CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina had two players finish in double figures but cold shooting in the second half ultimately proved to be the Catamounts' undoing in a 72-47 loss to UNCG Thursday afternoon in the Southern Conference opener for both squads on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
 
UNCG improves to 7-7 and 1-0 while WCU drops to 7-7 and 0-1.

Tyzhaun Claude led WCU with 13 points and was joined in double figures by Vonterius Woolbright with 10 points. Claude snagged a team-best seven rebounds while Woolbright distributed four assists.
 
Mikeal Brown-Jones led four Spartans in double figures with 19 points followed by Bas Leyte with 11. Kobe Langley and Keondre Kennedy both tallied 10 points with Kennedy snagging a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Claude opened the scoring with his first 3-pointer of the season 93 seconds into the game. A layup by Brown-Jones tied the game at 13 with 12:03 left and WCU led 17-15 at the midpoint of the half after Claude completed a three-point play. With the score tied at 27 following a Russell Jones Jr. 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining, the Spartans grabbed the lead again for good on a Brown-Jones dunk with 2:07 to play and led 34-30 at halftime.
 
After a Woolbright layup opened the second half scoring and brought the Catamounts within two, UNCG extended its lead to 40-33 at the under-16 media timeout. The Spartans used a 13-0 run during the middle portions of the half to gain control and held WCU at bay down the stretch.
 
The Spartans finished the game 26-for-53 (49.1 percent) from the field, 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) behind the 3-point line, and 13-for-20 (65 percent) at the free throw line. WCU shot a season-low 20 percent from the field, going 12-for-60. The Catamounts converted seven of 32 (21.9 percent) of their 3-point attempts and were 16-for-24 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line. UNCG held a 44-35 advantage in rebounds.
 
WCU remains at home Saturday, hosting chromatic rival Furman at 4 p.m.
 
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