CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball returns to the hardwood at 7 p.m. Tuesday welcoming Tennessee Tech after taking a nine-day break for finals. 
 
AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CATAMOUNTS:

• Western Carolina and Tennessee Tech meet for the eighth time on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The Golden Eagles have won the last two meetings including a 77-58 victory in Cookeville on Nov. 19, 2018. The Catamounts' two wins over Tennessee Tech came away from the Ramsey Center. WCU's first win over TTU came thousands of miles away at the Hawaii Classic with a 74-61 win on Dec. 17, 2007 - exactly 12 years ago. WCU's last win came on Nov. 26, 2011, with a 61-58 thriller in Cookeville. 
•  Redshirt junior guard Lauren LaPlant earned her degree on Saturday, Dec. 14 during Western Carolina University's fall commencement. She will begin graduate school at Western Carolina in January. 
•  The awards keep coming for sophomore guard Jewel Smalls. On Dec. 11, Smalls was named SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week carrying a 3.36 GPA. It marks the fourth honor from the conference this season which also includes a pair of SoCon Player of the Week awards (Dec. Nov. 19 and Dec. 3) as well as SoCon Player of the Month for November. 
•  In the 2018-19 season, Western Carolina scored 60 or more points in eight of its 30 games. Already in the 2019-20 campaign, the Catamounts have scored 60 or more points in five of the first 11 games on the year. 
•  Overall the last three games, for which the Catamounts have scored 60 or more points, WCU is averaging 64 points per game, shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the three-point arc. In those three games, Jewel Smalls is averaging 21 points per game. 

 
 
AN INSIDE LOOK TENNESSEE TECH:

• Just like Western Carolina, Tennessee Tech is coming off a long break. The Golden Eagles have been on a break from playing games since Dec. 6. 
• Tennessee Tech has lost three of its last five games with losses to Middle Tennessee, Northern Illinois, and Vanderbilt. 
•  The Golden Eagles tussled with one SoCon member already defeating Samford in Birmingham, Ala. 72-57 Nov. 24. 
•  Tennessee Tech has two players averaging in double figures led by Kesha Brady's 16 points per game. She is followed by Mackenzie Coleman's 10.9 points per game. 

 
For all the updates on Catamount women's basketball follow @catamounts (Twitter) for in-game updates and full recaps please follow or go to www.catamountsports.com.