Cats pick up win over Mountaineers

Tom Tankelewicz drives on App St.
(WCU Photo by Mark Haskett)

With a 70-64 victory over the Mountaineers, the Catamounts evened its record against Appalachian State in games played in Cullowhee with their third straight win over the Mountaineers, in the 178th meeting all-time between the two schools  The WCU vs. ASU basketball series is the longest active series in the Southern Conference.  

With this win, the Catamounts go to 2-0 in Southern Conference play, and head coach Larry Hunter earns career victory #620.

Late in the first half of the game, the Mountaineers reeled off a 16-2 run that closed out the half and a put the Mountaineers up by 10 points, 36-26.  In the second half, the Catamounts began to slowly chip away at the ASU lead. However, it wasn't until Tawaski King made two free throws at the five minute mark, that the Catamounts had their first lead of the second half of the game. But ASU did not give up.

The Mountaineers regained the lead in the final four minutes before a Tom Tankelewicz three pointer gave the Cats a 61-60 lead with just under three minutes to play. The Cats then scored nine of the next 13 points to complete their second half comeback, and stay perfect in conference play.

Tom Tankelewicz led  the Catamounts with a career-high 19 points, Tawaski King added 14 points and eight rebounds, with Trey Sumler putting  in 13 points, and sophomore James Sinclair rounding out the four Catamounts in double figures with 12 points.

The Cats will now break for final exams, and return to action next Saturday, Dec. 15 against #15 ranked Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The game is scheduled for a noon tip-off, and will be televised on MASN and ESPN3.


Join the conversation and leave a comment below

Sumler honored for 1,000th Career Point

Prior to Saturday's game with Appalachian State, Trey Sumler was honored for scoring his 1,000th career point as a Catamount. Sumler made his 1000th point at #13 Illinois. 

(WCU Photo by Mark Haskett)

2013 Football Commit QB/ATH Tyrecous Garrett

Tyrecous Garrett 
Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 180 lbs
Class: 2013
Running Back / Quarterback
Boiling Springs HS
Boiling Springs, South Carolina

Garrett has received an offer from Western Carolina and made a verbal commitment to the Catamounts. He also received an offer from Louisville.

Walker named Head Coach at Catawba College

Western Carolina's Defensive Coordinator Curtis Walker has been named the new head coach of his alma mater, Catawba College.

Walker, a former All-American football player for the Catawba Indians, is not only returning to his alma mater, he is also re-joining the Indians' football staff that he served under then head coach David Bennett.  

"Curtis helped us lay a solid foundation for our future and we're going to miss him." said WCU head coach Mark Speir. "We greatly appreciate all of Curtis Walker's efforts during his time on our coaching staff and what he meant to our program with his leadership in our football program here at Western Carolina University,"

Walker was a three-time All-American linebacker for Catawba in 1989-92. He was inducted into the Catawba Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2008.  Walker still holds the Indian's single game record for tackles, 25 stops against Wofford in 1991, and the all-time single season record for fumble recoveries set in 1991.

We wish the best of luck to Coach Walker in his new job at Catawba.



Join the conversation and leave a comment below

Quote from Illini Coach John Groce on WCU

Illinois coach John Groce

‘I thought they were the tougher team for the bulk of the game,’’ Illinois Head Coach John Groce said of Western Carolina after the game. ‘‘That’s disappointing. They did a lot of things better than us. We have to learn quickly that you have to play a complete 40-minute game. But as I said after the Gardner-Webb game, we’re not going to give it back. We made plays late in the game.’’




View Groce's press conference after the game here

View Coach Hunter's press conference here

What did Jerry Moore do to the Yosef Club?

We thought everyone at ASU loved Coach Moore, maybe not so much the Yosef Club?

Click here to view the tweet from Yosef.

Game #10 - Appalachian State

Game #10 - Appalachian State
Location: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Date:  Saturday, December 8th
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Series: The Cats are 67-117 against ASU
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV: none
Live Video: Catamount All Access


The Appalachian State Mountaineers will travel to Cullowhee on Saturday to play the Catamounts as part of a double header in the Ramsey Center. The WCU women's team will play Tennessee Tech in game one of the day, starting at 2:00 pm.

ASU is 1-6 on the season if you count their win over NAIA's Montreat College, otherwise they are 0-6, with no Division I wins coming into the game.

