Final Stats

Charleston, S.C. - The Western Carolina University men's basketball team trailed by as many as 26 points Monday night in Charleston, S.C., against Charleston Southern but the fight and determination never left the Catamounts as they battled back and fell 72-66 to the Buccaneers.

The game looked to be over at halftime with the Buccaneers leading 45-22 but the Catamounts had another plan as they stormed out of the gates in the second stanza and eventually cut the Bucs lead to just six with just under six minutes to play.

WCU was led by junior Rhett Harrelson who achieved another career-high in points with 22. He was 8-15 from the field including 6-12 from long range. Junior Mike Brown also eclipsed a career-high with 18 points while going 7-14 from the floor and hitting 4-9 from 3-point range. Senior James Sinclair added 12 points and a career-high seven assists to the effort while also picking up five rebounds and three steals. Junior Torrion Brummitt was the final Catamount in double-figures with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and his career.

The Catamounts were out-rebounded 42-34 but held 20-16 advantage in the second half. As a team, WCU shot 38.7 percent from the field including 46.9 percent in the second half. The Bucs shot 46.3 percent from the field including 40.9 percent in the second.

CSU had five players in double-figures including Saah Nimley (22), Will Saunders (12), Cedrick Bowen (11), Aaron Wheeler (11) and Arlon Harper (10).

The opening half was back and forth over the opening 10 minutes but the second ten minutes was all Charleston Southern. With the score in CSU's favor 15-13 with 10:08 to play, the Buccaneers began a 30-9 run that closed out the opening period. Within the run the Bucs hit five 3-pointers while the Catamounts were just four of 16 from the field. The Bucs used a 26-14 advantage on the boards as well during the opening half to build their lead. The Catamounts were held to just two offensive boards and two second chance points while the Buccaneers collected seven offensive caroms and turned them into nine second chance tallies.

The second half was another story as the Catamounts came out fighting and outscored the Buccaneers 44-27 but it was not enough as the Bucs hung on to claim a 72-66 victory. Brown, Harrelson and Sinclair all had double-digits in the second half alone as they tried to give the Catamounts a chance.

Over the opening four minutes, the Catamounts outscored the Bucs 10-5 to set the tone. WCU eventually cut CSU's lead to single digits on a Brown 3-pointer with 6:12 to play, 64-56. Sinclair followed with a jumper to get the Catamounts within six at 64-58. A Nimley three ended WCU's run and pushed CSU's lead back to nine. The lead would eventually swell to 11 at the 1:32 mark but once again the Catamounts battled back as Harrelson scored five-straight points to cut it back to six. After a pair of CSU free throws, Brummitt hit a streaking layup with eight seconds remaining which would be the final basket of the game.

The Catamounts will not have much time to rest as they open up Southern Conference play this Wednesday, Dec. 3 at ETSU. ETSU returns to the Southern Conference after a nine-year hiatus. The game is set for an 8 pm tip and will be aired nationwide on the American Sports Network.