Scanning the SoCon (1-31-24)

 Wednesday, January 31, 2024     

All ten teams are in conference action on Wednesday night, as the Spartans are on the road to Virginia looking to bounce back from their loss to Mercer on Saturday and remain in the hunt for a regular season championship, as the Keydets seek to pick up conference win number 2.  With identical 2-6 conference records, the Bucs are in Macon for a showdown with the Mercer Bears as both teams look to move out of the seventh position in the standings.  Furman hopes to return to the win column as they travel to Charleston to face the Bulldogs who are tied with VMI for last place in the standings with 1-7 records. The Mocs cross the mountains to the Cullowhee valley to face the Catamounts as they put their four game win streak on the line.  In the final tipoff of the night, a surprising Terrier teams visits Homewood, AL to face off with the league leading Samford Bulldogs and their undefeated record inside the Hanna Center this season, on the "Road to Asheville"


-6:00 PM ESPN+
UNCG (15-6. 6-2 SoCon) at VMI (4-17, 1-7 SoCon)
Cameron Hall - Lexington, VA

-7:00 PM ESPN+
ETSU (10-11, 2-6 SoCon) at Mercer (9-12, 2-6 SoCon)
Hawkins Arena - Macon, GA

-7:00 PM on ESPN+
Furman (11-10, 5-3 SoCon) at The Citadel (9-12, 1-7 SoCon)
McAlister Field House - Charleston, SC

-7:00 PM ESPN+
Chattanooga (14-7, 6-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (16-5, 5-3 SoCon)
Ramsey Regional Activity Center - Cullowhee, NC

-7:30 PM ESPN+
Wofford (12-9, 5-3 SoCon) at Samford (18-3, 7-1 SoCon)
Pete Hanna Center - Homewood, AL

Game #22 - Chattanooga Mocs

 

Who: Chattanooga Mocs 
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
When: Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Time: 7 pm
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
Video/TV:  ESPN+
Live Stats: Live Stats
Enrollment: 11,400
Nickname: Mocs
Colors: Blue and Gold

Head Coach:  Dan Earl - Earl came to Chattanooga after a 7-year stint leading the VMI Keydets

Earl's Record at VMI: 14-7 (1st season)
Earl's Record vs. WCU: 7-8 (at VMI)
Gray's Record vs. UTC: 3-1

Chattanooga's Current Record: 14-7 overall, 9-7 home, 6-9 away, 0-0 neutral, 6-2 SoCon
Chattanooga's Last Season Record: 18-17 overall, 4-5 home, 0-9 away, 3-1 neutral, 7-11 conference.

The Series: Western owns a 30-70 record versus the Mocs in a series that tipped off in 1969, and are 5-5 in the last 10 games played. The Cats are 24-24 in games played in Cullowhee.  The two teams split the wins last season, each winning on their home court.

The Mocs were picked to finish 5th by both the coaches and media in preseason polling and sophomore guard Honor Huff was selected preseason all-conference.   The Mocs are currently 3d in offense in the SoCon, posting an average of 79 points per game, and 4th in scoring defense, giving up 69.8 points per game. 

Honor Huff leads the Mocs in scoring posting an average of 15.6 points per game (7th).  Chattanooga’s Trey Bonham entered the Mocs’ lineup after missing the first nine games and has become one of the top scorers in the conference. Bonham has scored in double figures in nine of the 10 games that he has played in, including 20 or more in four of those contests.

Currently, the Mocs are tied at 4-2 (in conference) with Western, Furman, and Wofford. The Mocs come into the game on a 4 game winning streak, having beat Mercer, ETSU, Wofford, and The Citadel (three of the four games were played on the road for the Mocs).

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings (1-29-24)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2024 SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings

This is the Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

   

   1. (1) Samford

   2. (5) Chattanooga  

   3. (2) UNCG

   4. (3) Furman 

   5. (4) Western Carolina 

   6. (6) Wofford

   7. (7) ETSU  

   8. (8) Mercer

   9. (9) VMI

 10. (10) The Citadel 

  

 

Scanning the SoCon - Saturday MBB Results

  
Saturday, January 27, 2024

There were two upsets in the SoCon tonight, as Wofford handles Furman in Sparkle City, and the Mercer Bears traveled to the Piedmont of North Carolina and upset the UNCG Spartans in the Greensboro Coliseum. In the other three games, Chattanooga easily took care of the visiting Bulldogs from Charleston while The Cats posted 102 points to beat the Keydets in Cullowhee. Samford had a more difficult time in Johnson City as the upset-minded Bucs almost pulled it off, but the other Bulldogs pulled out a 3-point win on the road, on "The Road to Asheville".

