Feb. 27, 2010

Box Score |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Spurred by a 15-to-0 run to start the game, Western Carolina closed out the regular season portion of its 2009-10 schedule with an eight-point, 78-70, win over the Chattanooga Mocs in the Ramsey Center Saturday afternoon before a regional television audience on SportSouth.

Senior Jake Robinson scored all of his game-high 18 points in the second half, while sophomore guard Keaton Cole tallied all but one of his career-best 16 points in the opening 20 minutes in WCU's second-straight victory.

"We got off to a great start; the start of the ball game was really terrific. But then, we hit a lull where we just couldn't hit a shot. Thank goodness that `K-K' (Keaton Cole) had a really good first half for us," said head coach Larry Hunter during his post-game interviews with the media. "I really challenged Jake (Robinson) at half - the game is a whole lot easier and a whole lot more fun when he is hitting shots and he really responded in the second half."

Robinson finished 3-of-9 from the field - all beyond the arc - and hit 9-of-10 from the free throw line, adding seven rebounds including three on the offensive glass. Cole also buried three, 3-pointers in the win. The duo was joined in double figures by Brigham Waginger with 15 points, four assists and matched a career-high - and season best - with seven steals in the win.

Senior Brandon Giles just missed double figures with nine points and seven boards while classmate Kendall Russell scored six with a team-best nine rebounds. Junior Richie Gordon scored eight for WCU and added four rebounds, all on the offensive end.

After the solid start - in which the Catamounts held UTC without a field goal until the 14:28 mark of the first half - Western Carolina (21-10, 11-7 SoCon) led by double digits most of the first half until the Mocs managed to trim the deficit to seven, 33-26, in the closing moments of the opening stanza. WCU led by nine at the break, 35-26.

In the second half, the Catamounts were only able to stretch their lead back out to 13, 42-29, before Chattanooga began to once again chip away. Utilizing a 13-to-3 run over a four minute span, the Mocs slashed the WCU advantage down to three, 48-45, with less than 12 minutes remaining in the game.

However, on their day in the sun, the Catamount seniors buckled down and put the team on their shoulders.

Beginning with four-straight made free throws following an offensive rebound by Russell, the seniors combined to score the next 18 points for WCU, capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Robinson to push the home squad's advantage back to double digits at 10, 67-57.

The Catamount lead never dipped below eight the final six minutes as WCU made 5-of-6 free throws inside the final 60 seconds to hold off the Mocs.

Chattanooga (14-17, 6-12) put three players in double figures led by 13 from Ricky Taylor who also recorded a team-best six rebounds. Guard Keegan Bell scored a dozen, adding two steals and a pair of assists, while Ridge McKeither finished with 11 points.

WCU out rebounded Chattanooga, 38-to-29, and scored 17 second-chance points over the Mocs' six.

Prior to Saturday's game, Western Carolina honored its five senior players and student manager in a special pre-game ceremony. Among the seniors for WCU this season are two 1,000 point scorers (Giles and Robinson); the program's all-time leader in 3-point shooting (Robinson) and both the single-season and career steals record holder (Waginger).

"I got emotional a couple of times, which I usually control that pretty well," Hunter explained following the game. "When we were introducing the senior's right before the game and then on our post-game radio show, I was talking about them as well. They are a very, very special group of guys. We've been through a lot in trying to build this program, and you really get attached to them. They've done everything that I've asked and then some. They are great people and it's going to be fun to watch them in the future because they are going to be successful."

Western Carolina will now turn its attention to the 2010 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championships that will be held between the Bojangles and Time Warner Arenas in Charlotte, N.C. The Catamounts are seeded second from the North Division and will play at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 6.

Post-Game Notes:
- Saturday's start was very reminiscent to the one WCU had a year-ago against UTC in Cullowhee as the Catamounts again led wire-to-wire for the victory ... Last season, WCU also scored the game's first 15 points in building a 22-2 lead against the Mocs before holding on for the 86-77 win;

- Western Carolina split the seasonal series with Chattanooga for a third-consecutive season, winning for the third-straight time in Cullowhee (15-17);

- WCU matched a program-high with its 11th Southern Conference victory on Saturday afternoon ... the Catamounts have thrice finished a season with 11 wins in league play with this year marking the second-straight season and 1981-82 representing the third;

- Western Carolina closed the 2009-10 season at 14-2 inside the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center, which included 12-straight wins as a part of the run of 15-consecutive that dated back to a season ago ... Over the past two years under Larry Hunter, the Catamounts are a combined 25-4 (.862) ... All told, WCU has won 27 of its last 21 games in the Ramsey Center including 18 of its last 21 SoCon match-ups;

- The 21 wins for WCU entering the 2010 SoCon Tournament are the most for a Catamount squad since making the move to NCAA Division I competition ... WCU is one of four teams from the league - each of the first four seeds in Wofford, College of Charleston and Appalachian State - to reach the 20-win plateau in the SoCon this season;

- Senior Brigham Waginger broke his own WCU school single-season record with seven steals on Saturday to give him 84 for the season, supplanting his school-record 81 thefts from a season ago ... He additionally moved into eighth place on the SoCon's single-season ledger, leaping over Tim Brooks of Chattanooga (83, 1991-92) and both Courtney Eldridge (UNC Greensboro, 2000-01) and Jason Conley (VMI, 2001-02) at 82;

- Waginger remains third on the SoCon's career steals ledger at 279, 14 steals shy of second ... He is vying to become the first SoCon player to lead the league in steals-per-game for three-consecutive seasons - and would be just the second player all-time to pace the league in three of their four years in the conference;

- Senior Jake Robinson moved into sixth-place in the Southern Conference's 3-pointers made chart, connecting on three treys to give him 271, by-passing D.J. Thompson of Appalachian State (270, 2004-07) ... Robinson is just two 3-pointers shy of tying for fifth ... He additionally moved into a tie for third on the school's single-season 3-pointers made chart, tied with Terry Boyd (77 in 1991-92);

- Western Carolina, which earned one of the four first-round byes in the SoCon Tournament, will face the winner of the South's No. 3 seed Davidson against the North Division's No. 6 seed at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 6 at the Bojangles Arena in Charlotte, N.C.