CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Junior Cory Hightower scored a season-best 22 points for his sixth double-figure effort of the season, but Furman used a balanced attack to claim a 75-69 win over the Catamounts Saturday afternoon at the Ramsey Center.
 
Hightower went 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 behind the arc for his first 20-plus point game in a Western Carolina (7-9, 0-7 SoCon) uniform. He finished one point shy of tying his collegiate career-high 23 playing for Presbyterian College on Nov. 11, 2019. Just as in that game, Hightower made three 3-pointers on Saturday.
 
Redshirt senior Mason Faulkner finished with 14 points and dished out a game-high seven assists while grabbing eight rebounds. Freshman Tyler McGhie had a career day with nine points.
 
Furman (11-5, 5-2 SoCon) had five players finish in double figures led by Noah Gurley with 17 points. Alex Hunter (16), Mike Bothwell (13), Clay Mounce (13), and Jalen Slawson (12) also tallied double figures. Slawson just missed a double-double as he grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
 
After a Hightower 3-pointer opened the scoring, Furman answered with a 14-0 run capped by a Garrett Hien layup at the 12:29 mark. The Paladin advantage stayed between seven and 10 points until an Ahmir Langlais layup made the score 24-19 in favor of Furman with just over six minutes to play in the half. A McGhie 3-pointer with 67 seconds remaining was the final basket of the frame as Furman led 33-28 at halftime.
 
Following a Bothwell 3-pointer that gave Furman a 38-28 lead, the Catamounts used an 8-0 run to pull within two, 38-36, thanks to a McGhie 3-pointer at the 16:44 mark. The Paladins responded with a 9-2 run, extending their lead to 47-38 with 13:29 remaining after a Slawson layup. Tyler Harris' 3-pointer just past the midpoint of the half brought WCU within three, 53-50, but Furman used a three-point play and a Hunter 3-pointer on their next two possessions to push their lead back to nine points. 
 
Furman's lead wavered between five and nine points for the next seven minutes until a Faulkner 3-pointer brought WCU within four, 71-67, with 1:26 remaining. Gurley added a layup on Furman's next possession to push the Paladin lead back to six as the Catamounts got no closer in the final minute.
 
The Catamounts finished 25-for-61 (41.0 percent) from the field and 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) behind the arc. Furman was 30-for-56 (53.6 percent) from the field and 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) in 3-point attempts. The Paladins held a 33-32 edge in rebounds but outscored Western Carolina 42-26 in the paint.
 
WCU has a short turnaround, hosting The Citadel in a makeup game on Monday at Noon. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with audio on the Catamount Sports Network beginning at 11:30 a.m.
 
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