CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball remains on the road on Monday as the Catamounts visit Samford for a 3 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Central tip-off. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
 
The Catamounts are 7-4 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon after a 78-76 loss at Mercer on Saturday, which was their first game since Dec. 30 and just their second since Dec. 18. WCU trailed by 21 points late and the first half but rallied to tie the game with just over a minute remaining before the Bears prevailed down the stretch. 
 
Redshirt senior Mason Faulkner led four Catamounts in double figures with 25 points, including a 16-for-18 performance at the free throw line. Junior Kameron Gibson returned to the line for the first time in nearly a full calendar year after recovering from injury finishing with six points in seven minutes of action.
 
Samford is 5-7 overall and 1-4 in league games. The Bulldogs have dropped their last four contests including a pair of back-to-back home games against UNCG on Thursday and Saturday. 
 
Myron Gordon leads three Bulldogs in double figures on the season with an average of 15.6 points per game. Christian Guess is nearly averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Bucky McMillan is in his first season as head coach after spending 13 seasons as head coach at nearby Mountain Brook High School. During his tenure at Mountain Brook, McMillan won 332 games and five state championships.
 
Monday's game is the 26^th all-time meeting with WCU holding a 14-11 advantage. The Catamounts swept the season series in 2019-20 and have won four of the last five meetings in the series, but are 3-9 in games played in Alabama.
 
WCU returns to the Ramsey Center on Wednesday, hosting ETSU at 4 p.m.
 
Catamount Basketball Announces Tip-Times for Rescheduled Games
Western Carolina today also solidified its tip-off times for the pair of rescheduled home Southern Conference games for February in the Ramsey Center. Both games will be played as the frontend of a nontraditional WCU doubleheader shared with the Catamount volleyball team.
 
The Catamounts host The Citadel Bulldogs on Monday, Feb. 1, and the Furman Paladins on Monday, Feb. 15, both games set to tip-off at Noon. Coverage of both games is expected to be on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live streaming audio through the Catamount Sports Network.
 
WCU and the SoCon have yet to announce a make-up date for the postponed meeting with UNCG originally slated for Wed., Jan. 13.
 
WCU's Rescheduled SoCon Men's Basketball Home Games:
Monday, Feb. 1, Noon – The Citadel at Western Carolina (postponed from Jan. 2)
Monday, Feb. 15, Noon – Furman at Western Carolina (postponed from Jan. 6)
TBA – UNCG at Western Carolina (postponed from Jan. 13)
 
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).