Nov. 27, 2000

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina Catamount men's basketball team put three players into double-digit scoring to outlast the St. Mary's College Seahawks, 75-68 Monday night in the Ramsey Center.

The win was WCU's (1-4) first on the young season, and the first for head coach Steve Shurina.

"When I went in there (the locker room), the guys had their heads down a little bit, but I told them it was a 'W.' They (SMC) gave us all we could handle late in the game, but we did make the plays when we needed it and made the foul shots," said Shurina.

The Catamounts were led by Canadian freshman Rans Brempong, who finished with a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in double-double fashion. He also recorded a career-high five blocks.

Junior Cory Largent tallied 18 points, eight boards in the win, with Willie Freeman finishing with 15 points and equaled Largent's rebounds with eight. WCU received good guard play from junior Casey Rogers, who missed double-figure scoring by two with eight, dishing out six assists, and swiping three steals.

The Cats held a five-point, 29-24, halftime lead. They were able to run that lead to as many as 13 on two occasions - at 50-37 and again at 55-42. However, St. Mary's hung tough utilizing the three-point shot, finishing 39 percent from behind the arc.

SMC battled back, actually taking a one-point lead with a little over two-minutes remaining in the game. However, the Cats made eight of their ten free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Seahawks of St. Mary's (2-2) were led by senior Harvey Davis with 20, to lead all scorers. The only other Seahawk to post double-digit scoring was senior Brandon Jones with 14.

The Catamounts have four days to prepare to travel to Clemson, SC to face the Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM from Clemson. Fox SportSouth will televise the game.