Jan. 29, 2009

Box Score |    | Unveiling of Paws  

Cullowhee, N.C. - Junior Brandon Giles led two Catamounts in double figures with 20 points as Western Carolina held off the Furman Paladins, 63-54, Thursday night in front of a live television audience in Southern Conference action in the Ramsey Center.

The Catamounts built a 14-point lead in the second half, but had to weather a late run by Furman to complete the seasonal sweep and snap a two-game losing skid. The win, WCU's fourth-straight home victory, pushed the Catamounts back to the top of the standings in the SoCon's tight North Division race, percentage points ahead of the Samford Bulldogs.

With the win, Western improved to 10-9 overall and 5-4 in the Southern Conference, while the Paladins dropped to 3-16, 1-9 in league play.

Giles added seven rebounds and four steals to his game-high 20 point performance for Western, which won its third-straight over the Paladins. Red-shirt freshman Harouna Mutombo was the only other Catamount in double figures with 17 points, adding three steals to the winning effort.

Junior Brigham Waginger chipped in nine points, with classmate Kendall Russell just missing a double-double for the second time in his last four games with nine points and 10 rebounds, which included a career-best seven on the offensive end.

Freshman Greg Avery led the team with a career-high 11 rebounds as WCU out-rebounded Furman, 41-to-33, with 23 offensive boards for the Catamounts.

Western led from start-to-finish, opening the game with a 7-0 run and building its lead to as many as nine before allowing the Paladins to pull within one point, 19-18, with five minutes to play in the first half. The Catamounts closed the opening frame with a 10-to-2 spurt, though, to lead by nine, 29-20, at intermission.

Out of the halftime locker room, Western Carolina used consecutive buckets by Mutombo - including a long-range, 3-pointer and a steal and slam dunk combination - to surge ahead by a game-high 14 points, 34-20. But the Paladins continued to fight, closing the margin to under 10 with nine minutes remaining in regulation.

Furman continued to make a game of it down the stretch as Jordan Miller converted a lay-up and a pair of free throws with three minutes to play to trim the Catamount lead to three, 55-52. However, Giles buried a 3-pointer off a high screen as the shot clock expired on Western's ensuing possession to push the margin back to six, 58-52. In the closing seconds, the Catamounts forced Furman into a pair of turnovers and 0-for-3 shooting from the field the rest of the way to pull away for the 63-54 triumph.

Furman put three players in double figures led by 11 points by Miller on 3-of-10 shooting. Connor Nolte and Bryson Barnes each added 10 points off the bench for the Paladins, with Barnes adding 11 rebounds for a double-double effort.

Western remains at home to host a second South Carolina Upstate foe in the Wofford Terriers this Saturday, Jan. 31 in the Ramsey Center. The Terriers (9-9, 5-4 SoCon) upended the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Thursday night in Boone. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.