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CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Freshman guard Ace Easter scored a career-high 21 points to help lead Western Carolina women's basketball to its first Southern Conference win of the season with a 70-49 win over visiting UNCG Saturday in the Ramsey Center.

The Catamounts improve to 9-11 overall and 1-4 in the SoCon. UNCG falls to 5-15 and 0-5 in the SoCon. The victory also halts a Western Carolina four-game losing streak. Easter was one of three Catamount players to score in double figures. Senior guard Justin Taylor added 11 and junior guard Lindsay Simpson poured in 10.

Simpson came off the bench to spark Western Carolina scoring all of her 10 points, in the game, in the first half. Simpson hit a pair of three-pointers, midway through the first half, as the Catamounts built a, 19-12, lead with five minutes to go in the first half.

After struggling early, to start the game, Western Carolina used a pair of runs to build a lead and keep it. Tied at eight, with 10:34 left in the first half, the Catamounts took the lead, 9-8, off 1-of-2 free throws from Erika Joseph. The 1-of-2 free throws spurred WCU to an 8-2 run, to lead 16-10.

UNCG battled with WCU through the remainder of the first half cutting the Catamount lead to one three times through the final four minutes of the opening 20 minutes. Though UNCG kept it close in the first half, after Joseph's 1-of-2 free throws put WCU up 9-8, the Catamounts never trailed again to UNCG.

With Western Carolina leading by one, 23-22, with 1:58 remaining, WCU went on a 7-0 run to go up on UNCG 30-22 at the half. The Catamount scoring was capped off by Taylor who snagged a cross court pass by teammate Easter and threw up an attempt under the basket. The ball rattled into the goal as time expired to end the half.

An interesting stat line, to aid in Western Carolina's success in the first half, was holding UNCG's leading scorer Lucy Mason, averaging 13.8 points per game, scoreless. Western Carolina used its first half momentum to push past UNCG in the second half. Mason scored her average, 13 second-half points, to assist the Spartans. The Catamounts built on its eight point, first half lead, building its largest lead of 22 points, 53-31, with 8:12 left in the game.

The Catamounts used stifling defense and white hot shooting, hitting 53.8 percent in the second half, to keep UNCG in check in the second half. WCU ended the game shooting 50 percent and held UNCG to 28.8 percent shooting from the field.

Western Carolina ripped down 30 defensive rebounds to end the game with a total of 42 and scored 34 of its points inside the paint.

Though both teams struggled in the turnover department, UNCG had 20 and WCU had 19, it was the Catamounts who won the turnover battle scoring 22 points off Spartan miscues. WCU also got 14 second chance points.

The 70 points scored by Western Carolina was the first time in four games the Catamounts have scored over 60 points. It is also the first time WCU has scored 70 or more points, against a Division I opponent, since defeating Florida International 83-69 Dec. 20, 2014.

Western Carolina will have six days off before returning to action at 2 p.m. Jan. 31 at Furman.