Jan. 15, 2011

Box Score |    Hunter post-game comments (AUDIO) Gary Ayers Call of final shot (AUDIO)

Cullowhee, N.C. - Mike Williams sank a 15-foot buzzer-beating jumper from the right wing on Saturday afternoon to lift Western Carolina to a one-point, 79-78, victory over arch-rival Appalachian State in Southern Conference action in the Ramsey Center.

Williams went eight minutes and 40 seconds between field goals in the second half, but came through in the clutch to post his 16th double-digit scoring effort in the 18 games this season, finishing with 10 points and a career-high tying six assists.

The win - WCU's fourth-straight overall on the year - halted a two-game drought for the Catamounts against the rival Mountaineers and pushed the Catamounts into sole possession of second place ahead of ASU in the SoCon North Division race behind Chattanooga. WCU improved to 8-10 overall on the year and 4-2 in league play.

Appalachian State's Marcus Wright gave the Mountaineers a one-point edge, 78-77, just inside of two minutes to play in regulation. Neither team was able to take advantage of good looks at the basket, combining to miss five shots prior to Williams' game winner. Richie Gordon and Williams both had looks from short range but couldn't find the bottom of the net. On the other end, post Andre Williamson missed two shots in the paint keeping the margin at just one point for the visitors.

Inside the final eight seconds, Gordon misfired from close-in on a would-be, go-ahead bucket, but redshirt junior Harouna Mutombo was able to force a jump ball tie-up on the offensive rebound and WCU retained possession with just over four seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, WCU lobbed the inbounds pass to Mutombo in the lane where he quickly fired a pass to the right wing to Williams. The Baton Rouge, La., native pump faked from beyond the arc to get his defender in the air, and then took two dribble steps and fired the mid-range jumper that swished through the bucket as the final horn sounded, sending the nearly 4,000 fans into a frenzy.

Redshirt freshman Trey Sumler led the Catamounts with 17 points including a pair of 3-pointers while Gordon finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, one shy of the double-double. The Atlanta, Ga., native also added a pair of assists and two steals. Rounding out WCU's double-digit scorers were Mutombo with a dozen and freshman Brandon Boggs with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

With both starting guards Williams and Sumler battling foul trouble on the afternoon, junior Keaton Cole came off the bench to score seven points on 2-of-3 shooting for the Catamounts.

Saturday's game - the 174th all-time in the head-to-head series between WCU and ASU - saw 17 lead changes and 11 combined ties. Neither team was able to pull away with the largest lead on the afternoon of seven points for the Apps midway through the second half. Western Carolina used consecutive 3-pointers by Sumler to take a five-point edge, its largest lead of the day, early in the first half.

Consecutive Mountaineer dunks inside the final seconds of the opening 20 minutes turned a three-point WCU advantage into a one-point, 36-35, ASU edge at halftime.

After Appalachian managed a seven-point, 59-52, edge on a 3-pointer by Wright, the two squads traded buckets over the next five minutes before WCU was able to string together consecutive stops coupled with scores to close back in. Two free throws by Cole, a lay-up by Gordon and a jumper by Boggs amidst four different trips allowed the Catamounts to knot the game at 73 with four and a half to play.

Western Carolina claimed its first lead since the 14 minute mark of the second half on a Boggs lay-up with 2:32 to play, prompting a Mountaineer timeout. After the stoppage, Wright laid one in to see-saw the lead back the way of the black and gold, setting up the final two minute frenzy and Williams' heroics.

Appalachian State (7-9, 3-3 SoCon) had four players tally double digits led by Omar Carter with 19 points and Donald Sims with 18. Williamson finished with 14 points while Wright scored 10 on 4-of-5 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers.

Western Carolina hits the road for back-to-back games in the South Carolina Lowcountry beginning at SoCon South Division-leading College of Charleston this Thursday night (Jan. 20). The trip also includes a Saturday evening road contest at The Citadel (Jan. 22). WCU has won three of the last five series meetings with Charleston including a thrilling 100-90 affair in Cullowhee last season.

Post-Game Notes:
- Western Carolina stretched its home winning streak to seven-straight dating back to last season after the one-point win over the Mountaineers ... All told, the Catamounts have won 32 of the last 37 home games in the Ramsey Center and 21 of the last 24 SoCon match-ups in Cullowhee ... Over the past three seasons, WCU is 30-4 (.882) at home ... During head coach Larry Hunter's tenure, Western Carolina is 53-19 at home for a 73.6 winning percentage;

- WCU's win over Appalachian State snapped a two-game losing skid in the head-to-head series and was the just the second win in the last 14 series meetings ... WCU improved to 39-41 in overall meetings held in Cullowhee all-time;

- Western Carolina shot a perfect 17-for-17 from the free throw line on Saturday afternoon, a season-high percentage for the Catamounts ... the 17-for-17 showing was WCU's best showing at home since making a Ramsey Center record of 21-for-21 made free throws vs. Davidson in 2002;

- Five Catamounts posted double-digit scoring on Saturday afternoon marking the first time since a home win over Georgia Southern last February that WCU had five players reach double figures ... Trey Sumler finished with 17 points, followed by Richie Gordon with 16, Harouna Mutombo with 12, while Mike Williams and Brandon Boggs both tallied 10;

- Senior guard Mike Williams has recorded double-digit scoring in 16 of the 18 games this season, including a current streak of seven-straight;

- Redshirt freshman guard Trey Sumler has posted a career-best stretch of seven-straight, double-digit scoring outings, finishing with a team-high 17 points against Appalachian State;