Jan. 19, 2002

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina used a 12-2 run late in the first half to spur an 87-77 victory over UNC Greensboro Saturday night in men's basketball action at the Ramsey Activity Center.

Western's run gave the Cats a 35-21 lead with 3:40 left in the first half. WCU would take an 18-point lead at the break (43-25) and make the first basket of the second half for its largest of the game (45-25).

UNCG scored the first points of the game only to have Western score the next four to take a 6-2 lead. The Spartans would cut the lead to one on several occasions, but Western did not surrender the advantage the rest of the night.

The Catamounts (10-7, 4-2 SoCon) held a double-digit lead midway through the second half until Spartan sophomore Jay Joseph drained a 3-pointer with 10:47 left to make the score 59-52. WCU freshman Kevin Martin immediately answered with a 3-pointer of his own and Western eventually would race back out to a 15-point cushion (67-52).

UNC Greensboro (11-6, 4-2 SoCon) worked its deficit back down to seven (76-69) with 3:28. However, Martin once again answered with a 3-pointer to make the score 79-69. The Spartans cut the lead to nine twice inside the final minute but could get no closer.

Martin paced the Catamounts with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Zanesville, Ohio, native had his free throw streak snapped at 42, making his first three of the night, to establish a school record. He finished 7-of-10 at the line, adding four steals and three assists.

WCU Senior Casey Rogers played perhaps his best game of the season. He scored a season-high 11 points, making 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and had six assists. Fellow seniors Kelvin Wylie, Willie Freeman and Cory Largent contributed 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Spartans were led by point guard Courtney Eldridge. The senior all-conference performer scored 25 points and added four steals. David Schuck also reached double figures for UNCG. He scored 18 points and had nine rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

Western, the league's top shooting team, improved on its average, shooting 58.8 percent from the field. The Spartans, who rank second in the league in shooting, shot 46.6 percent and out-rebounded the Catamounts, 30-27. However, Western had 17 assists and 11 steals, while UNCG only had six assists with 16 turnovers. While both teams made nearly the same amount of 3-pointers - eight for WCU and seven for UNCG - Western shot 66.7 percent (8-of-12) beyond the arc compared to just 29.2 percent (7-of-24) for the Spartans.

Western Carolina will return to action Monday night (Jan. 21) with a road game at preseason SoCon South favorite Georgia Southern. Game time in Statesboro is set for 7:30 pm.