The Citadel 62 - Chattanooga 90
Sophomore guard Honor Huff posted 19 points to lead the Mocs to a 90-62 victory over the Citadel Bulldogs on Saturday. Sam Alexis scored 17 points and added five rebounds for Chattanooga and Jan Zidek put up 13 points and shot 5 for 7, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. Keynan Davis led the way for the Bulldogs with 18 points. Citadel also got 14 points from AJ Smith, and Elijah Morgan scored 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Samford 75 - ETSU 72
The Bulldogs picked up a road victory today in Johnson City with a 75-72 win over the Bucs. ETSU's Nathan Johnson hit a game-high 18 points in the Samford victory. Johnson shot 6 for 7 field goals while hitting 4 for 4 from 3-point range. He also made 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. Jaden Campbell added 12 points and had seven rebounds. Gabe Sisk led the way for the Buccaneers with 15 points and six rebounds, while Ebby Asamoah put up 15 points for ETSU. Quimari Peterson also had 12 points and three steals. With the game tied a 62 all at the 4:08 time remaining in the game, Samford's Rayland Jones hit a 3-pointer and the Bulldgs led the rest of the way.

VMI 77 - Western Carolina 102
Breaking a three-game losing streak, the Catamount rushed to an early lead and never looked back. Western's Russell Jones posted a game-high 22 points in Western Carolina's 102-77, he also had four rebounds, three steals, and three assists. Vonterius Woolbright completed his second triple-double of the season with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists as he continues to lead the nation in double-doubles with nineteen. DJ Campbell scored 20 points while going 9 of 14 from the field, and added six rebounds. Tre Jackson shot 6 for 12, including 5 for 11 from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points. VMI's Brennan Watkins also finished with 22 points for the Keydets while Tyran Cook added 20 points, six rebounds, and two steals.

Furman 67 - Wofford 77
The defending SoCon champions Paladins traveled the short distance to rival Wofford, confident of departing with a victory, after all, they had just defeated Western Carolina and Samford in back-to-back games. Sometimes we are too overconfident as Corey Tripp posted a team-high 20 points in Wofford's 77-67 victory. Kyler Filewich scored 17 points and added 10 rebounds, while Jackson Sivills put up 14 points while adding six rebounds. Furman's Marcus Foster led the way for the Paladins with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Paladins. The Terriers jumped out to an early 17-6 lead over the Paladins and never relinquished it, while the Paladins did pull as close as 29-31 near the end of the first half, Wofford built a 56-51 lead with about 5 minutes remaining in the second half.

Mercer 70 - UNCG 64
In the night's second upset, the Mercer Bears traveled to Greensboro and upsed the UNCG Spartans in the Greensboro Colusieum where the Spartans were 13-0 this season. Tird with Samford coming into this game for first place in the standings, the Spartans expected to easily handle the visiting Bears who held done the #8 position in the conference standings. Mercer pulled ahead 29-27 with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the 1st half and maintained that lead for the remainder of the game. The Spartans pulled within 3 points 64-67 at the 1:54 mark of the second half, but the Bears were able to hold them off. Jalyn McCreary came off the bench to lead the Bears with 15 points, while Mikeal Brown-Jones led the Spartans with 19 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.

 

WCU Player of the Game (vs. VMI) Jones, Jr.

Purple & Gold's Catamount "Player of the Game" for the VMI Keydets basketball game on January 27th in the Ramsey Center, is senior guard Russell Jones, Jr.  

Jones posted a team & game-high 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists to lead the Catamounts in tonight's 102-77 victory over the VMI Keydets. He posted 8 of 14 field goals while hitting 6 of 10 from beyond the 3-point line. Jones pulled down 1 offensive rebound and 3 defensive rebounds for a total of 4.  Added to that he completed 3 assists and 3 steals.  

Jones also scored his 1,000th career point in the game tonight, Congrats!!!!

Honorable Mention:  Vonterius Woolbright completed his second triple-double of the season with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists as he continues to lead the nation in double-doubles with nineteen.  

Our congratulations to Russell Jones, Jr on his first selection this season as Player of the Game. 

                                                       

Scanning the SoCon (1-27-24)

 Saturday, January 27, 2024

We have a full slate of conference games scheduled for Saturday afternoon and evening on "The Road to Asheville". 