At home and on the road, the Mountaineers have rolled off Division I losses like no other team in the conference,  except maybe Furman.  However, the Paladins have only played 5 Division I teams, and have a 0-5 record against them.

The Big South's High Point & Cambell both have had their way with the Mountaineers, both with 20+ point wins over the Mountaineers.  The closest sign of life thus far in the Mountaineers, came at home in Boone, with a 1 point loss to Duquesne, 72-73.

Head Coach Jason Capel is in his third season at Appalachian  and is coming off a 13-18 (7-11 SoCon) season.  Chapel returned 6 players from the the 2011-12 season, and like WCU, returned 3 starters.  The Mountaineers returns 3 guard starters from last season, Tab Hamilton, Jamall Trice, and Mike Neal.  Last season, Trice averaged 9 ppg, while both Hamilton & Neal averaged 8 ppg. Chapel brought in a total of 9 new players in the offseason.

Redshirt sophomore Jay Canty (forward / 6-6 / 200 lbs) is the current leading scorer this season, averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds per game.  Canty is followed by senior Nathan Healy (forward / 6-7 / 210) with
14 point per game and 5.6 rebounds and sophomore Tab Hamilton (guard / 6-3/ 180 lbs) with 12 point per game.

If the Cats take care of the ball, reduce the turnover rate, they should be able to move to 2-0 on in conference play.  The Mountaineers will come to Cullowhee wanting to get that first Division I win on the backs of the Cats, it will be a battle.



Join the conversation and leave a comment below

Cats upset bid at Illinois falls short

Illinois' Sam McLaurin loses control 
of the ball (AP Photo/Heather Coit)

Champaign, Ill. - The Catamounts came within eight points of upsetting the undefeated and 13th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini on their home court. The Cats fell by a final score of 72-64.

Despite being down by 10 points at halftime, the never say die Cats were able to fight their way back to tie the score at 54-54 with 5:53 to play.

However, the Fighting Illini rallied for a 14-to-4 run that stretched the lead back to a 10-point margin. The closest the Catamounts were able to get the remainder of the game was six.

For the second consecutive game, leading scorer Trey Sumler was held to less than 10 points, but did reach the 1,000 career point milestone. 

While off his pace in shooting, Sumler pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and four assists.  Preston Ross led the Catamounts in scoring with 17 points, and for the third time this season scored in double figures. Brandon Boggs added 16 points off the bench, Sinclair put up 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tawaski King scored 10 points.

The Catamounts out rebounded Illinois by a margin of 41-to-34, including 18 offensive boards by both teams.

The two areas of the game that allowed the Fighting Illini to gain a victory over the Catamounts were turnovers and second-chance points. The Cats gave up 22 forced turnovers that resulted in 29 point for the Illini,  while Illinois took better advantage of their offensive rebounds, scoring 22 second-chance points.     

The Catamounts now return home for to host Appalachian State as part of a hoops double-header on Saturday. The Catamount women host Tennessee Tech beginning at 2:00 pm with the men's game scheduled for 4:30 pm.


Join the conversation and leave a comment below

Bid on a trip with the Catamounts to Tennessee

Have you ever thought about what it would be like traveling with the basketball team to an away game?  Well, now is your chance to find out.

A Travel Trip for Two with the Catamount Men’s Basketball Team to game with the University of Tennessee (Dec 20 - 21, 2012) is being auctioned by the Athletic Department.

You can bid on the chance for two to travel with the Catamount Men’s Basketball Team to Knoxville, Tennessee as Western Carolina takes on the Vols on December 21, 2012. The team will depart on December 20, after practice and will spend the night in Knoxville, Tennessee, returning after the game on December 21. This trip is all inclusive.

Trip and Game Details
This trip is for 2 (Two) to Travel with the Men’s Basketball Team to the game with the University of Tennessee.

Experience Includes: 
*Shoot Around
*Scouting Report
*Video and Walk Thru Sessions
*Meals with the Team
*Basketball Game
Travel Date: Dec. 20, 2012
Game Date: Dec. 21, 2012
Game Time: 7 p.m.

To get more details and submit a bid, click here

Scanning the SoCon - Week Five

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. At least four will answer a series of questions on their team and around the SoCon. 




