Sunday's SoCon Basketball results

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Only two of the scheduled five games were played on Saturday due to the winter storm Jonas, The Mercer/Western Carolina & the Samford/UNCG games were played Sunday, here's the recaps.


Mercer at Western Carolina
Western Carolina's Mike Brown scored 25 points, including seven in the second overtime, to lead the Catamounts to a 86-80 double overtime win over Mercer on Sunday. Western Carolina led by 10 with 1:16 remaining in regulation but Jestin Lewis, with 27 points, scored nine points for Mercer including a four-point play to tie with 35 seconds left. The victory made it the Cats third straight over the Bears.

Samford at UNCG
The Spartans Marvin Smith scored 20 points as UNCG rallied on a late run to beat Samford 86-78 on Sunday. Kayel Locke scored 17 points, R.J. White added 15 and the Spartans shot 10 of 24 from beyond the arc. Wyatt Walker scored 17 points for Samford, as Jamal Shabazz and Christen Cunningham added 15 apiece.


Current Standings

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	6 - 1	17 - 3
ETSU	6 - 1	13 - 7
Mercer	4 - 3	14 - 6
Furman	4 - 3	10 - 10
Wofford	4 - 3	8 - 12
Western Carolina	3 - 4	8 - 12
UNCG	3 - 4	7 - 13
The Citadel	2 - 5	9 - 11
Samford	2 - 6	11 - 10
VMI	1 - 5	6 - 11

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WCU Player of the Game (Mercer)

The Purple & Gold "Player of the Game" for Sunday's Mercer basketball game is senior Mike Brown.

Mike Brown led the Catamounts in scoring with 25 points, including seven in the second overtime. Brown hit 5 of 15 field goals, going 3 of 6 from three point range and hit 13 of 14 from the charity stripe. Brown also pulled down 5 rebounds, 4 defensive and 1 offensive, had 5 assists, 1 blocked shot and 1 steal.

Rhett Harrelson added 22 points, Elijah Pughsley 16 and Justin Browning had a double/double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Purple & Gold Congratulates Mike on his selection of Player of the Game.





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Cats Down Mercer 86 to 80 in 2OT

Courtesy CatamountSports.com              

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Cats win - WCU 86 - MU 80

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The Road to Asheville (Jan 24, 2016)

Today we have two games that were originally scheduled for Saturday, and were postponed due to winter
storm Jonas.


Mercer (14-5, 4-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (7-12, 2-4 SoCon)  1 pm  SDN
Mercer travels to Western Carolina after a disappointing loss at the hands of ETSU, while The Catamounts enter the game in a three game losing streak. The Bears are 2-5 on the road this season, while the Cats are 7-2 in games inside the Ramsey Center. I'll go against the odds and predict a two point win for the Cats.


Samford (11-9, 2-5 SoCon) at UNCG (6-13, 2-4 SoCon)  1 pm  SDN
Samford travels to Greensboro to meet the Spartans in the Greensboro Coliseum, The Bulldogs are 4-7 in road games this season, while the Spartans are 6-3 on their home court. The Bulldogs are coming off a big upset by VMI, while the Spartans are coming off a loss to league leader Chattanooga. This game will a toss up, but at home the Spartans win by 1 point.



That's how we see them, who do you think will win?

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Saturday's SoCon Basketball results

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Only two of the scheduled five games were played on Saturday due to the winter storm Jonas, The Mercer/Western Carolina & the Samford/UNCG games were moved to Sunday and no make-up date is yet set for the Chattanooga/VMI game.


The Citadel at ETSU
ETSU's Ge'Lawn Guyn and Isaac Banks scored 20 points apiece as ETSU beat The Citadel 101-92 in overtime on Saturday. Guyn's final bucket in regulation sent the game to overtime, The Bucs moved into a tie for first with Chattanooga. Quayson Williams scored a game high 32 points for the Bulldogs.

Wofford at Furman
The Paladins snapped a six-game losing streak against Wofford as Stephen Croone scored at the buzzer to lead Furman back from an eight-point deficit in the final 3 minutes to beat Wofford 63-62. Spencer Collins had 19 points for the Terriers,

Current Standings

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	6 - 1	17 - 3
ETSU	6 - 1	13 - 7
Mercer	4 - 2	14 - 5
Furman	4 - 3	10 - 10
Wofford	4 - 3	8 - 12
Western Carolina	2 - 4	7 - 12
UNCG	2 - 4	6 - 13
Samford	2 - 5	11 - 9
The Citadel	2 - 5	9 - 11
VMI	1 - 5	6 - 11

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All In with adidas

Director of Athletics, Randy Eaton announced that Western Carolina Catamount Athletics has entered into a multi-year agreement with adidas to become its official all-sports apparel provider beginning with the 2016-17 academic year.