-2:00 PM on ESPN+
The Citadel (9-11, 1-6 SoCon) at Chattanooga (13-7, 5-2 SoCon)
McKenzie Arena - Chattanooga, TN
The Bulldogs travel to Tennessee to face the Mocs in the Round House. The Mocs have won five of their last 6 games and ESPN projects that the Mocs have an 84% chance to beat the Bulldogs at home. 

-4:00 PM on ESPN+
Samford (17-3, 6-1 SoCon) at ETSU (10-10, 2-5 SoCon)
Freedom Hall Civic Center - Johnson City, TN
The Bulldogs travel to Johnson City to face the Bucs in Freedom Hall in the second game of the day. The Bulldogs are coming off their first conference loss that broke their 17-game winning streak at the hands of the Furman Paladins. ESPN projects a 68% chance that Samford will beat the Bucs on their own home court.  

-5:00 PM on ESPN+
VMI (4-16, 1-6 SoCon) at Western Carolina (15-5, 4-3 SoCon)
Ramsey Center - Cullowhee, NC
The Keydets visit Cullowhee on Saturday in the day's fourth game. This game will be the second of a double-header in the Ramsey Center, with the women's team facing Chattanooga in the earlier game. ESPN projects that the Cats have a 96.7% chance of beating the Keydets. 

-6:00 PM on ESPN+
Furman (11-9, 5-2 Southern) at Wofford (11-9, 4-3 Southern)
Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, SC
Furman travels the short distance between Travelers Rest and Spartanburg to face the Wofford Terriers. ESPN projects a 55% chance that the Paladins will win the game over the homestanding Terriers. 

-7:00 PM on ESPN+
Mercer (8-12, 1-6 SoCon) at UNCG (15-5, 6-1 SoCon)
Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro, NC

The Bears travel to Greensboro to face the surging Spartans of UNCG, ESPN projects a 92% chance the Spartans will win this contest and keep the Spartans in first place in the conference standings. 

Game #21 - VMI Keydets (DH)

 

Who: VMI Keydets 
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
When: Saturday, January 27, 2024
Time: 7 pm
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
Video/TV:  ESPN+
Live Stats: Live Stats
Enrollment: 1,685
Nickname: Keydets
Colors: Red, Yellow, White

Head Coach:  Andrew Wilson enters his second season as head coach of the VMI program

Wilson's Record at VMI: 51-32 (3rd season)
Wilson's Record vs. VMI: 0-2
Gray's Record vs. VMI: 3-1

VMI's Current Record: 4-16 overall, 9-0 home, 2-5 away, 3-0 neutral, 3-5-1 conference.
VMI's Last Season Record: 7-25 overall, 4-5 home, 0-9 away, 0-2 neutral, 1-6 conference.

The Series: Western has a 39-29 overall record in the series with VMI that tipped off in 1978. The Cats are 5-5 in the last 10 games played and are 22-11 overall in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats are currently on a 3 game-winning streak against the Keydets. 

The Keydets were picked to finish last in both SoCon preseason polls, and are currently tied with with Mercer and the Citadel with 1-6 conference records.  VMI is currently 9th in the SoCon in scoring, putting up 70.7 points per game, and comes in last in scoring defense giving up an average of 79.4 points per game. Freshman Tyran Cook leads the Keydets in scoring, posting 12.7 points per game, and sophomore Taeshaud Jackson is second in the conference in rebounding pulling down 10.1 rebounds per game. Stephen Olowoniyi hitting 56% of field goal attempts.

Game #20 - UNCG Spartans

 

Who: UNCG Spartans
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
When: Wednesday, January 24, 2023
Time: 7 pm
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
Video/TV:  ESPN+
Live Stats: Live Stats
Enrollment: 19,764
Nickname: Spartans
Colors: Gold, White, and Blue

Head Coach:  Mike Jones enters his third season as head coach of the UNCG program

Jones' Record at UNCG: 51-32 (3rd season)
Jones's Record vs. WCU: 4-0
Gray's Record vs. UNCG: 0-4

UNCG's Current Record: 14-5 overall, 9-0 home, 2-5 away, 3-0 neutral, 3-5-1 conference.
UNCG's Last Season Record: 20-12 overall, 11-3 home, 8-6 away, 1-3 neutral, 14-4conference.

The Series: Western has a 32-30 overall record in the series with UNCG that tipped off in 1979. The Cats are 1-9 in the last 10 games played and are 19-11 overall in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats are currently on a 4 game losing streak against the Spartans. 