POWER RANKINGS
1) Davidson 131 (10)
2) College of Charleston 122 (1)
3) Elon 109
4) UNCG 90
5) Wofford 86
6) Western Carolina 78
7) Chattanooga 59
8) Samford 49
9) Georgia Southern 42
10) The Citadel 41
11) Appalachian State 31
12) Furman 21

SoCon Monster Game of the Week
Charlotte at Davidson- 6 votes
Others Receiving Votes- Louisville at College of Charleston (5)

Questions
Sum up your team since the last time you wrote.


To read the entire article and see the answers to this week's questions, visit MocsMania

Basketball: Game #9 - # 22 Illinois Fighting Illini

Game #9 -  Illinois Fighting Illini
Date: Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012
Series: Illinois is 1-0 vs. the Catamounts
Location: Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Ill.
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV: none
Live Video: Big 10 Digital Network

The Catamounts will meet it's second consecutive undefeated team on Tuesday, when the Cats travel to Champaign, Illinois to meet the Big Ten's  #22 Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Fighting Illini are just off a win over Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on November 28th in Champaign, improving their record to 8-0 on the season. Illinois also won the Maui Invitational title with wins over USC, Chaminade, and then Butler for the Maui Championship.

In his first season at Illinois, head coach John Groce's Illini now owns a 19-straight home game winning streak against non-conference opponents.  Illinois is perfect 6-0 on their home floor this season.

Illinois has four players averaging in double figures so far this season. Senior guard Brandon Paul (6-4 /200 lbs) leads the way with an 18 point average, shooting 48% from the field, including 42% on 3-point shots, making 22 of 52 attempts. Senior guard D.J. Richardson (6-3 / 195 lbs) follows with a 12 point average. Sophomore guard Tracy Abrams (6-2 / 185 lbs) and senior forward Tyler Griffey (6-9 / 22)  are both averaging 11 points per game.

The Illini projected starting five consists of 3 guards one forward and sophomore Nnanna Egwu (6-11 / 235) at center, who is averaging 24 minutes per game this season and is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game and 6 points per game. Egwu also has a team high 9 blocks on the season. Groch has a very strong bench, which the will go to often.

If the Cats play in either half of this game, the same way they played in the second half of the Eastern Kentucky game, this will be a huge blow out.  If we can not get more consistent play, or should our shooting go ice cold again, it could be very ugly night in Champaign for this young team.

Second half rally dooms Catamounts, 72-70

The Catamounts traveled to Richmond, Kentucky Saturday night, flying high, coming off a road conference win over Furman.  They returned to earth quickly however, losing to Eastern Kentucky by a final score of 72-70.  The Cats overall record dropped to just 3-5 and RPI to 307 out of 347 teams.

The Catamounts have now lost the second straight game to a team from the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), losing to Austin Peay in the Cancun Classic by a final score of 72-71.

It seems that teams from the OVC have found the key to beating the Catamounts on the road. For the second time this season, an OVC team used the same strategy to out maneuver the Cats. Back on November 20th, Austin Peay went to the locker room down 12 at the half, then rallied in the second half to defeat Western Carolina, 72-71. The Catamounts allowed the Governors to scorch the Cancun ballroom for 70 percent (14 of 20) shooting in the second half, while the Governors held the Cats to a dismal 13 of 38 from the field (34%), and 2 of 12 from 3 point range (16%).

Fast forward to Saturday in Richmond, Kentucky. The Catamounts had their game with EKU well in hand at the half, taking a 11 point lead over the Colonels into the locker room.   However, once the second half started, a replay of Austin Peay's Cancun performance unfolded. The Colonels held WCU to just 9 of 30 shots made from the field (30%) and only 1 of 13 from 3 point range (8%).  The Cats allowed EKU to penetrate inside for many easy baskets, allowing the Colonels to score 42 points in the paint.

The Catamounts leading scorer, Trey Sumler, who was averaging 18 points per game, was held to just 9 points by the Colonels.

It doesn't get any easier for The Cats, as they will travel on Tuesday, Dec. 4 to Champaign, Ill., to meet their second-straight undefeated team, the #22 ranked Fighting Illini of Illinois . Illinois is currently 7-0 overall on the season. The start time is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET in Illinois' Assembly Hall.

Women's Basketball- Cats over UNCG, 47-44

The Catamounts opened Southern Conference play with a win over UNC Greensboro on Saturday afternoon in the Ramsey Center.   The 47-44 victory evened the Cats overall record to 3-3 and 1-0 in conference.

The Cats were paced on the night by Diamond Hunnicutt and Ali Lane, both scoring 11 points, with Shauna Terry pulling down 11 rebounds.

