Jan. 21, 2003

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - After missing his first free throw attempt, Western Carolina junior center Rans Brempong sank his second one with four-tenths of a second left in the game to lift the Catamounts to a 70-69 win over Appalachian State in Southern Conference action Tuesday night at the Ramsey Activity Center.

Brempong capped a flurry of activity inside the final 30 seconds for the Catamounts. After Appalachian State's Jonathan Mitchell made 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 69-69 with 1:06 left, WCU junior Emre Atsur missed a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left. Catamount senior Kori Hatcher picked up the rebound and missed a 3-pointer with four seconds left. Freshman Jared Outing came up with the rebound and the ball found its way into Brempong's hands, which led to a foul and the game-winning free throw. Terrence Woodyard deflected App State's ensuing inbounds pass to run out the clock.

The win snapped a four game losing streak for Western Carolina, who improves to 5-11 overall and 2-3 in the SoCon, and snapped a seven-game winning streak for Appalachian State (11-4, 4-1 SoCon). It was also Western's first win over Appalachian State in Cullowhee in six tries, dating back to Feb. 26, 1996.

With the Mountaineers leading by three, 68-65, with 5:13 to play, the Catamounts held App State to just one point over its final six possessions for the win. Brempong cut Western's deficit to one, 68-67, with 3:56 to play and the Cats' took a one-point lead, 69-68, on an Outing layup. Mithcell then hit his free throw to tie the game, setting up the final exchange.

The teams played to a 36-36 tie through the first 20 minutes. Both teams shot 47 percent from the field in the period, but Western held a 25-15 advantage on the boards. The Catamounts ended the game with a decisive 50-32 rebound advantage and held the Mountaineers to just 33 percent shooting in the second half.

Coming into the game, high-scoring guards Kevin Martin (WCU) and Shawn Hall (ASU) looked to be the key matchup. However, Martin was held to nine points on 2-of-14 shooting (1-of-7 from 3-point range). The Zanesville, Ohio, native did dish out a career-high five assists and pulled down six rebounds. Hall did lead the Mountaineers in scoring 18 points, but the senior was just 6-of-24 from the field and 2-of-15 from 3-point range.

Hatcher led a well-rounded scoring ensemble for the Catamounts with 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 3-pointers. Atsur added 11 points, with four assists and four rebounds, while Corey Muirhead scored 10 on 5-of-5 shooting. Brempong and Outing each pulled down 12 rebounds, while scoring nine and eight points, respectively.

The Mountaineers put three others in double figures besides Hall. Josh Shehan contributed 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while Nate Carson and Chris McFarland scored 11 each. Shehan and Carson each added eight boards.

Western Carolina will return to action on Saturday (Jan. 25) as it hosts Georgia Southern. Tip-off is set for 7 pm at the RAC. Appalachian State will return to the road to face VMI on Friday (Jan. 24) at 7 pm.