Cullowhee, N.C. – Chromatic rivals clash on national television on Wednesday night as Western Carolina hosts the Furman Paladins in Southern Conference men’s basketball action on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Tip-off of WCU’s final regular-season home game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
WCU looks to “Paint it Purple” on Wednesday with all fans encouraged to wear their Catamount purple to the game as the squad will wear its purple Nike uniforms. The first 300 WCU students will receive a free replica purple WCU jersey, courtesy of The Everson. Also on Wednesday, family and friends of the late Henry Logan will be on hand for a special ceremony that includes the concourse display feature honoring the trailblazing and all-time greatest Catamounts.
For tickets to WCU’s home games, visit CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
Wednesday’s nationally televised basketball game can be seen on ESPNU and through the WatchESPN app. It will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also listen to the game locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com) in Sylva and 103.7 FM WPVM in Asheville (wpvmfm.org).
The SoCon’s fifth-place Catamounts host the fourth-place Paladins to conclude the regular season home-and-home in a potential preview of Saturday’s quarterfinal round matchup in the 2024 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. The game also pits the SoCon’s second-ranked scoring offense – Furman at 79.8 points per game – visiting the league’s top-rated scoring defense as WCU has limited foes to 68.2 points against coming on the second-lowest opponent field goal percentage at 40.9 percent per contest.
The Catamounts look for their 12th victory on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center which would tie for the second-most home wins in a single season, matching the exploits of the 2015-16 squad.
Western Carolina (20-9, 9-7 SoCon) eclipsed the benchmark 20-win plateau for the 11th time in school history – and for just the second time in the program’s NCAA Division I era – at VMI last Saturday. Five Catamounts scored in double figures with seniors Russell Jones Jr. and Tre Jackson going for a team-best 15 apiece. At the same time, classmate Vonterius Woolbright collected his 23rd double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds as WCU cruised to the 84-51 win over the Keydets. A fourth senior in graduate transfer Kamar Roberston (11) and sophomore DJ Campbell (14) also reached double digits, while redshirt freshman Corneilous Williams boarded a career-high nine.
In addition to the balanced offense, the SoCon’s best-scoring defensive team was in full effect in Lexington, Va. The Catamounts limited the Keydets to just 51 points on just 27.1 percent shooting including just 21 percent in the opening 20 minutes and a combined 4-of-21 (19%) from beyond the arc for the game.
Woolbright – who was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy and All-America Watch List on Tuesday – continues to lead the SoCon with a double-double average of 21.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players in the nation currently averaging at least 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game, joined by Dillon Jones of Weber State (20.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5.1 apg).
Woolbright is joined by four Catamount teammates averaging double digits, flanked by Jackson (13.4 ppg, 16th), Jones Jr. (12.4 ppg, 20th), and Campbell (12.0 ppt, 21st). Jackson and Jones Jr. rank second and seventh, respectively, with averages of 3.0 and 2.6 3-pointers per game, flipping in the order with Jones Jr. (41.1%) fifth and Jackson (36.4%) now 13th in 3-point field goal percentage.
Furman (16-13, 10-6 SoCon) comes to Cullowhee having most recently avenged an early-season loss to Upstate rival Wofford with a 82-67 home win over the Terriers last Saturday in Greenville. The Paladins have won four of their last five with the lone defeat coming on a last-second bucket by Jermaine Marshall of league-leading Samford in Birmingham in the midweek last week.
Three Paladins are averaging double-digit scoring with a fourth just on the cusp. Marcus Foster paces Furman with an 18.0 point per game average – third in the SoCon – with JP Pegues ranked fifth with an average of 17.3 points per outing. Alex Williams, who like this week’s award winner Pegues has claimed weekly plaudits from the SoCon this season, is 15th with a 14.3-point scoring average.
All told, seven of the SoCon’s Top 25 scorers will take to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Wednesday. WCU has four of the leaders with the aforementioned double-digit scorers, while Furman boasts three headlined by Hien
The two purple-clad programs played an instant classic earlier this season in Greenville, S.C., won by Furman, 65-62, back on Jan. 20. WCU’s DJ Campbell nailed a game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds to knot the game only to be one-upped by Furman’s Pegues who sank a contested triple from the top of the key to lift the Paladins to the win.
Wednesday marks the 86th all-time series meeting between the two purple-clad programs with WCU trailing, 30-55. The Paladins won earlier this season in Greenville and took two of the three meetings a season ago including an overtime thriller in the conference tournament as WCU stormed back from a 20-point second-half deficit. All told, Furman has won 16 of the last 17 with WCU's 79-67 win in Cullowhee last season representing the lone victory for the Catamounts since 2017.
WCU has won 21 of the 38 (21-17) all-time series meetings played in Cullowhee, snapping a six-game home slide in the series last season with the 79-67 victory as the Catamounts outscored the Paladins 41-26 in the second half on Ingles Court.
Following Wednesday’s home finale, the Catamounts conclude the regular season on Saturday with a road trip to Chattanooga to face the Mocs at The McKenzie Arena. Tip-off from the “Round House” is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
The 2024 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships loom on the horizon with the women’s and men’s tournament scheduled for March 7-11 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville. WCU’s women will play on Thursday with the men’s squad locked into a Saturday game. Single-session tickets and tournament books for every game are available for purchase through the Catamount Athletics ticket office located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
Comments