ATHENS, Ga. – Western Carolina newcomers Tyzhaun Claude and Tre Jackson led the Catamounts with 18 and 17 points, respectively, but a second half charge fell short as WCU dropped the 2022-23 season opener 68-55 at Georgia on Monday night inside Stegeman Coliseum.

Claude tallied 18 points, going 8-for-16 from the field and grabbing seven rebounds. Jackson added 17 points and dished out six assists. Russell Jones Jr swiped five steals and grabbed five rebounds.

Kairo Oquendo led the Bulldogs with 18 points, followed by Frank Anslem with 11. KyeRon Lindsay and Braelen Bridges both pulled down six rebounds.

An Anslem jumper at the 18:40 mark served as the lone basket for the opening four minutes of the game as both teams struggled to get going offensively. Jackson sank a 3-pointer to get the Catamounts on the board at the 14:46 mark before an 11-2 run gave the hosts a 15-5 advantage with just under 12 minutes remaining. The Bulldogs led 21-7 at the midpoint of the opening half and held a game-high 18-point lead, 34-16, with 3:26 left. WCU used a 6-0 spurt to pull within 12, 34-22, with an Oquendo 3-pointer sending Georgia into halftime ahead 37-22.

Following a defensive stand that forced a shot clock violation, a Tyler Harris jumper opened the second half scoring just under a minute into the period. After Oquendo gave the Bulldogs a 40-26 lead at the 17:22 mark, the Catamounts used a 14-2 run capped by a Bernard Pelote 3-pointer to pull within two, 42-40, with 13 minutes to play. Georgia responded, though, with an 8-0 spurt to lead 50-42 at the 10-minute mark before the Catamounts cut the Bulldog lead to 50-46 after a Claude dunk with 8:50 left. WCU would get no closer the rest of the way as the Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to gain separation and maintained a lead that oscillated between eight and 13 points in the waning moments.

For the game, WCU finished 20-for-57 (35.1 percent) from the field while Georgia was 27-for-55 (49.1 percent). The Catamounts forced 21 Bulldog turnovers and converted them into 16 points while Georgia forced 14 WCU turnovers which resulted in 12 points. Georgia held a 42-26 advantage in rebounds.

WCU remains on the road, traveling to Big Ten-foe Maryland on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game can bee seen on the Big Ten Network Plus.

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