 The Catamounts committed a total of 25 turn overs, resulting in 23 points for the Spartans, which could have been fatal, except for the extremely poor shooting form the floor by the Spartans. UNCG only made 17 of 63 field goal attempts, for 27% from the floor. The Spartans actually attempted 23 more shots than the Cats.

The Cats hosts Elon on Monday as part of the women's basketball annual "Education Day" event.

Charleston to the CAA

Today, the College of Charleston Board of Trustees voted to join the Colonial Athletic Association effective July 1, 2013.

In response, the Southern Conference released this statement: "We're naturally disappointed, but not surprised, by today's decision. Public comments made it apparent that the College of Charleston administration favored this move. Successfully assimilating changes in membership has been part of the Southern Conference's DNA for more than 90 years. With the commitment and cooperation of our Presidents and Chancellors, we will continue to explore the best options available to us to ensure a successful future for our athletic programs and the student-athletes we serve."

I do not fault Charleston's desire to move to a basketball conference, it's their premier sport, and many Charleston fans (and now the Board of Trustees) feel they should be in a conference of like minded schools. Just as ASU and GSU are seeking to move up in football to the FBS level, Charleston is seeking to move to a basketball concentric conference.

The problem now, as I see it, with three schools either moving or about to move, what does the Southern Conference do about replacements?

I'm afraid the conference commissioner is reacting to events, rather than being proactive to these same events.  In my opinion, just as the CAA did, the SoCon commissioner should have announced his intentions publicly some time ago, and then pursued a set of schools that could have been ready and waiting to fill these positions.  I'm afraid, that without a public plan in place, more SoCon schools might seek out other conference homes on their own, before the SoCon even approaches any potential replacement schools about these openings.

What if, with these three schools departing, Davidson reconsiders their decision. Then, Elon and UNCG (or Wofford) decides to depart with Davidson?  With those departures, maybe UTC and Samford decide that the OVC is looking pretty good now, and seeks re-entry.  This could turn into a completely depleted SoCon real quick.

Commissioner John Iamarino's lack of public action, just might result in his presiding over the death of the conference or at least to one that looks a whole lot like the Big South.  However, maybe I'm wrong and lots of behind the scenes negotiations have already taken place with multiple schools.  Wanna bet?

Cat Chat with Larry Hunter

It's basketball season, and head coach Larry Hunter takes over the "Cat Chat" feature.

The November 27th edition of Cat Chat on Big Wise radio (ESPN 1310), with Catamount Head Basketball Coach Larry Hunter.



                Listen here 

Game #8 - Eastern Kentucky

Game #8 - Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Date: December 1, 2012
Series: 4th meeting - EKU is 2-1, Cats won in 2011, 81-74
Location: Alumni Coliseum (6,500) Richmond, Ky.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: Catamount Sports Network 
TV: none
Live Video: OVC Digital Network


The 2012-13 season is Jeff Neubauer’s eighth year as head coach at Eastern Kentucky University. The Colonels finished last season 16-16 overall and were picked to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference East Division this season by the league’s head coaches. The OVC, like the Big South,  is debuting its divisional format this season.

Entering the game with Western Carolina, the Colonels are 6-0 and off to their best start since 2005. EKU currently is  one of only seven remaining unbeaten mid-major teams.

The Colonels, like the Catamounts, are a very good team on their home court.  They have won 14 straight home non-conference games and are 37-7 under head coach Jeff Neubauer in such contests.

So far this season, EKU won the Comfort Suits Invitational, which they hosted, beating Radford, Towson, Kennesaw State, and Cincinnati Christian.  In other out-of-conference play, the Colonels defeated Norfolk State and Delaware State, all home games.   Eastern Kentucky is led by junior college transfer and All-American junior guard Glen Cosey (6-0 / 182) with 18 ppg and senior guard Mike DiNunno (5-11 / 196) with 13 ppg.

Overall, Eastern Kentucky is averaging 80 points per game, and has a .496 field goal percent average, along with an average of nine 3-pt field goals per game.  The Colonels are a good free throw shooting team, at .752 percent average and also averages 11 turnovers per game.

This game will be a challenge for the Catamounts, on the road, facing an undefeated team, large crowd expected.  However, if the Catamounts play with the enthusiasm and determination they displayed in the second half of the Furman game, they will depart Richmond with a win.