The five-year partnership takes effect on July 1, 2016, and is the first exclusive all-sports apparel deal for Western Carolina Athletics’ 16 intercollegiate sport programs.


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Softball - Preseason All Conference

Congrats to Catamount softball's Taylor Sigmon and Courtney Price named to the College Sports Madness Southern Conference preseason second team.























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If it ended today....1-22-16 (The Road to Asheville)

If it ended today - Friday Jan. 22


The Southern Conference Basketball Tournament


- Friday, March 4  (2 games)

Session #1 - the play-in round

Game #1  Friday, March 4 @ 5 pm (ESPN3)
Seed #8 - UNCG (2-4)  vs.  Seed #9 - Samford (2-5)

Game #2  Friday, March 4 @ 7:30 pm (ESPN3)
Seed #7 - Western Carolina (2-4)  vs.  Seed #10 - VMI (1-5)



- Saturday, March 5  (4 games)

Session #2 - Quarter finals

Game #3  Saturday, March 5 @ 12 noon (ESPN3)
Winner of game #1  vs.  Seed #1 Chattanooga (6-1)

Game #4  Saturday, March 5 @ 2:30 pm (ESPN3)
Seed # 4 Wofford (4-2) vs.  Seed #5 Furman (3-3)


Session #3 - Quarter finals

Game #5  Saturday, March 5 @ 6 pm (ESPN3)
Winner of game #2  vs.  Seed #2  ETSU (5-1)

Game #6  Saturday, March 5 @ 8:30 pm (ESPN3)
Seed #3 Mercer (4-2)  vs.  Seed #6  The Citadel (2-4)

Men’s Tie-Breaking Formula

In the event of a tie for a particular seed, the seed will be determined as follows:

If one team has defeated the other team a greater number of times, that team shall be awarded the higher seeded position;

If each team has won the same number of games against each other, the higher position will be awarded to the team that has the best won-loss record against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie (example, Team A is 1-0 against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie and Team B is 1-1, Team A receives the higher seed);

If each team has the same won-loss percentage against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie, then the won-loss percentage against the next highest seeded team not involved in the tie would be considered and so on down the line until the tie is broken;

If the won-loss percentages are the same against all teams, then the tie would be broken by comparing each team’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) as published by RPIRatings.com after the completion of the regular season;

In the event of a three-way tie, the won-loss percentage of the tied teams against each other is first considered;

If the teams are still tied, the teams’ won-loss percentage against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie would be considered and so forth until the tie is broken;

If there is still a tie, then the tie would be broken by comparing each team’s RPI as published by RPIRatings.com after the completion of the regular season;

For multiple ties larger than a three-way tie, the same procedure will be applied as used to break a three-way tie;

For all multiple ties, the tie is broken by first deciding the highest seeded team involved in the tie before deciding other seeded positions.

For ties to determine the No. 1 seed from each division, the head to head records of the tied teams are first considered;

If each team has the same record against each other, the head to head records of the next highest seeded team in the division are considered, and so forth until the tie is broken;

If there is still a tie, then the tie would be broken by comparing each team’s won-loss percentage against the highest seeded team in the opposite division, and so forth until the tie is broken;
If there is still a tie, then the tie woul
d be broken by comparing each team’s RPI as published by RPIRatings.com after the completion of the regular season.

The Road to Asheville (Jan 23, 2016)

A full slate of conference games were scheduled for Saturday, but thanks to Winter Storm Jonas, that schedule is in a state of flux.

As of the time of this article, three games have been postponed, with the Mercer/Western Carolina game & the Samford/UNCG games were moved to Sunday, and the Furman/VMI game now scheduled for Monday.

As of now, the other two games remain scheduled for Saturday.


