Dec. 22, 2004

Final Stats

Charlleston, S.C. - The Citadel only made 12 of its 23 free throw attempts on the night, but made five of its last last seven to hold off Western Carolina for a 65-60 victory in the teams 2004-05 Southern Conference opener Tuesday night at McAlister Field House. The Bulldogs improve to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in the SoCon, while the Catamounts fall to 5-8, 0-1.

Citadel freshman forward Warren McLendon scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for his first career double-double. While clinging to a 56-52 lead with three minutes to play, McLendon scored six straight for the Bulldogs (a 3-pointer, a jumper and free throw) to seal the victory.

The Bulldogs took a seven-point 35-28 lead into the half and surged ahead 48-32 at the 15-minute mark of the second period, but the Catamounts clawed back to within four with 9:33 to play. Western Carolina used a 14-2 run and cold shooting from The Citadel, who went six minutes without a point, to close the gap to four, 50-46.

The two teams swapped buckets and free throws down the stretch with the Bulldogs holding a slim 62-60 lead with 28 seconds left on the clock. Dennis' squad iced the game thanks to two free throws from junior guard Kevin Hammack and sophomore forward Matt Davis, who hit the front end of a 1-and-1, to give The Citadel the five-point victory.

McLendon led all scores with a career-high 18, while his brother, Donny, added 15. Hammack netted 10.

The Catamounts got 16 points from freshman guard Antonio Russell and 12 from rookie Trey Hopkins. Rans Brempong, who also had three blocks, led WCU on the boards with eight rebounds. Brempong's three blocks against the Bulldogs leaves him with 254 career swats, six shy of the SoCon record.

Western Carolina will stay on the road to face 28th-ranked Wisconsin on Dec. 27 at 7 pm (CT). The Badgers will be the fourth team Western has played this season that is currently ranked among the nation's top 30 with Alabama ranked 14th, Iowa ranked 17th and Marquette ranked 26th.