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Ice Emery vs Truett McConnell
Catamount Athletics Creative Media
64
Truett-McConnell TM 1-1
99
Winner Western Caro. WCU 2-1,0-0 SoCon
Truett-McConnell TM
1-1
64
Final
99
Western Caro. WCU
2-1,0-0 SoCon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Truett-McConnell TM 40 24 64
Western Caro. WCU 49 50 99

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Emery, Three-Ball Propel WCU Past Truett McConnell

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball used a season-high 14 3-pointers led by five from junior guard Ice Emery and a stifling defense that limited Truett McConnel to just 24 points in the second half as the Catamounts picked up the 99-64 victory over the NAIA-member Bears on Wednesday night on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.

Emery paced all players with 24 points off the bench, connecting on 9-of-16 field goals, including 5-of-11 from deep. The junior guard also added four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals to his stat line. Sophomore guard Jamar Livingston chipped in 13 points, including a pair of threes with five rebounds, and redshirt sophomore guard Cord Stansberry rounded out WCU's double-figure scoring with 11.

Western Carolina (2-1) was led on the glass by redshirt junior forward Chase McKey, who made his first start of the season, as he pulled down nine boards and dished out three assists. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell had a team-high three blocks while adding seven points and four rebounds to his stat line.

Counting Wednesday's game as an exhibition, Truett McConnell (1-1) was led by EJ Smith with 18 points, hitting 8-of-15 from the field. Raul Arias-Ortega and Myles McCrary both added 14 points for the Bears.

WCU featured a new starting five on Wednesday, with McKey and junior guard Brandon Morgan making each their first start in a Catamount uniform.

The Catamounts used a pair of early 3-pointers from Stansberry and Morgan to jump on the Bears by the count of 8-4 just three minutes into the first half. WCU was able to stretch the lead to five, 12-7, before a 9-3 run from the guests, giving them a 16-15 lead with 13:25 to play in the opening stanza.

WCU used a balanced scoring attack over the next 4:40, spurring a 10-5 spurt and allowing the hosts to take a 25-21 lead. After a nearly two-minute scoring drought on both sides, Emery helped take over and lead a 9-4 run over the next two minutes, giving WCU the 37-29 lead with 4:08 to play. Truett McConnell whittled the deficit to four, 39-35 before a 10-5 run over the final 2:28 allowed the Catamounts to take the 49-40 lead to the break.

The Bears opened the second half fast, scoring five of the first eight points to cut the deficit to seven, 52-45. However, the Catamounts used a decisive 28-9 run that allowed the lead to swell to 26, 80-54, with 7:50 to play. During the run, the Catamounts were led by nine points from Emery and seven points from Livingston. Truett McConnell cut the deficit to 23 before a 17-5 run over the final five minutes led the Catamounts to a convincing 99-64 win over the Bears.

Western Carolina had another strong night from the field, posting a 51.4 percent, which included a scorching hot 61.3% (19-of-31) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. WCU went 14-of-35 (40%) from behind the 3-point line while adding 13 free throws at a 76.5% rate. On the other end of the court, the Catamounts held Truett McConnell to 37.3 percent while out-rebounding the Bears 50-to-30. The Catamounts had a 44-30 advantage in paint scoring and outscored the Bears 63-6 off the bench, led by 24 from Emery and 13 from Livingston, as all 12 Catamounts scored on Wednesday night.

The Catamounts open up a busy road swing to close out the month of November on Tuesday, Nov. 19th, for a 7 p.m. tip with ACC opposition Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons improved to 4-0 on Wednesday with an 85-80 win over Big South foe USC Upstate. Wake Forest battles Xavier in the Skip Prosser Classic on Saturday before welcoming WCU to Winston Salem.

Next Tuesday's matchup with the Demon Deacons will be shown on ACC Network (paid subscription required). Streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats will be 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).
 
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