CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Sophomore Xavier Cork scored a career-high 23 points and redshirt senior Mason Faulkner tallied 19 points with five assists as Western Carolina defeated VMI 74-72 in Southern Conference action on Wednesday night at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

Tied at 66 in the final 90 seconds of regulation, Cork and Faulkner combined to score WCU's final eight points including a jumper in the lane by Faulkner inside the final 10 seconds and a pair of game-sealing free throws as VMI's Jake Stephens drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to provide the final tally.

Western Carolina improves to 9-11 and 2-9 in SoCon play, halting both a two-game seasonal and two-game series slide against the Keydets while VMI drops to 10-10 overall, 5-6 in league play.

Cork's 23-point performance is one point better than his previous career-best of 22 set against North Carolina A&T earlier this season. The Sulphur Springs, Texas native went 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free throw line. Faulkner's 19 points mark his sixth straight double-digit performance while four of his five assists came on Cork baskets.

Junior Cory Hightower also finished in double figures with 13 points and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Freshman Josh Massey finished one point shy of tying his career-high with five points, sinking his first career 3-pointer in the first half.

Reigning SoCon Player of the Week Jake Stephens and Kamdyn Curfman both led VMI with 17 points. Greg Parham (12),Trey Bonham (11), and Sean Conway (10) also finished in double figures with Conway grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds in the double-double effort.

The opening stages of the game were feast or famine for both teams as VMI opened the game on a 7-0 run before the Catamounts responded with 15-unanswered points to lead 15-7 with 11:13 to play in the low-scoring first half. WCU's eight-point lead was the largest lead by either team in the game. The Keydets battled back, tying the game at 25 on a Curfman 3-pointer with 3:49 remaining. Another Curfman trey with 1:11 remaining sent VMI into halftime with a 28-27 lead.

Cork's layup 16 seconds into the second half opened the frame as neither team led by more than four points until Bonham's 3-pointer gave the visitors a 53-48 advantage at the 9:24 mark. WCU didn't back down, tying the game at 55 on a Cork jumper at the 7:45 mark and taking a 64-59 lead thanks to a Hightower layup with 4:30 remaining.

Cork gave the Catamounts the lead for good with a jumper inside the final 90 seconds. Following a VMI turnover, Faulkner drove to the hoop for a 70-66 lead with 43 seconds left. Curfman drained a long 3-pointer to bring the Keydets within one, 70-69. Unphased, Faulkner's driving layup with eight seconds left gave the Catamounts a three-point lead.

With fouls to give, WCU fouled Curfman with three seconds left to send the Keydets to the free throw line instead of allowing a chance at a game-tying shot. Curfman missed the front end of the 1-and-1 free throw opportunity and Faulkner grabbed the rebound before being fouled and hitting two free throws to salt away the win. Stephens made a long 3-pointer as time expired for the game's final score.

The Catamounts finished 28-for-62 (45.2 percent) from the field. WCU made only five of 21 (23.8 percent) 3-point attempts but went 13-for-17 at the free throw line. VMI finished 28-for-63 (44.4 percent) from the field and made 12 of 31 (38.7 percent) of its 3-point attempts, but only made four of nine (44.4 percent) of its free throws. The Catamounts held a 38-35 edge in rebounds.

WCU hits the road for the next two games beginning with a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday at Furman. The game was originally slated for a Noon tip-off at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., but was moved back to campus because of the pandemic. The broadcast will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio on the Catamount Sports Network beginning at 1:30 p.m.

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