The Battle of Purple: Cats win Big

The Western Carolina Catamounts picked up their second straight win and improved their record to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play with a 79-65 win over the Furman Paladins at Timmons Arena. 

This was the Southern Conference men's basketball opener for both schools.

Trey Sumler put up a game-high 24 points with Tom Tankelewicz adding 17 points in the second half.  Furman led in the rebounding category 40-32, and were able to capitalize on their rebounding edge with 11 second chance shots to the Cats five.

Turnovers were major for the Cats, as the Catamounts forced 19 turnovers by the Paladins and were able to score 17 points off turnovers, along with 18 fast break points, giving the scoring edge to the Cats.

On Saturday the Catamounts will travel to Richmond, Kentucky to meet the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at 7:30 pm.

NSCAA Team Academic Award

Courtesy WCU Sports Information - For the eighth straight year, Western Carolina women's soccer received the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Team Academic Award with a 3.39 team GPA.

The Catamounts were recognized as one of 504 programs who received the award from over 990 eligible from DIV I, II, III women's soccer programs. Western Carolina was ranked number two of the nine Southern Conference teams awarded this year.

Christmas Socials

Basketball Season Tickets on sale now

Scanning the SoCon- Week Four

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. At least four will answer a series of questions on their team and around the SoCon.




POWER RANKINGS
1) Davidson 119 (9)
2) College of Charleston 111 (1)
3) Elon 100
4) UNCG 76
5) Wofford 72
6) Western Carolina 64
7t) Chattanooga 62
7t) Georgia Southern 62
9) The Citadel 43
10) Furman 33
11) Appalachian State 21
12) Samford 17

SOCON MONSTER GAME OF THE WEEK
College of Charleston at Elon- 5 votes
Others Receiving Votes: Gonzaga vs. Davidson (3 votes), Davidson at Chattanooga (1), North Carolina A&T at UNCG (1)

QUESTIONS 
1) Sum up your team since the last time you wrote about them.

To read the entire article and see the answers to this week's questions, visit MocsMania

Early conference play - Furman

For the first conference action of the season, the Catamounts travel to Travelers Rest, SC to meet the Furman Paladins.

Date: Wednesday, Nov 28

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Timmons Arena (3,500)

In his seventh season at Furman, Jeff Jackson's Paladins were selected fifth in preseason SoCon polls in the South Division.

The Paladins posted a 15-16 record and were 8-10 in conference play in 2011-12. Jackson returns eight lettermen of which five players started 10 or more games last season, led by senior forward Colin Reddick (6-9 / 240), who's averaging 14 points and 6.8 rebounds and senior forward Bryant Irwin (6-7 / 220) averaging 12 points per game.

The Paladins are currently 2-2 on the season, with losses to Columbia and Clemson and wins over non DI opponents Southern Wesleyan and Brevard.   In the Columbia loss, the Paladins shot just 31% from the floor for the night and made only one of their 17 three-point attempts. Colin Reddick paced the Paladins with 11 points and twin brother junior guard Charlie Reddick (6-5 / 185) put up seven points and seven rebounds.

In the Clemson game, the Paladins were out-rebounded by the Tigers 31-24, and outscored 40-24 in the paint. Furman freshman guard Stephen Croone (6-0 / 170) hit 6-of-7 shots to lead the Paladins with a career-high 15 points. Senior forward Bryant Irwin added 14 points and Colin Reddick 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

No road conference game will be easy this season, but certainly this game is winnable for the Catamounts.  I don't like getting into conference play this early in the year, but kicking off with Furman could provide the confidence booster the Cats need.

Trey Sumler Garners All-Tournament Honors

Courtesy WCU Sports Information - Western Carolina redshirt junior point guard Trey Sumler picked up Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team honors on Wednesday afternoon following the conclusion of play in the Mayan Division.

Sumler averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game in the two contests in Cancun, scoring a team-high 16 points in the loss to Austin Peay and following it up with 17 points against Howard.

Sumler averaged 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and two steals per game in Mexico. He finished 12-of-21 (57.1%) from the floor including 4-of-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc and shot 83-percent from the charity stripe, 5-of-6.

Gardner-Webb claimed the tournament divisional championship with a 72-62 win over Austin Peay.

2012 Cancun Challenge - All-Tournament Team:
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina 
Simuel Frazier, Howard
Chris Horton, Austin Peay
Travis Betran, Austin Peay
Max Landis, Gardner-Webb

Tournament MVP 
Donta Harper, Gardner-Webb

Courtesy WCU Sports Information

Cats nip Howard

Tom Tangekewicz's free throws gave Western Carolina a 69-67 victory over Howard University on Wednesday afternoon in the Triple Crown Cancun Challenge.

