Final Stats |   

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's basketball team came into Senior Day needing a win to secure a top-six seed and a first round bye in the upcoming Southern Conference Championship and the Catamounts did not disappoint their home fans as WCU raced past The Citadel Bulldogs, 92-75. The win snapped a season-high five game losing streak for WCU. The Catamounts honored their six seniors plus a three-year senior manager prior to tip-off. Head coach Larry Hunter started five of his six seniors and the move energized the entire Western Carolina team as Devonte Fuller made the first start of his career. The energy level never dropped from tip-off to the final horn as both teams combined to put up 82 3-pointers in the game.

WCU's normal starting five all scored in double-figures in the win led by redshirt senior Deriece Parks who came up one point shy of a career-high with 19 points and tied a career-best with eight rebounds. Parks was the lone Catamount senior not to start the game as coach Hunter trotted out Fuller, Ashley Williams, Charlendez Brooks, Devion Peterson and Haboubacar Mutombo. The quintet played the opening 4:35 of the game before WCU brought in its regular lineup.

The six seniors combined to score 54 of WCU's 92 points with three seniors reaching double-figures. Junior Mike Amius finished just behind Parks in scoring with 16 points while adding seven rebounds. Peterson was next in line with 14 points and a team-high seven assists while junior Marc Gosselin registered his ninth career double-double with 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Williams was the final Catamount in double-figures as he scored 11 points while going 7-of-7 at the charity stripe.

WCU imporved to 11-0 when outrebounding or tying an opponent in rebounding the season as the Catamounts won the battle of the boards 49-47. The Catamounts also forced 19 Bulldog turnovers including 11 on steals which WUC converted in 26 points on the offensive end. WCU turned the ball over 14 times in the game with The Citadel scoring 16 points off the Catamount miscues.

The Catamounts out-shot the Bulldogs 43.2 percent to 33.3 percent. WCU was just 10-of-34 (29.4%) from 3-point range while the Bulldogs nailed 16-of-48 (33.3%) long range attempts in the game.

The Citadel was led by Kaiden Rice who scored a game-high 28 points off the bench while securing seven rebounds. Matt Frierson added 14 points including three 3-pointers while Zane Najdawi added 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out late in the game.

The win secures the No. 6 seed for the Catamounts in the upcoming Southern Conference Championship and a date with the No. 3 seed Furman Saturday, March 3 at 8:30 pm in Asheville, N.C.

The Citadel led by as many as eight points early in the opening half but a 20-2 run by the Catamounts midway through the period reversed that trend and gave WCU a 34-24 lead with 7:13 left. The lead grew to as much as 15 points late in the period but a late 3-point play by The Citadel cut the deficit to 49-37 at the break.

WCU jumped out to a 19-point lead just four minutes into the second half on a layup by Amius. The Citadel then began a 17-4 run which cut the advantage to just six with 12:45 left in the game. An old-fashioned 3-point play by Williams ended the run by the Bulldogs and kept the Catamounts ahead. The lead would hover around the 10-point mark until a quick 7-0 run by the Catamounts opened the margin to 17 points with six minutes remaining in the game. Freshman Matt Halvorsen sparked the spurt with a 3-pointer that was followed by buckets from Parks and Amius. WCU would match its largest lead of the game at 19 with 3:20 left in the game as Peterson nailed a 3-pointer off a Parks assist. The Catamounts cruised from that point on eventually capturing the game 92-75.

The Catamounts will now begin preparations for the 2018 Southern Conference Championship and a rematch with the Furman Paladins. WCU will take on Furman Saturday night at 8:30 pm inside the U.S. Cellular Center. For ticket information contact the Catamount Ticket office by visiting CatamountSports.com or calling (828) 227-2401.