The Spartans were picked second in the SoCon preseason coaches poll and 4th in the media poll. Currently, the Spartans sit in second place in the conference standings with a 5-1 record. Their lone loss so far is to the Samford Bulldogs, with wins over Furman and Chattanooga.  

UNCG is currently 5th in the SoCon in scoring, putting up 77.1 points per game and comes in second in scoring defense giving up an average of 68 points per game. 

Scanning the SoCon (1-24-23)

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

All ten SoCon teams are on the schedule for Wednesday's games. ETSU and VMI tip off the night an hour earlier than the other games at Cameron Hall, both teams come into the game with 1-5 conference records. Chattanooga and Wofford face off in Spartanburg, both have 4-2 conference records and the big game of the night also gets underway at 7 pm as makes the trip to Timmons arena where the Bulldogs put their conference unbeaten win streak on the line to a resurgent Palading squid that is always difficult to be a home in Traveler's Rest. Mercer faces off with the other Bulldogs in Charleston and Western Carolina tries to end their two-game losing streak as they host the Spartans of UNCG on "The Road to Asheville"

-6:00 PM on ESPN+
ETSU (9-10, 1-5 SoCon) at VMI (4-15, 1-5 SoCon)
Cameron Hall - Lexington, VA

ESPN projects that the Bucs have an 82% chance to beat the Keydets in Lexington. The game-winner picks up a second win for the season, as these two teams battle to stay out of the play-in Friday in the SoCon tournament.


-7:00 PM on ESPN+
Chattanooga (12-7, 4-2 SoCon) at Wofford (11-8, 4-2 SoCon)

 Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, SC 

Two teams with identical 4-2 conference records face off in Spartanburg on Wednesday. ESPN projects that the Mocs have a 55% chance to beat the Terriers on their home court, while the Terriers are making a habit of pulling out close conference wins this season, don't count the short-haired dogs out just yet.

-7:00 PM on ESPN+

Samford (17-2, 6-0 SoCon) at Furman (10-9, 4-2 SoCon) 

Timmons Arena - Greenview, SC

The game of the night takes place in Timmons Arena in Travelers Rest as the Samford Bulldogs bring their league-leading team for a showdown. ESPN projects a win by the Bulldogs, but the Paladins will not go down without a knock-down, drag-out fight on their home court.

-7:00 PM on ESPN+

Mercer (8-11, 1-5 SoCon) at The Citadel (8-11, 0-6 SoCon)

McAlister Field House - Charleston, SC

Mercer travels to the South Carolina low country to face the best 0-6 win team in the conference, the other Bulldogs. ESPN projects the Bulldogs will pick up their first conference win as they have a 72% chance of picking up the win over the visiting Bears.

-7:00 PM on ESPN+

UNCG (14-5, 5-1 SoCon) at Western Carolina (15-4 4-2 SoCon)

Ramsey Center - Cullowhee, NC 

The Spartans make the trip up the mountain to visit the Ramsey Center to face the Catamounts who have lost two straight games. With both teams having a clear path to the regular season championship, this should be an epic battle. ESPN projects the Cats have a 55% chance of defending the home court and picking up a much-needed win from on of the top-level teams in the conference.

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings (1-22-24)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2024 SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings

This is the Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

   

   1. (2) Samford

   2. (3) UNCG

   3. (5) Furman 

   4. (1) Western Carolina 

   5. (6) Chattanooga  

   6. (4) Wofford

   7. (7) ETSU  

   8. (8) Mercer

   9. (10) VMI

 10. (9) The Citadel 

 

WCU Player of the Game vs. Furman (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount "Player of the Game" for the Mercer Bears basketball game on January 20th in Timmons Arena, is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

Vonterius Woolbright tallied a SoCon and NCAA-leading sixteenth double-double of the season (and eleventh straight), with a game-high 27 points and 16 rebounds in a last-second loss to the Furman Paladins.

Woolbright hit 10 of 17 field goals and went 6 for 9 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 14 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 16. He also had 6 assists and 1 blocked shot in the game.

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

                                                       

Game #19 - Furman Paladins

 

Who: Furman Paladins
Where: Timmons Arena - Travelers Rest, SC
When: Saturday, January 20, 2023
Time: 2 pm
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
Video/TV:  ESPN+
Live Stats: Live Stats
Enrollment: 2,443
Nickname: Paladins
Colors: Purple and White

Head Coach: Bob Richey enters his seventh season as head coach and 13th season with the Furman program

Richey's Record at Furman: 148-64 (7th season)
Richey's Record vs. WCU: 15-1
Gray's Record vs. Furman: 1-4

Furman's Current Record: 9-9 overall, 7-1 home, 2-6 away, 0-2 neutral, 3-2 conference.
Furman's Last Season Record: 28-8 overall, 14-2 home, 8-3 away, 6-3 neutral, 15-3 conference.

