Final Stats |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Despite leading by 21 points with 10:37 to play, the Catamounts of the Western Carolina men's basketball team fell at home to Samford 76-72. The Bulldogs used a 24-2 run midway through the second half to erase a 21-point deficit and eventually hung on to claim their first victory inside the Ramsey Center in program history. The Bulldogs had previously gone 0-7 in Cullowhee against the Catamounts.

The loss drops Western Carolina's record to 11-13 overall and 6-6 in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs improve to 11-14 overall and 4-8 in conference action.

Junior Mike Brown scored 23 points in the losing effort as he was 8-12 from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range and 5-6 at the free throw line. Senior James Sinclair added 17 points and 10 rebounds to complete his second career double-double. He also had a team-high five steals in the game. Brown and Sinclair were WCU's only double-digit scorers. Junior Justin Browning added nine points off the bench to go along with a team-high five assists while junior Rhett Harrelson had eight points.

Samford had three double-digit scorers in the game including Tyler Hood and Darius Jones-Gibson who each had 18 points. Christen Cunningham added 12 points, five assists and four steals.

The Bulldogs took advantage of the free throw line and WCU's mistakes in the second half. Samford scored 13 points at the charity stripe and converted 10 WCU turnovers into 17 points in the second half. They also shot lights out in the period knocking down 61.5 percent of their shots (16-26).

The first half was back-and-forth with both teams taking leads throughout the period. Samford's largest advantage came at the 10:50 mark when a layup by Jones-Gibson gave the Bulldogs a four-point lead. A 7-0 run by the Catamounts late in the first half opened up an 11-point lead for WCU. A pair of Bulldog free throws with 57 seconds left in the period were the final points scored before half as WCU led 35-26.

The second half opened with a bang for the Catamounts as Harrelson made a steal on Samford's opening possession and then knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end to open up a 12-point lead for the Catamounts. The lead would eventually balloon to 21 points when Sinclair knocked down a pair of free throws.

The Bulldogs began a 24-2 run at that point that featured six WCU turnovers and five missed shots. The Bulldogs on the other hand were 3-3 from 3-point range, 4-5 from inside the arc and 7-8 at the free throw line with just one turnover in that span. A jumper by Sinclair ended the run and gave WCU back a one-point lead.

The two teams would trade the lead back-and-forth over the next several possessions. A small 4-0 run by the Catamounts opened up a three-point lead for WCU but the Bulldogs answered four-straight of their own to retake the advantage with 53 seconds left in the game. A nice high-low play by Browning and junior Torrion Brummitt gave WCU back the lead with 41 seconds to play but once again the Bulldogs had the answer with a 3-pointer by Hood.

Browning tied the game at 71 with a nice driving layup with 12 seconds left to play and he was fouled and converted the and-one to make it 72-71 in WCU's favor. Hood once again buried a 3-pointer from the wing with two seconds to play giving Samford a 74-72 lead. WCU's inbounds heave was intercepted by Cunningham and he hit two free throws with a second remaining to seal the victory, 76-72.

The Catamounts will be back in action this Saturday as they host Chattanooga at 4:30 pm. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women. WCU's women's team will take on ETSU at 2 pm in their annual Play 4 Kay game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game.