ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Tyzhaun Claude led four players in double figures with 15 points and fourth-seeded Western Carolina used a big first half run en route to a 69-57 victory over No. 5 seed ETSU on Saturday afternoon in a Southern Conference quarterfinal at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville.
 
WCU improves to 18-14 overall and advances to face top-seeded Furman in the semifinals on Sunday at 4 p.m. The contest between the Catamounts and Paladins will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Catamount Sports Network audio coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ETSU ends its season at 12-20.
 
WCU supporters are invited to visit Catamount Central at Mellow Mushroom (50 Broadway St, Asheville N.C.) for a pregame get-together beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Claude's 15 points came as he finished 7-for-12 from the field. Bernard Pelote came off the bench to score 14 points and made a team-best four 3-pointers. Tre Jackson also finished with 14 points. Vonterius Woolbright logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive glass.
 
Jalen Haynes scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds for a double-double. Jordan King also finished in double figures with 18 points.
 
With WCU leading 6-4 following a Haynes bucket at the 16:09 mark of the first half, a 3-pointer by Jackson sparked a 14-0 run that put the Catamounts ahead 20-4 with 11:56 to play in the first half. Of WCU's 14 points in this stretch, 12 of them came as a result of three 3-pointers. The Catamounts enjoyed a half-best 17-point advantage, 27-10, following a Jones Jr. 3-pointer with 9:49 remaining. Over the next five minutes, ETSU answered with a 12-4 spurt as the Bucs cut the Catamount lead to nine, 31-22, just before the under-four media timeout. WCU pushed its lead back to 17, 41-24, late in the period and led 41-26 at halftime.
 
The Bucs tallied five points in the first 49 seconds of the second half to pull within 10, 41-31. WCU scored on its next two possessions to extend the lead back to 14 points before the Bucs cut the Catamount lead back to 10, 45-35, with just under 17 minutes to play. WCU went on a 7-0 spurt to lead 52-35 with 13:07 left and enjoyed a game-high 18-point lead, 67-49, with just under five minutes left. ETSU made a late run and pulled within 10 points before Claude closed out the victory with an emphatic dunk.
 
WCU finished 27-for-54 (50 percent) from the field, 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) behind the 3-point line, and 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) at the free throw line. The Catamounts outrebounded ETSU 38-32. ETSU was 20-for-55 (36.4 percent) from the field, 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) on 3-point attempts, and 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) at the free throw line.
 
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