Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball takes to its home court on Wednesday for the final time in November as the Catamounts host NAIA foe Truett McConnell (2-1). Tip-off on Wednesday is set for 7 p.m. from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network (6:30 p.m. air time) and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: Truett McConnell (2-1) vs Western Carolina (1-1)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 13
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network (click link to listen)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts return home looking to rebound after a 67-54 defeat last Friday at Queens University in the opening contest of the ASUN-SoCon Challenge. WCU was led by senior Bernard Pelote who finished with a team-high 15 points and matched his collegiate best with 16 rebounds. Princeton transfer Vernon Collins had the best outing of his career with 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, adding a career-best four blocked shots. Junior Ice Emery chipped in with nine points, while opening-night star redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell had eight points and a pair of blocks.
In the contest, the Catamounts had another strong night on the glass with 47 rebounds including 12 on the offensive glass. WCU enters Wednesday's tilt ranked third in the nation with 38.0 defensive rebounds per contest. As a team, the Catamounts are eighth nationally averaging 49.5 rebounds per game. Pelote leads the Catamounts on the defensive glass ranking third with 10.0 defensive boards per game. He's also 10th nationally with 12.0 total rebounds per game.
Scouting the Opposition:
Truett McConnell is a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). They are joined in the AAC by Pikeville (Ky.), Columbia International, Johnson, Montreat, Columbia, MIlligan, Reinhardt, Tennessee Wesleyan, Union Commonwealth, Bryan, Bluefield, St. Andrews, and Kentucky Christian.
Truett McConnell (2-1) comes into Wednesday's tilt off of a tight 82-79 victory over LaGrange College. The Bears also claimed a 12-point win over Toccoa Falls to open the 2024-25 season with a loss to Life University sandwiched in between those two victories. Truett McConnell advanced to the second round of the AAC Tournament before falling to Pikeville a season ago.
Graduate student Myles McCrary leads Truett McConnell averaging 19.0 points per game over three games with 26 points in the opener at Toccoa Falls. McCrary also been strong on the glass averaging 7.7 rebounds per game for the Bears. Fifth-year senior EJ Smith averaged 17.3 points per game including 23 points in their opener. Senior Raul Arias-Ortega added 11 points per game along with five rebounds per contest.
Truett McConnell was tabbed ninth in the 14-team AAC preseason poll.
Series History:
Western Carolina and Truett McConnell have never met on the men's basketball hardwood in either school's history. The Catamounts look to start 2-0 at home for the second straight season and three of the past four years on Wednesday. The 2023-24 season saw WCU win its first seven at home before falling to Samford in mid-January.
The Catamounts open up a busy road swing to close out the month of November on Tues., Nov. 19th for a 7 p.m. tip with ACC opposition Wake Forest. Next Tuesday's matchup with the Demon Deacons will be shown on ACC Network (paid subscription required), with streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).
