored 21 points and added 12 assists and four steals. Pjay Smith Jr. was 6 of 15 shooting (5 for 14 from 3-point range) to finish with 18 points. The Bruins were led in scoring by Devin Pope, who finished with 16 points and two steals. Kenney Garrick added 11 points for Bob Jones.

Mercer 64 - Georgia State 60
Mercer's Jake Davis posted 26 points leading Mercer past the visiting Georgia State Panthers, 64-60. The Bears held the Panthers scoreless over the final 4:32 to preserve the victory. Davis contributed eight rebounds for the Bears and Amanze Ngumezi scored 13 points, finishing 5 of 9 from the floor and hitting two free throws with 16 seconds left to set the final margin. Alex Holt shot 5 of 9 from the field to finish with 11 points, while adding eight rebounds.

Wofford 88 - Coastal Carolina 80
The Terriers' Jeremy Lorenz's 22 points and six rebounds helped Wofford defeat Coastal Carolina 88-80 in a road game for Wofford. Dillon Bailey scored 21 points, shooting 7 for 15 (5 for 13 from 3-point range) and 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Jackson Sivills had 16 points and was 5 of 10 shooting (4 for 8 from 3-point range). The Chanticleers (3-6) were led in scoring by Jon Sanders, who finished with 17 points. Kylan Blackmon added 16 points for Coastal Carolina. In addition, Jacob Meyer had 14 points and five assists.

American University 77 - VMI 69
American University picked up a 77-69 win against VMI on Saturday in Lexington. Matt Rogers was 7 of 13 shooting, including 2 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 3 from the line for the Eagles. Elijah Stephens added 18 points, shooting 6 of 12 from the field and 5 for 8 from the line. Lorenzo Donadio had 15 points. The Keydets were led in scoring by Brennan Watkins, who finished with 20 points. VMI also got 11 points and six rebounds from Stephen Olowoniyi, and Tyran Cook finished with nine points.

On the Road to Asheville...

WCU Player of the Game vs. Asheville (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount Men's Basketball "Player of the Game" for the UNC Asheville basketball game on December 9th is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright tallied his sixth  double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to a 78-63 home victory over the Asheville Bulldogs. 

Woolbright hit 10 of 17 field goals, and went 3 for 5 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 10 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds to a total of 12 and he made 7 assists and 1 steal on the night. 

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

                                                       

Game #9: UNC Asheville

Who: UNC Asheville Bulldogs
When: Saturday, December 9, 2023
Time: 4 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Conference: Big South Conference (BS)
Location: Asheville, NC
Enrollment: 3,233
Nickname: Bulldogs
Mascot: Rocky
Colors: Blue and White
Message Board: none

Head Coach: Mike Morrell is in his sixth season at the helm of the UNC Asheville men's basketball program in 2023-24. Morrell, the 2022-23 Big South Coach of the Year, guided the Bulldogs to one of the best seasons in program history in 2022-23. Asheville posted a school record 27 wins on the season and captured both the Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships.

Morrell's record vs. WCU: 2-3

Gray's record vs. UNCA:  0-2

Current Record (UNCA): 5-4 overall, 3-1 home, 0-2 away, 2-1 neutral, 0-0 conference
Last Seasons Record (UNCA): 27-8 overall, 13-0 home, 10-6 away, 4-2 neutral, 16-2 conference

The Series: Western owns a 33-24 overall record with Asheville, going 7-3 in the last 10 games played. The Cats have lost the last two games between the two teams, and the Cats are 19-9 in games played in Cullowhee.

Western comes into this game having dropped two road games to two Big South teams, while the Bulldogs dropped an overtime road game to Kennesaw State, ending a three game winning streak. 

Asheville was projected to win the conference in preseason voting. Drew Pember currently leads the Bulldogs in the scoring column, averaging 16.9 points a game. Under the basket, Pember leads the team with 6.4 rebounds a game and 12 blocked shots. Pember is 15 blocked shots away from 200 career blocked shots. Fletcher Abee is averaging 13.5 points per game and leads the team with a .481 3-point shooting percentage. He leads the conference in 3-point field goals per game (3.3) and leads in free throw percentage with a .952. Caleb Burgess leads the league with 44 assists, averaging 5.5 a game, and has a league-high assist-to-turnover ratio (3.7).