GREENSBORO, N.C. – Senior
Matt Halvorsen scored a team-best 23 points and sophomore
Xavier Cork tallied his second career double-double as Western Carolina survived a furious North Carolina A&T second-half rally in a 104-98 overtime victory on Saturday afternoon at the Corbett Sports Center.
With its fifth straight win, the Catamounts improve to 6-1 while the Aggies drop to 2-7. Of Western Carolina's six wins, three have come in overtime. It is the first time the Catamounts have had three overtime wins in a season since the 2013-14 campaign.
Halvorsen tallied 23 points, including a career-best seven 3-pointers, as he surpassed the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season. Cork tied a career-high with 22 points and pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds. Redshirt senior
Mason Faulkner contributed 20 points, with
Tyler Harris (19) and
Travion McCray (11) also finishing in double figures.
Quentin Jones paced the Aggies with 27 points followed by Kameron Langley with 20 points. Langley just missed a triple-double as he had 16 assists and nine rebounds.
The Catamounts opened the game on a 7-2 run thanks to a pair of Cork layups and a Halvorsen 3-pointer just over two minutes into the game. The Aggies trimmed the WCU lead to one, 13-12, thanks to a 3-pointer by Morrice with 14:11 to play. Harris answered with a three-point play for a 16-12 lead before the Aggies took their first lead of the game, 17-16, thanks to a Kwe Parker 3-pointer with 12:48 remaining. After North Carolina A&T took a 22-19 lead with 9:38 remaining, the Catamounts went on a 27-4 run capped by a
Josh Massey layup at the 3:17 mark to lead 46-26. The Aggies closed the half on a 10-2 run as the Catamounts led 48-36 at halftime.
A Halvorsen 3-pointer at the 17:53 mark of the second half pushed the WCU lead to 57-44 before a Langley layup brought the hosts within three, 63-60, with just over 11 minutes remaining. WCU answered with a 17-5 push with a jumper by Faulkner giving WCU an 80-65 lead at the 7:22 mark. The Aggies made one final charge, using a 22-7 run to tie the game at 87 on a Langley layup with 87 seconds to play. After both teams made one of two free throw attempts, WCU had the ball with 17 seconds left but a tightened Aggie defense didn't allow the Catamounts to take a clear shot as the teams ended regulation tied at 88.
Tied at 91 in overtime, McCray's layup with 2:11 remaining put the Catamounts ahead for good as the Aggies pulled within a point on three occasions but could never tie or regain the lead. Three free throws by WCU in the final 23 seconds secured the win. Senior
Marcus Thomas, who didn't play during regulation, came on in the extra session after a foul out and scored a team-best five points during the overtime period.
The Catamounts dominated the inside game, outscoring the Aggies 56-38 in the paint. Both teams grabbed 40 rebounds. WCU went 39-for-67 (58.2 percent) from the field while the Aggies finished 35-for-72 (48.6 percent).
WCU remains on the road Tuesday, traveling to VCU for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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