Jan. 13, 2001

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina University battled tooth and nail but East Tennessee State used its superior depth and size in the closing minutes of the contest in handing the Catamounts a 62-55 loss Saturday night in the Ramsey Center.

Ricky Gandy and Casey Rogers sparked the Catamounts by scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the second half to keep Western Carolina within striking distance.

East Tennessee State built a 10-point lead, 50-40, with 7:35 left in the game and appeared to be in the driver's seat. However, the momentum swung WCU's way when Gandy scored nine straight points for the Catamounts and Rogers drained a key 3-pointer to cut the ETSU lead to three, 55-52, with 4:02 remaining.

After ETSU's D.J. McDuffie made a pair of free throws at the 3:00 mark, the Buccaneers extended their lead to 55-52. ETSU was only 3-of-8 from the line down the stretch but were able to hold on to the victory by holding WCU scoreless until Gandy drained a 3-pointer with seven seconds left.

During the scoreless stretch, ETSU only allowed the Catamounts one scoring attempt per offensive possession by dominating the defensive glass. The Bucs grabbed 25 defensive boards, while WCU only had 10 offensive rebounds. The theme was a familiar one as the Bucs held a 46-31 rebound advantage overall and made up for their poor shooting (35.1 percent from the field) by pulling down an impressive 21 offensive rebounds.

Western Carolina was additionally saddled with foul trouble as power forward Willie Freeman and center Rans Brempong each fouled out. The Bucs would take a total of 31 free throws in the contest, making 19, while WCU was only 10-of-16 from the charity stripe.

Freeman led the Catamount attack with a career-high 17 points and nine boards. However, 15 of his 17 points, and seven of his nine boards came in the first half of play. Gandy and Rogers both added 15 in the losing effort. Rogers also dished out five assists and came away with four steals in 38 minutes of action.

McDuffie and Dimeco Childress led ETSU with 15 points each. Guard Cliff Decoster was the only other Buccaneer to reach double figures, scoring 11. On the boards for ETSU, Renaldo Johnson and Ryan Carson each came away with nine rebounds.

Western Carolina jumped out to the early 9-2 lead before the Bucs got back into things. ETSU's D.J. McDuffie, who scored 14 points off the bench, made a free throw at the 4:05 mark of the first half to give his team the lead, one they would not relinquish.