CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior Onno Steger led four Western Carolina players in double figures with 18 points and freshman Travion McCray had a career-high 14 points, but a late Catamount rally fell short in the closing seconds as VMI claimed a 74-71 win at the Ramsey Center on Wednesday night.

VMI led by eight points with 46 seconds remaining in regulation before the Catamounts were able to pull within two as McCray converted a layup after a steal and Steger sank his third 3-pointer of the night. However, VMI converted just enough free throws and Garrett Gilkeson interrupted Mason Faulkner's bid for a would-be game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.

Steger led Western Carolina (16-10, 8-7 Southern Conference) with double figures for the sixth straight game. Reigning SoCon Player of the Week Carlos Dotson tallied his 16^th double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Faulkner finished with 17 points, all coming in the second half.

Freshman Travis Evee led VMI (8-20, 3-12 SoCon) with a game-high 25 points. Jake Stephens finished with 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds while Gilkeson tallied 10 points.

The teams traded 3-pointers in the opening three minutes of the contest before a Steger layup gave WCU its largest lead of the game, 13-9, with 15:47 remaining. The Keydets went ahead 15-13 on a Sean Conway 3-pointer before Steger knotted the score at 15 on the next Catamount possession with 11:39 to play. McCray put the hosts ahead 21-20 on a 3-pointer at the 6:36 mark before Dotson stretched the WCU lead to 26-23 on a bucket with just over four minutes on the clock. VMI battled back, taking a 27-26 edge on a Stephens layup with 3:08 left.  Gilkeson's 3-point play with 34 seconds left in the opening half sent the Keydets into the locker room with a 34-30 halftime lead.

Faulkner's first three points of the night came on a three-point play at the 19:14 mark of the second half that evened the score at 35. After a Faulkner 3-pointer put the Catamounts ahead 40-39 at the 14:31 mark, VMI scored five of the next points as Gilkeson put the Keydets ahead 45-41 just prior to the midway point of the half. Following two Steger free throws that gave WCU a 49-48 edge with 8:32 remaining, VMI answered with five straight points as Louis Tang sank a 3-pointer for a 54-49 advantage just under a minute later.

Stephens gave the Keydets a 62-57 lead with just under four minutes remaining only to have a Faulkner three-point play bring WCU within two, 62-60, at the three-minute mark. VMI pushed its lead to a game-high eight points on two occasions, the second after Evee sank two free throws with 46 seconds left for a 70-62 lead. The Catamounts began their march back with eight of the next 11 points as a Dotson layup with 13 seconds left made the score 71-68 in favor of VMI. After Evee was fouled and hit two free throws on the ensuing VMI possession, Steger hit a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left to bring WCU within two, 73-71. Gilkeson was then fouled and made the second of two free throws as WCU had a chance to tie on its last possession, but the Catamounts were unable to get a shot off before time expired.

VMI went 26-for-54 (48.1 percent) from the field, 13-for-34 (38.2 percent) behind the 3-point line and 9-for-15 (60 percent) at the free throw line. WCU finished 22-for-59 (37.3 percent) from the field, 9-for-30 (30 percent) behind the arc and 18-for-23 (78.3 percent) at the free throw line. The Catamounts outrebounded VMI 37-34.

WCU plays the second of three straight home games on Saturday against The Citadel at 7:30 in the second half of a hoops doubleheader with the women's team. Saturday is Senior Night as Dotson, Steger, Jason McMillan, and Adam Sledd will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance online at catamountsports.com or by phone at 800-34-GOWCU to secure the best seats and avoid lines on game day. 

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