With one second remaining on the clock, Tankelewicz coolly sank two free throws to not only ice the game for the Catamounts, but helped the Cats shoot a season-high 80-percent from the free throw line.

These 16-of-20 shots made from the charity stripe were the difference in the game and gave the Catamounts their first Cancun Challenge victory.

Four Cats scored in double figures, Tankelewicz finished with 17 points and five assists, and junior post Tawaski King added 19 points. Trey Sumler hit 17 points with six assists and four steals, followed by Brandon Boggs with 11 points and three steals.

The Catamounts were able to convert 19 Howard turnovers into 26 points, while the Bison were able to only convert 17 points off Catamount turnovers.

Up next, Furman in Greenville, SC.

The Cats only get one shot at the Paladins this year, so this will be a big game.  This game, along with Elon at Georgia Southern, not only kick off conference play, but kicks off the battle of the north vs. the south in the SoCon.

Cats play Howard in Cancun Challenge

The Catamounts have one final opportunity to pick up a win in the Cancun Challenge.  WCU will play the Howard University Bison, who have an equally poor 0-3 tournament record, and are 0-4 for the season.  Game time is at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012.

The Bison, of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), has dropped games to Iowa, Wichita State, and Gardner-Webb, all in the Triple Crown Cancun Challenge, while the Cats were dropping games to Wichita State, Western Kentucky, and Austin Peay in the same tournament.   Howard also lost it's season opener to Division II Lincoln University.

The Bison, have been plagued by injuries, and in the game against Gardner-Webb, played their second game without the services of senior guard and team leader Calvin Thompson and reserve center Oliver Ellison and reserve guard/forward Tre Lee.

One of these two teams will leave Mexico with their first tournament game win, as well as, first Division I win of the season.   Ordinary I'd say it would be the Cats, but they continue to find new ways to lose games, even those they should win.

Cats lose again in the Cancun Challenge

The Catamounts dominated the first half of the game over Austin Peay, taking a 12 point advantage into the locker room at halftime.  However, two entirely different teams returned to the court after the break.

The Governors, led by the hot shooting of Travis Betran (22 points) and Anthony Campbell (21 points), out scored the Cats 41-29 in the second half, and escaped with a 1 point win over the Catamounts.

The Cats made a run with 3 minutes remaining in the game, and the Governors leading 70-62.  Outscoring the Governors 9-2, the Cats had an opportunity to tie the game with 2 seconds remaining, but Sinclair's three point jumper bounced off the rim, and the Cats had to settle for 2 points on King's rebound and layup, with no foul called.

One telling statistic, the Cats were only 3 of 8 in free throws made.  While Austin Peay was 11 of 16 at the line.  Better free throw shooting by Austin Peay, and twice the opportunities, sealed the Cats fate in this game.

If Howard loses today against Gardner-Webb in the second game in Cancun, as expected, the only two teams without a Cancun Challenge win (both 0-3) will face each other. But, it's even better, one of the two teams in the tournament that don't have a D-1 will pick up that first D1 win on Wednesday afternoon.

Howard will be 0-4, and the Cats are 0-4 (against DI teams) if these two team face each other.  

Scanning the SoCon - Week Three

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. At least four will answer a series of questions on their team and around the SoCon. 




THE CONTRIBUTORS 
Appalachian State - Yosef's Cabin - T-Dog
Chattanooga - Mocs Mania - JohnMoc
College of Charleston- King Kresse - CougarSurf11
Davidson- Davidson Cats Message Board - David Sink
Elon- Elon Pendulum Student Newspaper- Zachary Horner
Furman- The UFFP Message Board- Hawg
Georgia Southern- GSU Fans Message Board - half-n-half
Samford- Samford Bulldogs Message Board - AP
The Citadel- The Sports Arsenal - Sandlapper Spike
UNC-Greensboro- UNCG Basketball Fan - DashSpartan
Western Carolina- Purple & Gold - Jerry Love
Wofford- Terrier Fans Message Board - Cody Cooper

POWER RANKINGS
1) Davidson 144 (12)
2) College of Charleston 120
3) Elon 117
4) Wofford 95
5) UNCG 90
6) Chattanooga 88
7t) Georgia Southern 59
7t) The Citadel 59
7t) Western Carolina 59
10) Samford 48
11) Furman 37
12) Appalachian State 20

GAME OF THE WEEK
Davidson vs. Vanderbilt in Orlando (6) 
Others receiving votes: Elon-South Carolina (3), Virginia Tech-UNCG (2), Toledo-Samford (1)

QUESTIONS 
1) Sum up your team since the last time you wrote.

