CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Sophomore Travion McCray scored a career-best 26 points as Western Carolina held off Newberry 91-84 in nonconference action at the Ramsey Center on Thursday night.
 
Western Carolina improves to 4-1 with the victory. It marks the best start for the Catamounts through the first five games since going 4-1 to open the 2009-10 season. The game was considered an exhibition for NCAA Division II-member Newberry.
 
McCray eclipsed his previous career-best of 15 with 26 points as he went 9-for-13 from the field, 3-for-6 behind the arc, and 5-for-5 at the free throw line.  McCray also had six assists. Sophomore Xavier Cork finished one rebound shy of his second straight double-double with 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Cork also swatted a career-high five blocks. 
 
Freshman Sin'Cere McMahon tallied 14 points with senior Matt Halvorsen finishing in double figures with 12.
 
Marcus Ford led Newberry with a game-best 27 points. Quandaveon McCollum (13), TJ Brown (12), and Tai Giger (11) also finished in double figures for the upset-minded Wolves.
 
Newberry jumped out to an 8-3 lead after a Ford 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game before a 14-0 run capped by a pair of Cork free throws gave WCU a 17-8 lead with 14:38 remaining. WCU extended its lead to a game-high 10 points, 20-10, following a McCray 3-pointer at the 14:06 mark only to see the Wolves even the game at 29 after a Ford layup with 7:45 left before intermission.
 
A Tyler Harris 3-pointer put the Catamounts ahead 41-37 at the 3:43 mark but Ford hit a 3-pointer late to send the Catamounts into halftime with a 45-42 lead.
 
Newberry opened the second half on a 9-2 run, claiming a 51-47 advantage with just over 17 minutes to play. The Catamounts battled back over the next five minutes as McCray evened the contest at 58 with 12:21 to go. Harris' 3-pointer with 7:57 remaining put the Catamounts ahead 74-69, but the Wolves pulled within one, 76-75, on a McCollum 3-pointer at the 6:10 mark. On the next WCU possession, McMahon answered with a layup and the Catamounts grabbed a defensive rebound with Halvorsen draining a 3-pointer with just over five minutes for an 81-75 Catamount lead. Newberry would get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
 
WCU shot a blistering 62.5 percent from the field (30-for-48) for the game, the highest field goal shooting percentage in a game for the Catamounts in the Mark Prosser era. The Catamounts were 11-for-20 (55.0) behind the arc and 20-for-25 (80 percent) at the free throw line. Newberry finished 33-for-72 (45.8 percent) from the field, 16-for-27 (59.3 percent) on 3-point attempts, and made both of their free throw opportunities. The Catamounts held a 32-27 edge on the glass.
 
The Catamounts close out their three-game homestand on Sunday, hosting Tennessee Tech at Noon. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) and audio available on the Catamount Sports Network.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount basketball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountMBB).