Feb. 24, 2003

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - After scoring a career-high 23 points in his last game, Western Carolina freshman Corey Muirhead was rewarded with his first career start Monday night. The York, Ontario, native responded with a 21-point, seven rebound effort as the Catamounts (9-17, 6-9 SoCon) handed Wofford (12-14, 7-8 SoCon) an 86-77 loss at the Ramsey Activity Center.

While Muirhead has come to life of late, it was the SoCon's top scorer -- Western's Kevin Martin -- who paced the Cats. The sophomore pumped in 25, making 8-of-19 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line with two assists and two steals. Martin, who is averaging 22.5 points per game, helped the Cats shoot 56 percent from the field in the second half by making 4-of-7 shots.

Also playing a key role in the Western's second-half success was junior Rans Brempong. The 6-8 center scored 12 of his 14 points and grabbed six of his game-high eight rebounds in the final 20 minutes.

Wofford's Lee Nixon led all scorers with 26, including 21 second-half points. He was 10-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. Adrien Borders added 16 points for the Terriers.

Muirhead scored the first basket of the game and Western raced out to a 12-2 lead over the first four minutes. Wofford settled down and would cut the WCU lead to one, 16-15, when Borders converted a four-point play, sinking a 3-pointer and free throw in one possession. WCU's Martin answered with a layup, but Wofford got a layup from Mike Lenzly and a dunk by Tyler Berg to take its first lead of the game, 19-18, with 10:01 left before the break. On WCU's next possession, Muirhead made a layup to once again give the Cats the lead, one they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

Western took a 41-35 lead at the break, holding an 18-14 advantage on the boards. Wofford actually shot better from the field (48 percent to 45.7), but only got one offensive rebound and had 12 turnovers to just six by Western.

Western started the second half with two free throws by Martin to go up eight, 43-35, but the Terriers worked its deficit down to just three, 45-42, with 17:30 left. The game remained tight over the next seven minutes with Wofford trailing by one, 58-57, with 9:45 left. However, Muirhead converted an old-fashion 3-point play to spur a 14-5 run, putting the Cats up 10 with 4:11 left. Western would lead by as many as 14, 81-67, with 1:37 remaining. Western made 3-of-4 from the free throw line inside the final 40 seconds to help seal the game before Borders hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left to provide the final margin.

The Catamounts shot an impressive 56 percent from the field in the second half. Despite shooting just 9-of-33 from 3-point range, Wofford managed to shoot 45 percent from the field overall. However, the Cats held a 36-31 rebound advantage and only allowed the Terriers to get eight offensive rebounds for the game. Western also drained 22-of-29 from the line, compared to just 10-of-11 for Wofford.

Western Carolina will conclude the 2003 regular season with a home game on Saturday (Mar. 1). The Cats will host Chattanooga at 7:00 pm, as WCU honors it lone senior -- Kori Hatcher.