Nov. 2, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina junior guard Kyle Greathouse made 6-of-8 3-pointers, scored 23 points and ushered in the Larry Hunter for the Catamounts with an 83-66 win exhibition win over Tusculum College Wednesday night at the Ramsey Activity Center.

With Western up just eight and just over 11 minutes left in the game, Greathouse drained 3-pointers on three of the Cats' next four possessions to set the stage for victory.

The Pioneers, who won the SAC championship and played in the NCAA Division II tournament last season, took an early three-point lead at the 14:27 mark of the first half thanks to a 3-pointer by Serge Poppe. Western would cut its deficit to one (17-16) at the 13:01 mark after an Antonio Russell layup. However, the Catamounts would go scoreless over the next 5:20. Fortunately for Western, Tusculum only scored three points over a four-minute swing.

The Pioneers would lead by as many as nine (25-16) before David Berghoefer hit a free throw to get Western back on track. Redshirt freshman Jamar Jenkins, Greathouse and Russell then hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Cats up one, a lead they would not relinquish.

Western scored the first five points of the second half on a Berghoefer layup and a Jareed Outing 3-pointer to go up 11 (41-30). The Pioneers would keep the game close over the next six minutes before Greathouse's string of 3-pointers essentially put the game away.

The Catamounts shot 48 percent from the field, including 44 percent on 11-of-25 shooting beyond the arc, while holding a 38-26 advantage on the boards. Another key to Western's victory was forcing 23 Pioneer turnovers, while committing just 13.

In addition to Greathouse, Western was led by Berghoefer's 16 points, while Russell added 13 points. Senior Jared Outing, who scored seven points, paced the Cats on the boards with 10, followed by Greathouse (6), Corey Muirhead (5) and Russell (5).

For the Pioneers, Jordan Lear led the way with 15 points, while collecting seven rebounds. Douglas Tshomba added 14 points off the bench, making 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Chris Poore chipped in 111 points and five rebounds.

Western Carolina will open the regular-season at the NABC Classic, hosted by Virginia Tech Nov. 10; 12-13. The Cats will face Bowling Green in the opening game on Thursday, followed by matchups with Radford on Saturday and host team Virginia Tech on Sunday. After that, Western will return home to host South Carolina on Friday, Nov. 18 at 6:00 pm.

Up next for Tusculum will be another exhibition game, traveling to Cincinnati to face Xavier on Nov. 12.