The Series: Western has a 30-54 overall record in the series with Furman that tipped off in 1977. The Cats are 1-9 in the last 10 games played and are 9-31 overall in games played in Travelers Rest, SC.  

The preseason favorite Paladins currently sit tied for 5th place in the SoCon standings with Chattanooga, both holding 3-2 conference records. Furman has conference win over VMI, the Citadel, & ETSU, with losses to Chattanooga and UNCG.

Due to Injuries, Furman’s top three scorers, Marcus Foster, JP Pegues, and Alex Williams have accounted for 17 missed games as the Paladins have not had their entire roster available for a full game this year due to injuries. 

Foster, Furman’s leading scorer at 19.8 points per game and a preseason All-SoCon selection, suffered a knee injury in the first half at Princeton on December 2 and has yet to return to the lineup. Pegues missed the season opener due to a foot injury and Williams was injured in the season opener and missed three games before returning in late November. Forward Tyrese Hughey (2 games), forward Ben VanderWal (3 games), and forward Davis Molnar (1 game) have also missed time due to injuries this season. No Paladin has played in every game, and only three Paladins have started more than 11 of the first 17 games. 

Furman has used an NCAA Division I-high 13 different starting lineups through its first 17 games of the 2023-24 season. Redshirt senior guard Marcus Foster returned to action for the first time in over a month at VMI, scoring 18 points, with four Paladins average double-figure scoring. The Paladins currently are second in scoring in the SoCon, posting an average of 82.8 points per game, and comes in at 9th in scoring defense giving up 77.5 points per game.

Thanks to scoring 100 points in the VMI game, the Paladins are now the second-highest-scoring team in the SoCon, averaging 82.8 points per game. The top two rebounding squads in the conference wear purple as WCU (40.8 rpg) and Furman (39.8 rpg) rank first and second, respectively. The Paladins are third in offensive rebounding at 12.2 per game while WCU posts over 30 defensive boards per contest.

SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings (1-15-24)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2024 SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings

This is the Monday, Jan. 14, 2024, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

   1. (1) Western Carolina 

   2. (2) Samford

   3. (3) UNCG

   4. (5) Wofford

   5. (7) Furman 

   6. (4) Chattanooga  

   7. (6) ETSU  

   8. (8) Mercer

   9. (9) The Citadel 

 10. (10) VMI

Scanning the SoCon (Results from Saturday)

SoCon Saturday, what a day in Southern Conference basketball. Western Carolina and Samford both took care of business, setting the stage for a showdown on national TV next Tuesday in Cullowhee. Furman wins, letting the rest of the SoCon know they are a team that the front runners will have to deal with, and UNCG also made their statement with a convincing win over Chattanooga, while Wofford remains relevant with their win over the Citadel, on the Road to Asheville...

Wofford  72 - The Citadel 71
The Terrier's Dillon Bailey posted 18 points to lead Wofford's 72-71 victory over Citadel on Saturday.  Bailey hit 7-of-11 shooting, and Jackson Sivills scored 16 points, going 5 of 10. Anthony Arrington, Jr. shot 5 for 6, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points.  The Bulldogs were led by Elijah Morgan, who recorded a game-high 21 points. AJ Smith added 18 points, and Madison Durr finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.  Wofford went into the half leading Citadel 40-30. Bailey scored 15 points in the second half to help lead Wofford to a one-point victory.

ETSU 73 -  Furman 82
Furman's Alex Williams and JP Pegues both scored 20 points each as the Paladins ran past ETSU 82-73 on Saturday.  Carter Whitt shot 5 of 9 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 14 points while adding five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.  The Bucs were led by Jaden Seymour, who scored a game-high 23 points. ETSU also got 16 points and seven rebounds from Quimari Peterson, and Ebby Asamoah finished with 11 points and two blocks.  Furman took the lead with 13:30 to go in the first half and did not give it up. Furman turned an eight-point second-half lead into a 21-point advantage with a 16-3 run to make it a 69-48 lead with 11:40 left in the half. 