To read the entire article and see the answers to this week's questions, visit MocsMania

Cancun Challenge - Austin Peay

Just as Western Kentucky had their way with the Catamounts Saturday night, DePaul rolled past Austin Peay State University, 98-67, Saturday afternoon in second-round action of the Triple Crown Cancun Challenge, played at Allstate Arena in Rosemount, Ill.

The Catamounts will now face Austin Peay Governors at 1:30 pm ET at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico on Tuesday, Nov. 20 in the third round of games in the Cancun Challenge.

The Governors were picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference's newly-formed West Division, trailing defending champion league champ Murray State and Southeast Missouri.

Coming off a 12-20 season, the Governors had to replace four starters from last season's team.  Guards Jerome Clyburn (6.3 ppg) and Herdie Lawrence (3.7 ppg), who shared the point guard duties last year will return, as will forward Will Triggs, who averaged 6.2 ppg and 3.9 rpg.

Forward Anthony Campbell returns, but is coming back from a second ACL tear operation in two years. Campbell only played in 10 games in each of the last two seasons before suffering knee injuries, but hopes to end his career on a strong note this season.  The Governors added a talented scorer in junior college transfer Travis Betran (guard) in the off season.

APSU is currently 1-2 on the season, with a season opening home win over Samford (75-64) and two losses in the Cancun Challenge.  The Governors lost to WKU (74-54) in the first round, and to the DePaul Blue Demons (98-67).

Dave Loos serves as the head basketball coach, as well as the athletics director. Loos is the dean of Ohio Valley Conference basketball coaches, also is the longest-serving athletics director at his university-he currently is in his 14th year.

Hilltoppers Roll in Cancun Challenge

Photo by J S Robinson WKU AMR

Trey Sumler hit a season-high 25 points for Western Carolina, but Western Kentucky's T.J. Price and Jamal Crook each posted career highs of 26 points to lead the Hilltoppers past Western Carolina 92-81 Saturday night at the E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Catamounts nearly matched the field goals of the Hilltoppers, making 26 shots from the field against 28 by the Hilltoppers. The difference in the game was WKU shot 51-percent from the floor to 45-percent for the Cats (including a meager 5-for-21 showing from beyond the 3-point line).

WCU (1-3) completes the mainland portion of the 2012 Cancun Challenge with two losses and travels to the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico, for two games in tournament play on Tuesday, Nov. 20 and Wednesday, Nov. 21.

The Catamounts face Austin Peay at 1:30 pm ET on Tuesday afternoon. If the Catamounts win on Tuesday, they face the winner of the Gardner-Webb/Howard game at 4:00 pm on Wednesday. If the Cats lose on Tuesday they play in the 1:30 pm game on Wednesday against the loser of the Gardner-Webb/Howard game.

Cancun Challenge continues at WKU

Western Carolina will meet Western Kentucky on the basketball court for the first time in 27 years in the second game of the 2012 Cancun Challenge at the E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The Catamounts and Hilltoppers have met twice before on the basketball court, with WKU holding a 2-0 advantage in the series.

Stretching back to last season, the Hilltoppers have won six straight at home, but dropped a road game to Southern Mississippi (64-67 in OT) back on November 10.  Last Tuesday, WKU picked up a 20 point win over Austin Peay in their first Cancun Challenge game, which uppws their overall record to 1-1 on the season.

Ray Harper is in his second season as head coach at WKU, having gone 16-19 last season with the Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers were selected to finish third in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference this season, behind Middle Tennessee and South Alabama. WKU returns four starters from last year’s squad, and returns six of its top seven scorers from 2011-12 team..

Senior Jamal Crook is the leading scorer for WKU, averaging 16.5 points per game, with sophomore George Fant putting up 13 points per game, and  leading the team in rebounding in nine of the last 16 games.   Sophmore guard T.J. Price has hit multiple three-pointers in 11 of the last 15 games.

There is no television for Saturday's game, and live stats, live video and live audio are available on WKUSports.com.