CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Junior Cory Hightower led four Western Carolina players in double figures with 19 points, but the Catamounts suffered their first seasonal loss in overtime on Wednesday night as Chattanooga rallied from a late 12-point deficit to upend WCU 89-81 at McKenzie Arena.
 
Chattanooga improved to 18-5 overall and 9-5 in Southern Conference games with it's sixth-straight victory while the Catamounts drop to 9-13 and 2-11 in league play. WCU had won four times previously in games that needed an extra session.
 
Hightower's 19-point performance marks his 11^th double-figure scoring output in 14 games and is just shy of his season-high of 22 points. Senior Matt Halvorsen contributed 17 points as he went 5-for-14 from the field with five 3-pointers. Freshman Sin'Cere McMahon scored 15 points, 11 of which came in the first half, while sophomore Xavier Cork added 14 points. Cork logged his third career double-double after grabbing 12 rebounds.
 
Stefan Kenic scored a game-high 29 points, aided by a 7-for-7 performance behind the 3-point arc, to lead Chattanooga. Malachi Smith added 20 points while David Jean-Baptiste and Darius Banks both scored 12. KC Hankton pulled down 12 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive glass.
 
The teams struggled to gain separation in the opening stages of the game with the score remaining within three points. After a Smith free throw at the 14:14 mark brought the hosts within one, 13-12, the Catamounts used a 14-4 run for a 27-16 lead at the midpoint of the half. Over the next seven minutes, WCU's lead was no fewer than five points until a Caldwell layup at the 2:01 mark. WCU took a 44-39 lead into halftime after making eight of 14 3-point attempts in the opening stanza.
 
Chattanooga opened the second half on a 6-0 spurt for a 45-44 lead following two Banks free throws with 18:42 remaining. A Smith layup gave the hosts a 54-51 lead with just under 15 minutes left before the Catamounts tallied six straight free throws for a 57-54 advantage with 11:49 left.
 
Holding a 63-61 lead, WCU went on a 12-2 run for a 75-63 advantage after a Cork jumper with 4:09 remaining in regulation. Chattanooga wouldn't go quietly, though, storming back using a 12-0 run to tie the game at 75 with 17 seconds left in regulation. Cork's go-ahead basket was rejected by Hankton in the waning seconds and the Mocs corralled the rebound to send the game into overtime.
 
A pair of Jean-Baptiste free throws opened the overtime scoring before WCU edged ahead 81-77 halfway through the five-minute period. The Mocs took the lead for good on a Hankton 3-pointer with 96 seconds remaining and added six points in the final 44 seconds to secure the victory.
 
WCU outrebounded Chattanooga 42-36. The Catamounts finished the game 28-for-65 (43.1 percent) from the field, 10-for-26 (38.5 percent) behind the 3-point line, and 15-for-19 (78.5 percent) at the free throw line. The Mocs were 30-for-68 (44.1 percent) from the field, 12-for-34 (35.3 percent) behind the arc, and 17-for-19 (89.5 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
The Catamounts begin a two-game homestand on Saturday, hosting Wofford at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
 
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