Jan. 14, 2012

Box Score |   

Highlights of Western Carolina Men's Basketball Alumni Reunion Weekend

Cullowhee, N.C. - Trey Sumler drove the right side of the lane and connected on a game-tying lay-up with eight seconds remaining on Saturday afternoon. However, Furman's Charlie Reddick sank his only field goal of the day on a game-winning 3-pointer with just under two seconds showing on the Ramsey Center clock as the Paladins nipped Western Carolina, 58-55, in Southern Conference action.

Following Sumler's running lay-up, the Catamounts nearly came away with a steal as the Paladins pushed the ball up the bench sidelines. Sumler and senior Keaton Cole trapped the ball-handler just over the mid-court stripe, but the basketball rolled out of bounds with possession whistled to Furman. On the ensuing possession, the Paladins in-bounded the ball to Reddick who took a step towards the 3-point arc against WCU's zone defense and swished the go-ahead shot with 1.8 showing on the game clock.

Reddick was 0-for-11 from the floor including 0-for-7 from long-range prior to his final shot heroics.

WCU never got a last-second opportunity as the court-length in-bounds pass went out of bounds and Furman was able to regain possession and close out the final seconds for the victory, snapping the Catamounts' five-game winning streak over the Paladins in the head-to-head series. The loss was also halted a four-game home win streak in the series with Furman.

"I thought we played well enough on defense in both halves to stay in the game, but we did not have that enthusiasm and extra step today that we've shown, especially at home," said WCU head coach Larry Hunter during post-game comments. "We did not play well offensively, not to take anything away from Furman because they outplayed us today. We would have been very fortunate had we come away with a win."

Sumler paced Western Carolina with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers. The Rocky Mount, N.C., native also dished out a game-high three assists, playing all 40 minutes. Harouna Mutombo finished with 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out at the 1:41 mark while Brandon Boggs recorded nine points and three steals.

Furman (8-9, 2-4 SoCon) led the entire game with the score tied just three times, twice in the second half. The Paladins scored 14 of their 32 first half points from the charity stripe, shooting 93.3-percent on 14-of-15 from the line to lead by 13 at the break, 32-19.

Out of the break, Western Carolina (8-10, 3-3 SoCon) used a 9-to-2 spurt to close within six points, 34-28, but the Paladins continued to hold the Catamounts at arm's length. Mutombo pulled WCU to within three, 41-38, on a jumper midway through the half and later closed the deficit to just one, 43-42, on a pair of free throws. But the Catamounts could never claw to the lead as costly turnovers plagued the home squad.

With just under five minutes remaining, Boggs knotted the game at 47 with a pair of charity tosses, but the Catamounts were still unable to get on top of the visiting Paladins. With the margin at four points following a pair of Bryson Barnes free throws, WCU's Keaton Cole drained his lone 3-pointer of the game with 25 seconds remaining to pull the Catamounts within one, 54-53. Barnes made 1-of-2 free throws on a subsequent possession, setting up the heroics first by Sumler and finally by Reddick.

Furman's Brandon Sebirumbi scored 11 of his game-high 19 points from the free throw line on 11-of-15 shooting, adding a team-best nine rebounds. Jordan Loyd chipped in 10 on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field while Barnes added nine points and Bobby Austin had seven points and three steals.

Western Carolina was outrebounded by seven, 30-to-23, with the Paladins outscoring the Catamounts in the paint, 22-to-12. The Catamounts were able to capitalize on 21 Furman turnovers, collecting 23 points off the takeaways.

Despite the loss, the Catamounts maintain pace in the tight SoCon North Division as Chattanooga lost at Samford, 81-70, and Appalachian State fell at home to Davidson, 83-79, on Saturday afternoon to forge a three-way tie at 3-3 with Elon one-game in arrears.

Western Carolina steps out of conference for the final time during the regular season on Tuesday night as it welcomes Toccoa Falls to the Ramsey Center for a 7:00 pm tip-off.