Nov. 20, 2008

Box Score |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina put seven players in double figures, led by a 21-point performance by junior G Brandon Giles as the Catamounts cruised in the second half to a 120-62 victory over Toccoa Falls Thursday night in the home opener at the Ramsey Center.

The Catamounts remained perfect in the fifth all-time meeting with the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) member, eclipsing the century mark for the fourth-time in its 58-point victory.

Giles, who tallied 14 of his game-high 21 points after intermission, finished with more points than minutes played (20), scoring his 19th point of the night on a thundering fast-break dunk just moments before being called to the sideline with his night being through. The Auburndale, Fla., native has scored in double-digits in 20-straight games dating back to last season, reaching 20-points for the 10th time in his WCU career.

Red-shirt freshman Harouna Mutombo scored a career-high 14 points in the win on 6-of-9 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers, while junior Adrian Gailliard was 6-of-8 from the field, muscling his way to a career-best 14 points. Classmate Jake Robinson chipped in a dozen points to stretch his current double-digit streak to six, and was just one board shy of a career-high, pulling down a team-high tying eight rebounds. Sophomore Blake Gallagher also finished with eight rebounds and seven points off the bench.

Rounding out WCU's double-digit scorers were junior Brigham Waginger and freshman Greg Avery each with 11, with sophomore Richie Gordon finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds in his first start of the season. Waginger also dished out six assists while Avery handed out five helpers with five steals in the win.

Western (1-1) trailed by two points on three separate occasions in the opening three minutes of the game, but managed to pull out to a double-digit lead on a Waginger lay-up at midway mark of the first half before building a 20-point, 50-30, halftime advantage.

After trading buckets out of the halftime locker room, Western Carolina outscored Toccoa Falls 28-to-13, including an 11-3 spurt, over a seven-minute span to push the lead to 35 points, 81-46, on the Giles slam. The cushion ballooned over 40 points with a Robinson triple with 7:44 to play in regulation, with the Catamounts spilling over the 100-point plateau on an Avery free throw with five and a half to play.

WCU scored over 60-percent of its points in the paint on the new court in the Ramsey Center as the Catamounts held a commanding 76-to-20 edge in inside scoring. The Catamounts also capitalized on 26 Eagle turnovers, translating it into 29 points and 22 on the fast-break.

For the game, WCU shot 54-percent from the floor, including 64.6 in the second half while limiting Toccoa Falls to 34.5 for the evening with only nine made field goals after halftime. The taller Catamounts also held a 62-to-32 edge in rebounds including 24 offensive boards in the win.

Western Carolina returns to action next Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 27-29, at the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. The Catamounts face San Diego State (1-1), who faces Fresno State on Saturday before embarking on the Alaskan trek.

WCU's first game at the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 27) will be aired by WLOS-TV 13 in Asheville LIVE at 11:30 pm ET.