Dec. 10, 2009

Box Score |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Brigham Waginger scored all 12 of his points from beyond the 3-point arc, including a crucial trey with two and a half minutes to play to halt a Campbell scoring run as Western Carolina outlasted the Camels, 66-59, Thursday night in front of a season-high 2,794 fans at the Ramsey Center.

Blake Gallagher connected on a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Catamounts (9-1) a game-high 17 point, 51-34, lead with 12:38 remaining in the contest. However, the Camels scored 10 unanswered points as a part of a 22-to-8 run to trim the margin to just three, 59-56, with 2:25 to play.

On the ensuing possession, Waginger took a feed from backcourt-mate, junior Mike Williams, and drained his fourth triple of the night to extend the WCU lead back to six, 64-56. Williams followed it up with a lay-up with 90 seconds to play and Jake Robinson hit a pair of free throws inside the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.

Williams scored a team-high 16 points that included several circus shots in the paint as the Catamounts claimed their eighth-straight victory on the season and remained perfect at home (6-0). Waginger just missed his first career double-double, finishing with nine rebounds and four assists to accompany his 12 points. The South Webster, Ohio native was held off the stat sheet in the steal column, snapping a string of at least one steal in his last 12 games.

Brandon Giles chipped in nine points and Robinson finished with eight to surpass the 1,000 career point plateau. Harouna Mutombo scored seven and dished out five assists, while Richie Gordon blocked a career-high five shots.

Campbell (5-2) put two players in double figures as leading scorer Jonathan Rodriguez posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 10 of his points on 10-of-11 shooting from the free throw line. Amir Celestin, who scored eight during the Camels' second half run, finished with 12 points.

Western Carolina took control of the early see-saw affair with nine unanswered points in the first half, breaking the game's only tie at 11 to pull ahead, 20-11, inside of eight minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Williams buried a 3-pointer with 1:13 before the break to give the Catamounts an eight-point, 32-24, lead at halftime.

The Catamounts next travel to Louisville for a Saturday afternoon date with the Cardinals, who dropped out of the national top 25 after falling to Charlotte, 87-65, last Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN360.com, the sport network's online streaming station (check internet provider for availability).

Post-Game Notes:
- Western Carolina won its eighth-straight game on Thursday night giving the Catamounts their longest winning streak since winning 11-consecutive during the 1970-71 season ... WCU also moved to 6-0 at home this season, and have won 19 of their last 21 home games ... Since 2003, Western is 26-5 against non-conference foes in the Ramsey Center;

- The Catamounts improved to 21-3 all-time against Campbell ... Thursday night's meeting was the program's first since 1991, ending an 18-year hiatus ... the Catamounts have won 14 of the last 16 head-to-head meetings with the Fighting Camels;

- At 9-1 on the year, WCU is off to the best start to a season since winning 15 of its first 16 games (15-1) during the 1958-59 season under head coach Jim Gudger;

- Thursday night's attendance of 2,794 is the most to see a WCU men's basketball game in the Ramsey Center since 3,237 were on hand for the rivalry match-up with Appalachian State on February 19, 2007;

- Western Carolina senior Jake Robinson scored eight points in the home win over Campbell to move him over the 1,000 career point plateau ... the Canton, N.C., native became the 38th different Catamount to eclipse 1,000 career points ... With 1,002 points, moved into 37th on the all-time career scoring charts;

- Robinson drained two, 3-pointers in the win, giving him 215 made for his career ... He is now just 30 3-pointers shy of tying current WCU assistant coach, Anquell McCollum, who made 245 treys from 1993-96;

- Brigham Waginger was held without a steal in the home win over Campbell, snapping a string of 12-straight games with at least one theft ... Waginger has recorded at least one steal in 30 of his last 32 career games dating back to last season ... the South Webster, Ohio, native remains FOUR steals shy WCU Hall of Famer, Henry Logan (221 from 1965-68) for the school's all-time career steals record;

- Head coach Larry Hunter picked up his 568th career win.