The Citadel (9-10, 2-4 SoCon) at ETSU  (12-7, 5-1 SoCon)   4 pm  (ESPN3)
The Citadel Bulldogs travel north to Johnson City, Tennessee to meet the ETSU Bucs in Freedom Hall. The Bulldogs are 3-6 in road games this season, while the Bucs are 8-1 in protecting the home court, with their only home loss coming at the hands of UNCW.  The Bucs are coming off a home win over Mercer and have won 7 of their last 8 games, while the Bulldogs are coming off a road win over Western Carolina and are on a two game winning streak. Look for that streak to end, as the Bucs once again defend the home court, with a 15 point victory.

Wofford (8-11, 4-2 SoCon) at Furman (9-10, 3-3 SoCon)  4 pm  (ESPN3)
The Terriers travel I-85 South to Greenville to meet the Furman Paladins in Timmons Arena on Saturday.  The Terriers are only 3-9 in road games, while the Paladins are a surprising 7-1 in games played in Timmons this season. Wofford is coming off a one point road loss to Mercer, and the Paladins are coming off a three point loss to the Citadel on the road. Look for the Paladins to continue to defend the home court, with a 10 point win over Wofford.


Current Standings 

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	6 - 1	17 - 3
ETSU	5 - 1	12 - 7
Mercer	4 - 2	14 - 5
Wofford	4 - 2	8 - 11
Furman	3 - 3	9 - 10
The Citadel	2 - 4	9 - 10
Western Carolina	2 - 4	7 - 12
UNCG	2 - 4	6 - 13
Samford	2 - 5	11 - 9
VMI	1 - 5	6 - 11

That's how we see them, who do you think will win?

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Thursday's SoCon Basketball results

Thursday, January 21, 2016  
   

Well, we mixed up things a little Thursday night with a couple of surprise wins, and the Keydets picked up their first conference victory.



Chattanooga at UNCG
Chattanooga's Eric Robertson scored 22 points as the Mocs overtook UNCG in the second half for a 73-60 victory in Greensboro. Chattanooga took their first lead of the game as a result of a 14-2 run to make it 50-46 with 8:53 to play. Chattanooga steadily pulled away down the stretch, hitting 51% of its shots from the field as the Mocs are now on their best start since the 1982-82 season. Francis Alonso led the Spartans with 19 points.
Attendance: 1,718  

Mercer at ETSU
The Bucs' Ge'Lawn Guyn connected with a jump shot with three seconds remaining in overtime to give ETSU a 65-63 victory over Mercer Thursday night. ETSU went on a 11-3 run to close regulation and force overtime. Phillip Leonard had 18 points and eight rebounds for Mercer.
Attendance: 3,003

Samford at VMI
The Keydets' QJ Peterson hit 34 points to lead VMI to a 83-76 victory over Samford for their first conference win of the season. Samford pulled to 77-76 with 1:03 left, but Julian Eleby answered for VMI with a layup and then hit two free throws with 13 seconds remaining for an 81-76 lead. The Keydets made 13 of 31 from 3-pointers in the game. Darius Jones-Gibson led Samford with 17 points.
Attendance: 1,189

The Citadel at Western Carolina
The Bulldog's P.J. Boutte hit two free throws with one second remaining to lift The Citadel over Western Carolina 92-91. Western Carolina had the lead, 89-82 with 2:57 remaining. The Bulldogs then went on a 6-0 run, before Justin Browning made two free throws, setting the score at 91-88 with 25 seconds left. Boutte then made a layup making it 91-90, then WCU freshman Elijah Pughsley missed two free throws with eight seconds left, Boutte  then made two from the charity stripe for the win. Pughsley had a season high  26 points to lead Western Carolina.
Attendance: 1,638


Current Standings

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	6 - 1	17 - 3
ETSU	5 - 1	12 - 7
Mercer	4 - 2	14 - 5
Wofford	4 - 2	8 - 11
Furman	3 - 3	9 - 10
The Citadel	2 - 4	9 - 10
Western Carolina	2 - 4	7 - 12
UNCG	2 - 4	6 - 13
Samford	2 - 5	11 - 9
VMI	1 - 5	6 - 11

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Men's Basketball Drops Thriller to The Citadel 92 to 91

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WCU Player of the Game (The Citadel)

The Purple & Gold "Player of the Game" for Thursday's The Citadel basketball game is true freshman Elijah Pughsley.

Pughsley came off the bench to score a season high seven 3-pointers and led all scorers with 26 points. He hit 8 of 18 field goals. including 7 of 16 from beyond the three-point arc. Pughsley also made three points from the free-throw line, had one rebound, made three assists and pulled down two steals.


