CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina junior
Cory Hightower scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Catamounts, but WCU dropped an 80-56 decision to Wofford at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center on Saturday afternoon.
Wofford improves to 14-8 overall and 11-5 in the Southern Conference while Western Carolina drops to 9-14 and 2-12.
Hightower went 9-for-17 from the field and made six of seven free throws. The Flint, Mich. native bested his previous career-high of 23 points scored as a student-athlete at Presbyterian College during the 2019-20 season. His previous career-best mark at WCU was 22 points reached against Furman on Jan. 30. Hightower also pulled down six rebounds.
Freshman
Sin'Cere McMahon finished in double figures for the second straight game with 13 points. Sophomore
Xavier Cork grabbed six rebounds and also dished out three assists.
Morgan Safford led five Wofford players in double figures with 14 points. Sam Godwin added 12 points off the bench with Tray Hollowell, Messiah Jones, and Storm Murphy each contributing 11.
The first six minutes of the game featured four lead changes and four ties while the teams within three points. The Terriers broke a 10-10 tie with a 16-2 run capped by a Max Klesmit layup for a 26-12 lead at the 8:10 mark. A McMahon 3-pointer cut the WCU deficit to eight, 29-21 before the Terriers responded with a 10-2 run. Wofford's Ryan Larson sank a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Terriers a 50-27 halftime edge.
Jones opened the second half scoring on a layup eight seconds into the frame. The Terrier lead oscillated between 22 and 30 points for the duration of the second half as a pair of
Daniel Ransom free throws closed out the scoring with 26 seconds remaining.
Wofford finished 33-for-58 (56.9 percent) from the field and made 10 of 25 (40 percent) 3-point attempts. WCU was 20-for-52 (38.5 percent) from the field and 7-for-23 (30.4 percent) behind the arc. Both teams grabbed 30 rebounds.
WCU is back in action on Monday, hosting UNCG at 5 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio available on the Catamount Sports Network beginning at 4:30 p.m.
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).
