Final Stats

NIAGARA, N.Y. - Playing in the 2017 Barclays Center Classic, the Western Carolina men’s basketball team saw a single-digit deficit explode to nearly 30 points late in the second half against the Mavericks of UT Arlington. UTA boasts a pair of 7-foot plus centers on its squad which gave WCU trouble most of the night inside the paint. The Catamounts tried to overcome the inside presence with a flurry of 3-pointers but late in the contest a number of offensive rebounds and put backs cost the Catamounts. The Mavericks pulled away for a 89-65 victory which puts them in a championship showdown with host Niagara University while the Catamounts will face Alabama A&M in the consolation contest.

The Mavericks improved to 3-1 on the season with their lone loss being a two-point setback against nationally-ranked Alabama. The Catamounts dropped to 1-5.

Freshman Matt Halvorsen once again led the Catamounts with 16 points, 13 of which came in the opening 20 minutes. The rookie knocked down four 3-pointers and also dished out a team-high four assists. Senior Devin Peterson was the only other Catamount in double-figures and finished with 13 points and three assists. The Milton, Ga., native also added a team-high three steals.

Senior Deriece Parks flirted with double-figures as he finished with eight points and three rebounds. Junior Mike Amius dealt with foul trouble throughout the game and eventually fouled out with seven points and six rebounds in just 13 minutes of action.

Junior Marc Gosselin led the Catamounts on the boards as he snared seven including four on the offensive end. He also added five points and three assists to his totals.

The Mavericks placed four scorers in double-figures including their seven foot graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, Johnny Hamilton, who finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.

UTA shot 55.0 percent from the field and 81.0 percent at the free throw line while the Catamounts struggled at 35.5 percent from the field and 55.6 percent at the charity stripe. The Mavericks outscored the Catamounts 52-16 in the paint and held a 46-27 advantage on the boards.

The Catamounts quickly fell behind 13-2 over the opening five minutes of the contest but a 3-pointer from Halvorsen ended the slide and began a WCU comeback which would eventually cut the lead to two with 12:56 remaining in the opening half. The Catamounts kept the contest close but could never tie or take the lead. A 3-pointer by sophomore Onno Steger with 2:08 left in the period cut the deficit to just four but the Mavericks responded with a jumper on their very next possession. Neither team scored for the next minute and a half until a free throw by Halvorsen with six seconds left marked the final tally of the period at 46-41.

After a quick 4-0 spurt by the Mavericks to open the second half, the Catamounts went on an 8-0 run, which featured three points from both Amius and Gosselin, to cut the deficit to just one with 16:38 left in the game. The run motivated UTA’s head coach Scott Cross to remove all five starters from the game and replace them with five players off the bench. Walk-on guard Scott Muirhead would end WCU’s run with a 3-pointer. Peterson immediately answered with a layup to once again cut the lead to a single possession.

Peterson’s basket sparked a 7-0 run by UTA to reopen a nine point advantage. Halvorsen put a stop to the run with his lone 3-pointer of the second half with just over 10 minutes to play. Gosselin then cut the lead to four with a pair of free throws at the 9:42 mark. Following the two charity stripe points, WCU would score just four points over the next 8:32 as UTA went on a 26-4 run to blow the game open. A layup by Desmond Johnson with 1:10 remaining was WCU’s first points since the 8:04 mark of the period, a 7:06 scoring drought. Johnson would add three more free throws in the final minute of play as the Catamounts fell 89-65.

WCU will now face winless Alabama A&M on Saturday at 4 pm in the consolation game of the 2017 Barclays Center Classic Campus Round in Niagara, N.Y.