Final Stats

Rochester, Mich. - Playing their third game in three days at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic Regional Round, the Catamounts of the Western Carolina men's basketball team built up a 23 point lead five minutes into the second half against Chicago State. The Cougars fought their way back into the contest but the Catamounts would not fold as WCU hung on to win 66-61.

Four of WCU's five starters reached double-figures including juniors Torrion Brummitt, Mike Brown, Justin Browning and Rhett Harrelson. Brummitt led all scorers with 14 points while also tying for the team lead with five rebounds. Brown added 13 points and five boards while Browning had 12 points and five rebounds. Harrelson chipped in 11 points and six assists.

Browning, Harrelson and senior James Sinclair tied for the team lead in steals with three each while Browning added three blocks.

The Cougars controlled the boards, 40-30, while picking up 19 offensive rebounds compared to WCU's six.

The Catamounts improved their record to 3-3 on the year while the Cougars fell to 2-4 overall.

Western Carolina shot 51.2 percent from the field including 60.0 percent in the second half. The Cougars connected on just 36.1 percent of their attempts while hitting 25.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The Catamounts dominated the opening half, out-scoring the Cougars 34-22 but the second half would be another story. The first five minutes went in Western Carolina's favor as the Catamounts built up a 48-25 lead with 14:52 to play.

From 14:52 to 8:56 the Cougars went on a 18-4 to cut the Catamounts lead to nine. The Cougars would keep it close the rest of the way but they would never cut the game to a single possession as the Catamounts hit key shots down the stretch. The closest they would get would be the final possession when a 3-pointer cut WCU's lead to 66-61.

The Cougars were led by Trayvon Palmer who had 13 points and five rebounds. Clarke Rosenberg added 10 points and six rebounds.

The Catamounts will next be in action Monday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. as they travel to Charleston Southern.