Feb. 11, 2002

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Jeff Bolton tied a career high with 30 points, while Mike Benton registered a double-double, to lead College of Charleston to an 81-64 victory over Western Carolina Monday night at the Ramsey Activity Center.

Bolton hit 9-of-21 shots from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and drained 7-of-8 free throws. He also added seven rebounds, playing all 40 minutes. Benton, a 6-9 sophomore, also had a career night in both points (16) and rebounds (13), while adding five blocked shots. He had seven offensive rebounds as the Cougars (18-6 overall and 8-5 Southern Conference) out-rebounded the Catamounts (11-13, 5-8 SoCon) 42-35.

Western played well in the first 15 minutes of the game, but trailed by as many as nine (30-21) with 5:08 left before halftime. Three baskets by the Cats in the paint, including a conventional 3-point play, and a 3-pointer by Casey Rogers put Western up 31-30 with just under three minutes in the first half. Western looked prime to carry some momentum into the locker room, leading by five (35-30) with 1:35 left, but a Bolton trey and a Benton layup knotted the game at 35 at intermission.

Western shot an impressive 48 percent in the first 20 minutes, while holding the Cougars to just 39.4 percent shooting. However, Charleston only committed four turnovers, compared to seven by WCU, and connected on 7-of-17 from long range, compared to just 4-of-9 from the Cats.

The Catamounts scored first in the second half only to have College of Charleston open a 12-point lead (57-45) eight minutes into the period. The Cougars began to use their size, scoring 14 points in the paint, while Bolton added a pair of 3-pointers. The Catamounts kept their deficit around the 10-point mark, trimming the CofC lead to nine (64-55) with 6:20 to go after a pair of Willie Freeman free throws. However, that was as close as Western would get the remainder of the contest as it was held scoreless for a four-minute span. The Cougars made 9-of-10 free throws inside the final 1:30 to seal the outcome.

College of Charleston only committed two turnovers in the second half and shot nearly 50 percent from the field, while WCU only connected on 28.1 percent of its shots in the second period.

Junior guard Troy Wheless joined Bolton and Benton in double figures, scoring 14. College of Charleston, who entered the game minus injured players Shannon Chambers and Rudy Rothseiden, suffered another setback as Leighton Bowie only played six minutes before sitting out the rest of the game with an injury.

Western Carolina was led by freshman Kevin Martin's 18 points. The Zanesville, Ohio, native added a career-high four blocked shots. On "Senior Night" at the RAC, senior Kelvin Wylie added 12 points, while fellow senior Cory Largent pulled down 11 rebounds. Other seniors playing in their final home game included Casey Rogers and Willie Freeman.

Western Carolina will return to action on Saturday (Feb. 16) with a 4:00 pm contest at East Tennessee State.