WCU  64 -  Mercer 52
Vonterius Woolbright's 14 points and 15 rebounds for his fourteenth double-double helped Western Carolina defeat Mercer 64-52 on Saturday.  Russell Jones also posted 14 points, shooting 6 for 10, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc. Tre Jackson was 3-of-11 shooting, including 1 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 3 from the foul line to finish with 10 points. The Catamounts extended their winning streak to nine games. Mercer's David Thomas led the way for the Bears with 12 points and Jalyn McCreary added 11 points.  The Catamounts took the lead with 4:14 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 29-25 at halftime, with Woolbright racking up nine points. Western Carolina pulled away with a 14-2 run in the second half to extend a six-point lead to 18 points. They outscored Mercer by eight points in the final half.

VMI 96 - Samford 134
Samford's Achor Achor scored 18 points and added seven rebounds and Riley Allenspach also scored 18 points, off of the bench, to lead the Bulldogs past VMI 134-96 in the 15th straight victory for the Bulldogs.  A.J. Staton-McCray was 6 of 10 shooting and 2 of 4 from the free throw line to finish with 15 points, while adding five rebounds and three steals. The Keydets were led by Taeshaud Jackson, who recorded a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Stephen Olowoniyi posted 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyran Cook added 16 points and four assists.  Samford took the lead with 19:43 remaining in the first half and did not look back. Samford extended its lead to 91-59 during the second half, fueled by a 17-3 scoring run. Staton-McCray scored a team-high 11 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.  Samford plays Western Carolina on the road on Tuesday.

UNCG 70 - Chattanooga 54
The Spartans Keyshaun Langley posted 17 points to help UNCG defeat Chattanooga 70-54 in the Roundhouse on Saturday night.  Kobe Langley added 15 points while going 6 of 10 (3 for 5 from 3-point range), and he added 11 assists and three steals. Donovan Atwell had 12 points and shot 4 for 7 from beyond the arc.  Trey Bonham led the way for the Mocs with a game-high 25 points and two steals. Honor Huff added 10 points and four steals for Chattanooga in the loss.

WCU Player of the Game vs. Mercer (Woolbright)

Purple & Gold's Catamount "Player of the Game" for the Mercer Bears basketball game on January 13, in Hawkins Arena, Mercer, GA is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright.  

Vonterius Woolbright tallied a SoCon and NCAA-leading fourteenth double-double of the season (and ninth straight), with 14 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Catamounts to another road win with a 64-52 victory over the Mercer Bears in Macon.

Woolbright hit 4 of 15 field goals and went 6 for 10 at the charity stripe. Woolbright's rebounds consisted of 11 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds to a total of 14. He also had 4 assists in the game

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

                                                       

Game #17 - Mercer Bears

Who: Mercer Bears

Where: Macon, GA
When: Saturday, January 13, 2023
Time: 2 pm
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/Video: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: Live Stats
Enrollment: 9,024
Nickname: Bears
Colors: Black and Orange

Head Coach: Greg Gary begins his fifth season leading the Mercer men’s program in 2023-24. Gary’s squads have recorded 65 wins in his first four seasons. The 51 wins earned in his first three seasons are the most by any coach in school history.

Gary's Record at Mercer: 73-70 (fifth season)

Gary's Record vs. WCU: 6-6
Gray's Record vs. ETSU: 3-2

Mercer Current Record: 8-8 overall, 5-2 home, 2-5 away, 1-1 neutral, 1-2 conference.
Mercer Last Season's Record: 14-19 overall, 7-7 home, 4-10 away, 3-2 neutral, 6-12 conference.

The Series:  Western owns a 14-13 overall record against the Mercer Bears. The Cats are 6-4 in the last ten games vs. Mercer and are 5-6 in games played in Macon.  The Cats have won 3 of the last 4 games and come into this game riding a two-game winning streak with the Bears.  

"Mercer lost last time out, rallying from a 10-point deficit before falling on a pair of late free throws at Wofford on Wednesday night – Mercer's third-straight league road game. Despite the defeat, the Bears have won six of their last eight games with two of the losses in conference play to the Terriers and at home against ETSU.

The Bears are led by redshirt senior forward Jalyn McCreary at 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, ranking eighth and 17th in the SoCon, respectively. He is also tied for third in the conference with 1.5 steals per game and sixth with an average of 1.2 blocks per contest. Freshman forward Jake Davis (9.8 ppg) and grad transfer Robby Carmody (9.5 ppg) are just below the 10-point threshold. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Gary, the Bears were picked sixth in the preseason SoCon coaches poll and were tagged seventh in the media tabulation, recording one of the 17 first-place votes."