Purple & Gold congratulates Elijah Pughsley on his selection as Player of the Game.




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If it ended today....1-21-16 (The Road to Asheville)

If it ended today - Thursday Jan. 21  (before Thursday's games)

The Southern Conference Basketball Tournament

Friday, March 4  (2 games)

Session #1 - Play-in round
Game #1  Friday, March 4 @ 5 pm (ESPN3)
Seed #8 - Samford (2-4)  vs.  Seed #9 - The Citadel (1-4)

Game #2  Friday, March 4 @ 7:30 pm (ESPN3)
Seed #7 - UNCG (2-3)  vs.  Seed #10 - VMI (0-5)



 Saturday, March 5  (4 games)

Session #2 - Quarter final
Game #3  Saturday, March 5 @ 12 noon (ESPN3)
Winner of game #1  vs.  Seed #1 Chattanooga

Game #4  Saturday, March 5 @ 2:30 pm (ESPN3)
Seed # 4 Wofford  vs.  Seed #5 Furman


Session #3 - Quarter final
Game #5  Saturday, March 5 @ 6 pm (ESPN3)
Winner of game #2  vs.  Seed #2  ETSU

Game #6  Saturday, March 5 @ 8:30 pm (ESPN3)
Seed #3 Mercer  vs.  Seed #6  Western Carolina




Current  Standings  

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	5 - 1	16 - 3
Mercer	4 - 1	14 - 4
ETSU	4 - 1	11 - 7
Wofford	4 - 2	8 - 11
Furman	3 - 3	9 - 10
Western Carolina	2 - 3	7 - 11
UNCG	2 - 3	6 - 12
Samford	2 - 4	11 - 8
The Citadel	1 - 4	8 - 10
VMI	0 - 5	5 - 11

Men’s Tie-Breaking Formula

In the event of a tie for a particular seed, the seed will be determined as follows:

If one team has defeated the other team a greater number of times, that team shall be awarded the higher seeded position;

If each team has won the same number of games against each other, the higher position will be awarded to the team that has the best won-loss record against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie (example, Team A is 1-0 against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie and Team B is 1-1, Team A receives the higher seed);

If each team has the same won-loss percentage against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie, then the won-loss percentage against the next highest seeded team not involved in the tie would be considered and so on down the line until the tie is broken;

If the won-loss percentages are the same against all teams, then the tie would be broken by comparing each team’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) as published by RPIRatings.com after the completion of the regular season;

In the event of a three-way tie, the won-loss percentage of the tied teams against each other is first considered;

If the teams are still tied, the teams’ won-loss percentage against the highest seeded team not involved in the tie would be considered and so forth until the tie is broken;

If there is still a tie, then the tie would be broken by comparing each team’s RPI as published by RPIRatings.com after the completion of the regular season;

For multiple ties larger than a three-way tie, the same procedure will be applied as used to break a three-way tie;

For all multiple ties, the tie is broken by first deciding the highest seeded team involved in the tie before deciding other seeded positions.

For ties to determine the No. 1 seed from each division, the head to head records of the tied teams are first considered;

If each team has the same record against each other, the head to head records of the next highest seeded team in the division are considered, and so forth until the tie is broken;

If there is still a tie, then the tie would be broken by comparing each team’s won-loss percentage against the highest seeded team in the opposite division, and so forth until the tie is broken;
If there is still a tie, then the tie woul
d be broken by comparing each team’s RPI as published by RPIRatings.com after the completion of the regular season.

The Road to Asheville (Jan 21, 2016)

Four conference games are on tap for Thursday evening, with some very interesting match-ups. Both Furman and Wofford have the night off.




Mercer (14-4, 4-1 Southern) at ETSU (11-7, 4-1 Southern)  7 pm   ESPN3
The two teams currently tied for second place in the SoCon meet in Johnson City as the Bears meet the Bucs in Freedom Hall.  The Bears are 3-4 on the road this season, while the Bucs are 7-1 defending the home court. Mercer brings a 3 game winning streak to the contest, while ETSU is coming off a 10 point loss to Chattanooga.  The Bucs bounce back and win by 5 points.

Samford (11-8, 2-4 Southern)  at  VMI (5-11, 0-5 Southern)  7 pm  ESPN3
The Samford Bulldogs visit Lexington, Va. on Thursday night, to meet the VMI Keydets. The Bulldogs are 4-6 on the road this season, while the Keydets are 4-2 in Cameron Hall. The Bulldogs are coming off a home win over Western Carolina, while the Keydets are in a five game losing streak. The Bulldogs take a 6 point win over the Keydets.

