Feb. 19, 2011

Box Score |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Four Catamounts scored in double figures for the second-consecutive game as Western Carolina was able to fend off Eastern Kentucky on Saturday for the 81-74 victory in the ESPN Sears BracketBusters game in the Ramsey Center.

The Catamounts led by as many as 18 points and held a double-digit advantage most of the afternoon, but the Colonels shot 59-percent from the field in the second half to draw within four, 76-72, inside the game's final 96 seconds on the fourth 3-pointer by Justin Stommes who led all scorers with 24 points.

On the ensuing possession after the Stommes triple, Richie Gordon was fouled as he drove to the basket before stepping to the line to hit a key free throw with 1:23 left. EKU then missed a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer attempt that allowed Mike Williams to seal the victory with four made free throws in the final minute of play.

Combined, WCU made 7-of-8 free throws in closing minutes to secure the victory, its sixth-straight on the season and 12th-consecutive at home.

Williams paced the squad with 18 points - his 24th double-figure scoring performance of the season -adding five assists and a pair of steals for the Catamounts. Freshman Brandon Boggs scored 16 points while Harouna Mutombo finished with 14, eclipsing the 1,000 career point plateau on the day. Mutombo is the 39th different Catamount to score 1,000-or-more points for the Purple & Gold. The Pickering, Ontario, native notched his 1,001st point inside the final 30 seconds of the opening stanza.

Gordon rounded out WCU's double-figure scorers by recording his third career double-double with 14 points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds with a solid all-around performance. The Atlanta, Ga., native shot 5-of-7 from the floor while swiping four steals and blocking three shots.

Keaton Cole added eight points off the bench for WCU including a pair of 3-pointers.

Western Carolina (15-13) only trailed once after EKU's Josh Daniel buried a 3-pointer early in the first half for a 3-2 Colonel lead. The Catamounts responded with a 25-to-6 run over the next eight minutes to grab an 18-point, 27-9, advantage at the 8:20 mark of the first half. Williams scored 10 of WCU's points during the run while Gordon added six.

The Catamounts carried a double-digit lead into the halftime break, 39-26.

Eastern Kentucky (15-13) steadily chipped away at the WCU lead in the second half, riding 6-7 guard Stommes who delivered 19 of his 24 points in the second half. His free throws with 5:47 left in the second half cut the WCU lead to single digits for the first time since the 5:31 mark in the first half.

With the lead dwindled to eight, WCU's Keaton Cole drained a 3-pointer to stretch it back to 11 with a pair of Williams charity tosses pushing the margin back to a dozen with four and a half to play. A long-range jumper by Stommes dropped the margin into single-digits for good at the 3:48 mark, with Eastern Kentucky clawing to within four on the final triple by the guard. But the Catamounts were able to score the win by making free throws down the stretch.

Perrin was the only other Colonel to reach double figures alongside Stommes, with Joshua Davis scoring nine for EKU.

Western Carolina returns to league action this week as it plays three Southern Conference games in five days. WCU will travels to UNC Greensboro to take on the Spartans on Monday night at 7:00 pm at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Catamounts defeated UNCG 83-73 back on Feb. 5 in Cullowhee. They then return home on Thursday to take on the first of two teams from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, The Citadel Bulldogs on Beach Night (Feb. 24) before concluding the regular season at home against the College of Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Post-Game Notes:
- Western Carolina won its sixth-straight game of the season on Saturday afternoon, remaining unbeaten in the month of February ... the Catamounts matched the longest winning February winning streak since 1985-86 with the six-game streak ... All told, WCU has won seven of its last eight games;

- The win was the first-ever for Western Carolina over Eastern Kentucky in men's basketball in the three all-time meetings coming in the first-ever meeting in Cullowhee ... the home teams in the head-to-head series remain perfect with EKU holding a 2-0 edge over the Catamounts ... the two teams will meet again in a return game in Richmond, Ky., within the next two seasons as per terms of the ESPN BracketBusters arrangements;

- Western Carolina remained perfect at home this season after Saturday afternoon's victory, improving to 10-0 in the Ramsey Center while claiming its 12th-straight home win dating back to last season ... All told, the Catamounts have won 37 of their last 42 home games ... WCU has also won nine-straight home games against nonconference foes, with wins in 13 of the last 15 non-league teams at home - under head coach Larry Hunter, WCU is 20-4 at home against non-league teams;

- Redshirt junior Harouna Mutombo became the 39th different Catamount to score 1,000 points in his WCU career, surpassing the milestone by converting a lay-up on a feed from his countryman, Keaton Cole, with 20 seconds remaining in the first half of Saturday's home win over Eastern Kentucky ... Mutombo currently has 1,009 career points to rank 38th in school history;

- Senior Richie Gordon blocked three shots against the Colonels to give him 110 for his WCU career, just two shy of tying former Catamount Tommy Lavelle (1961-64) for second on the school's all-time blocked shots chart.