Nov. 15, 2011

Final Stats |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Sparked by an 11-0 start off the opening tip, Western Carolina put five players in double figures as it cruised past Montreat College, 109-63, Tuesday night in nonconference action the Ramsey Center. In addition to securing its first victory of the 2011-12 season for the Catamounts, the win was also the 600th in career of head coach Larry Hunter.

It was the first-time the Catamounts had reached the century mark since lighting the scoreboard for 100 points in the thrilling 100-90 home victory over the College of Charleston on Jan. 25, 2010 - two seasons ago. The win also extended WCU's home-court win streak over nonconference foes to 10.

"You don't get a lot of wins without good players and good assistant coaches," Hunter said followinghis 600th career victory on Tuesday night. "It's a team thing. That's the way I coach, and that's the way I think about those things."

Sophomore post Preston Ross scored a team and career-high 19 points off the bench for the Catamounts who saw all 12 players record both minutes and points. Ross tallied eight his points from the free throw line, shooting 8-of-10 from the stripe. Second-year players Trey Sumler and Tawaski King both added 14 points with Sumler also dishing out six assists while King netted his career-best scoring performance.

Brandon Boggs - who was the first to double-digits on Tuesday night - chipped in 13 points while senior Keaton Cole scored 11 in the sixth-straight, home-opening victory for WCU. Harouna Mutombo added eight points and four helpers while freshman James Sinclair scored a career-high eight including a pair of 3-pointers.

Western Carolina (1-1) connected on four of its first five shots including three, 3-pointers as a part of the 11-0 spurt out of the gates. Montreat tallied its first points on 1-of-2 free throws at the 17:24 mark of the first half, posting its first field goal less than 20 seconds later. All told, the Catamounts blitzed the Cavaliers with a 21-to-5 start just six minutes into the game.

Montreat closed the deficit to 13, 21-to-8, after three-straight free throws, but it would prove to be as close as it would get the remainder of the game. A 12-0 run headlined by two players - classmate Ross and Boggs - stretched the margin into the 20s for the first time and where it would stay until the closing minutes of the opening half.

Leading by 26 points, 49-23, the Catamounts closed the half on a 10-to-2 spurt to lead by 34 at the break.

In the second half, WCU continued to methodically pull away, cresting the 40-point margin five minutes into the half and building it to as high as 46 with a minute remaining in the contest. Ross toed the free throw line for a pair of successful attempts with 4:59 remaining on the clock to put WCU into triple-digits and again igniting the Ramsey Center crowd.

Western Carolina outrebounded the Cavaliers, 47-to-35, and held a 20-point advantage in the paint with 40 points over Montreat's 20 in the three-second area. The Catamounts converted 28 turnovers into 33 points, but did commit 15 giveaways of their own.

Montreat (1-6) landed three players in double figures as guard Tyler Buff finished with a game-high 20 points including 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Dustin Harris added 16 points and seven rebounds while LaBris Adams turned in a solid stat line with 12 points, a game-high eight rebounds and four assists.

Western Carolina travels to Presbyterian on Thursday night for a Southern Conference - Big South Conference showdown in Clinton, S.C. The game will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard locally on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee, 920 AM WPTL in Canton and online at www.CatamountSports.com. Air time is 7:00 pm with tip-off slated for 7:30 pm.

Post-Game Notes:
- Western Carolina picked up its first victory of the season on Tuesday night while stretching its lead in the all-time, head-to-head series with Montreat College to 3-0, all in Cullowhee ... the Catamounts improved to 6-1 in home-openers under Larry Hunter with their sixth-straight home-opening victory;

- WCU has now won 10-straight home games against non-conference opponents inside the Ramsey Center, and has claimed victory in 14 of the last 16 non-league games overall ... Since 2003, WCU is 31-5 against non-conference foes in Ramsey - under Larry Hunter, the Catamounts are 21-4 against non-conference teams at home;

- Western Carolina has won 39 of the last 45 home games (39-6) overall ... Over the past four seasons including 2011-12, WCU is 37-5 (.881) at home;

- The Catamounts scored over 100 points for the first-time since putting 100 on the board against the College of Charleston in a 100-90 victory over the Cougars on Jan. 25, 2010 ... It was WCU's first 100-point outing in 48 outings;

- All 12 Catamounts played on Tuesday with each one recording points ... Six players posted career-highs including a career-best 19 points for Preston Ross off the bench and the first double-digit scoring outing by Tawaski King with 14 points in a starting role;

- Western Carolina broke out its brand new gold uniforms on Tuesday night ... It is the first-time the Catamounts have worn gold uniforms since the 2008-09 season ... Under Larry Hunter in gold unis, WCU is now 4-9 overall.