Chattanooga (16-3, 5-1 Southern)  at  UNCG (6-12, 2-3 Southern)  7 pm  ESPN3
League leading Chattanooga travels to Greensboro to the the UNCG Spartans on Thursday. The Mocs are 5-3 in road games this season, while the Spartans are 3-2 in home games.  Chattanooga has won three in a row, and 10 of their last 11 games, while the Spartans are coming off a win over VMI. The Mocs win by 10 points.

The Citadel (8-10, 1-4 Southern)  at  Western Carolina (7-11, 2-3 Southern)  7:30 pm  SDN
The Bulldogs travel to Cullowhee to meet the Catamounts in the Ramsey Center. The Citadel is 2-6 in road games this season, while the Cats are 7-1 in games played in the Ramsey Center. The Bulldogs are coming off a home win over Furman, while the Catamounts have lost two straight on the road. The Cats win by 10 over the  Bulldogs.


Current Standings 

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
Chattanooga	5 - 1	16 - 3
Mercer	4 - 1	14 - 4
ETSU	4 - 1	11 - 7
Wofford	4 - 2	8 - 11
Furman	3 - 3	9 - 10
Western Carolina	2 - 3	7 - 11
UNCG	2 - 3	6 - 12
Samford	2 - 4	11 - 8
The Citadel	1 - 4	8 - 10
VMI	0 - 5	5 - 11

That's how we see them, who do you think will win?

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Catamount Football

Women's Basketball preview

Courtesy CatamountSports.com               

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The Road to Asheville (Jan 14, 2016)

As was the case on Monday, we have four conference match ups scheduled for Thursday evening. VMI and UNCG have the night off.

Wofford (6-10, 3-1 Socon) at The Citadel (7-9, 0-3 SoCon)  6 pm  ESPN3
The Wofford Terriers travel to the South Carolina low country to meet The Citadel in the first of four conference games to be played Thursday evening. The Terriers are currently 3-1 in conference play, while the Bulldogs are 0-3 in conference games. The Terriers are 2-8 on the road, while the Bulldogs are 3-3 in Charleston. This Thursday, the Bulldogs get that first win, as they see a 5 point victory over the Terriers.

Western Carolina (7-9, 2-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga (4-3, 3-1)  7 pm  SDN
Western Carolina travels to one of the most difficult arenas in the SoCon for the Cats to win, McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, TN. This season, Western is 0-8 on the road, while the Mocs are perfect at home, 6-0. The preseason favorite Mocs are 14-3 overall, and have a lone lose to Furman in conference play. While the Cats also have a lone conference loss (ETSU), the Cats still need two wins on the season to reach .500.  While I hope for an upset, I see a 10 point loss for the Cats.

Furman (9-8, 3-1 SoCon) at Mercer (12-4, 2-1 SoCon)  7 pm  ESPN3
The Paladins travel to middle Georgia on Thursday to meet the Mercer Bears. The Bears are perfect at home this season (6-0), while the Palading have had their problems on the road and are only 1-8 away from Timmons. Both teams have only one conference loss, Mercer to preseason favorite C
hattanooga, and Furman to UNCG, with the wild card - the Paladins beat Chattanooga. The Bears remain unbeaten at  home, with a 12 point win over the Paladins.

ETSU (10-6, 3-0 SoCon)  at  Samford (10-7, 1-3 SoCon)  8 pm   ESPN3
League leading ETSU travels to Birmingham on Thursday. The only undefeated team in conference play, the Bucs are only 3-5 in road games, while the Bulldogs are 4-1 this season in protecting the home court. While the Bulldogs are coming off two road conference losses, look for a 5 point win by the Bulldogs.

Current Standings (1-13-16)

Basketball (M)	Conference	Overall
ETSU	3 - 0	10 - 6
Chattanooga	3 - 1	14 - 3
Furman	3 - 1	9 - 8
Wofford	3 - 1	6 - 10
Mercer	2 - 1	12 - 4
Western Carolina	2 - 1	7 - 9
Samford	1 - 3	10 - 7
UNCG	1 - 3	5 - 12
The Citadel	0 - 3	7 - 9
VMI	0 - 4	5 - 10

That's how we see them, who do you think will win?

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