Feb. 8, 2003

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina sophomore Kevin Martin scored 37 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead his Catamounts to a 75-63 victory over UNC Greensboro Saturday night at the Ramsey Activity Center. The win, combined with a 63-62 win over the Spartans on Jan. 27, marked the first time Western had swept an opponent during the regular season since taking two from VMI in 1999-2000.

Martin, who only needs three points to reach 1,000 for his two-year career, turned in perhaps his best overall game of the season, hitting 11-of-12 shots from the field and 12-of-13 at the free throw line. The Zanesville, Ohio, native's only miss was a 3-pointer with 12:29 left in the second half. However, WCU junior Rans Brempong picked up the offensive rebound and fed Martin at the top of the key. Then, Martin, who was 3-of-4 from 3-point range, immediately drained the 3-pointer to put Western up six.

Western Carolina (7-14, 4-6 SoCon) never trailed in the second half. UNC Greensboro (6-16, 2-8) did tie the game at 33 with 16:29 left, but from there on could get no closer than one point, 52-51, with 6:29 left. The Spartans kept it close, but could not get over the hump with the Catamounts. Down the stretch, Western got keys baskets from Emre Atsur and Alex Osipovitch. First, Martin found Atsur on a back-door cut to give WCU a five-point lead, 63-58, with 2:47. After UNCG senior James Maye hit trey, Martin found an open Osipovitch for a layup, making the score 65-61 with 2:01 left. Osipovitch put the Cats up six on their next possession thanks to an impressive pass from Kori Hatcher. Ray Bristow put back his own miss to cut the Spartans' deficit to four, 67-63, with 1:04 left, but Western scored eight unanswered points inside the final 30 seconds to seal the win.

The Catamounts took a 31-29 lead at the break. Although the Cats shot 61.1 percent from the field and held UNCG to 36.7 percent shooting, the Spartans held a 17-12 advantage on the boards, allowing Western just one offensive rebound in the first 20 minutes. Despite 11 first-half turnovers, the Catamounts were able to maintain the advantage thanks to Martin's 22 first-half points, hitting all eight shots he took from the field.

UNCG freshman Jay Bristow hit the first shot of the game to give his Spartans a 3-0 lead. Martin answered with a pair of layups and the Catamounts did not trail the remainder of the contest.

In addition to his 37 points (third-most of the season) and seven rebounds (second-most of the season), Martin handed out three assists with four steals and a blocked shot. Atsur also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, which additionally ranks as a career high for the junior. The Istanbul, Turkey, native finished with 12 points, his best versus a SoCon opponent, two assists and two steals. Osipovitch added nine points off the bench, while Rans Brempong blocked five shots.

Bristow led UNC Greensboro with 22 points, hitting 9-of-15 shots, with five assists and three steals. Maye added 11 points with five rebounds. The Spartans were led on the boards by Josh Gross, who grabbed six, while scoring eight.

Western Carolina will return to action on Monday (Feb. 10) at East Tennessee State. The game, which is set to start at 7:30 pm, will be the first of a three-game road swing for the Catamounts, wrapping up the trip at VMI (Feb. 15) and at College of Charleston (Feb. 17).