Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina basketball's three-game nonconference road swing continues Saturday evening as the Catamounts visit regional rival Gardner-Webb for a 7 p.m. tip-off against the Runnin' Bulldogs at Paul Porter Arena.
 
Saturday's game is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com. Fans locally can also hear the CSN broadcast on Sylva's 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRCG, The River (wrgc.com).
 
Off to the best start in the program's NCAA Division I era with six-straight wins to open the year, Western Carolina (6-0) plays its first of four-straight opponents out of the Big South Conference. On the line Saturday is a 7-0 start to the schedule for the Catamounts, also looking for the program's longest winning streak since 2012. WCU also enters the weekend just one of 18 remaining teams nationally with unblemished seasonal records.
 
Matchup: Western Carolina (6-0) at Gardner-Webb (3-5) 
Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: Paul Porter Arena (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
Live Stats: GAWB StatBroadcast
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network (click link to listen)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
 
Four Catamounts enter the weekend with double-digit scoring paced by senior guard Vonterius Woolbright, averaging a double-double with 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. The Albany, Ga., product leads the Southern Conference in rebounding and ranks second in scoring through the first six games of the regular season, one of just three players in the league to rank inside the Top 10 in both categories. Woolbright also ranks second in the SoCon with 5.5 assists per game – the only player to rank among the leaders in each of those three stat columns.
 
Woolbright is flanked by backcourt classmate Russell Jones Jr. at 13.6 points per game with sophomore DJ Campbell averaging 13.2 ppg. Senior guard Tre Jackson continued his seasonal rebound, moving into double-figures at 10.3 points per game.
 
The Catamounts are fourth in the league averaging 78.2 points per game and lead the SoCon in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 65.3 points per contest.
 
Gardner-Webb (3-5) is coming off a last-second three-point loss at Queens in the midweek and has suffered defeat in three of its last four games including two in tournament action at the Atlantic Slam in Moncton, New Brunswick. GWU scored a one-point win over Weber State to open the in-season tournament and also had a pair of losses at then nationally-ranked foes Arkansas (86-68) and Baylor (77-62). The Runnin' Bulldogs are perfect at home so far with double-digit blowout wins over Division II foes Erskine (98-58) and Limestone (92-51). WCU represents the first Division I opponent at Paul Porter Arena this season.
 
Led by preseason first-team all-conference selection in senior guard DQ Nicholas, Gardner-Webb was picked fourth in the nine-team Big South after a 15-16 season in 2022-23. Through eight games this season, junior guard Julien Soumaoro and senior guard Caleb Robinson are both averaging 12.8 points per game with Robinson adding a team-best 5.5 rebounds per outing. Nicholas is just below double figures with 9.0 points per outing.
 
WCU and Gardner-Webb meet for the 17th time on the men's basketball hardwood on Saturday with the Catamounts trailing in the series, 6-10 with just a pair of wins in the seven previous meetings held in Boiling Springs. The Catamounts have dropped two straight and the Runnin' Bulldogs winning six of the last eight series meetings.
 
Following Saturday's road date with Gardner-Webb, WCU visits High Point on Tuesday (Dec. 5) with a special Catamount Alumni Central Pregame Party scheduled beginning at 5 p.m. in the Triad.
 
WCU's next home game is Saturday, Dec. 9, with a men's (4 p.m.) and women's (7 p.m.) basketball doubleheader against mountain-rival UNC Asheville. WCU will honor the No. 32 jersey of Catamount men's basketball alum Kevin Martin as his number is enshrined in the rafters of the Ramsey Center.
 
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