Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's basketball team hits the midway point of its longest road swing of the season on Saturday afternoon as they face the USC Upstate Spartans in Spartanburg. Tip for WCU's second game of the season against a Big South opponent is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
The Catamounts are 3-1 on the season following a road loss to the ninth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners their last time out. The Spartans enter the weekend at 1-2, but most recently battled to a 60-52 win over South Carolina State in Orangeburg, S.C. The Catamount's third consecutive road game of the 2024-25 slate is the first home game of the season for the Spartans who went 9-4 (3-1 in non-conference play) in the G.B. Hodge Center last season.
Saturday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (3-1) at USC Upstate (1-2)
Nov. 16, 2024 | G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C. | 2 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/3jd6578v
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/njwmxu4b
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Spartans meet on the hardwood for the 18th time in series history with the Purple and Gold holding a slight 9-8 edge. WCU took the first five matchups from 1980-85 before the Spartans strung together three straight before 2000. The series resumed in 2012 with a 63-58 Catamount victory in Spartanburg with the two teams trading wins until Upstate claimed back-to-back wins in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
WCU won the 2022-23 meeting in Spartanburg 58-48 though the Spartans took last year's meeting 73-64 in Cullowhee.
Both teams have already faced competition from the other's respective conferences. The Catamounts battled back for a 55-53 win over Radford in Virginia, overcoming a six-point first quarter to secure the road victory. The Upstate Spartans fell 62-54 on the road to the UNC Greensboro Spartans, currently second in the SoCon standings behind the Catamounts.
Players to Watch:
Sophomore Tyja Beans led the Catamounts in their last game against Oklahoma, posting 16 points and six rebounds in the loss. Beans is one of four Catamounts with 40+ points on the season and is joined in the milestone by transfer AC Carter's team-leading total of 53. That leading duo is followed by Jada Burton and Kehinde Obasuyi's 40-point total.
In last season's meeting with the Spartans, Chelsea Wooten enjoyed a career day after sinking eight 3-pointers to tie WCU's single-game record and erupting for 29 points.
A quartet of Spartans have broken the 20-point barrier through their three games with Jeni Levine leading the charge with 28. She is joined by Rebekah Gordon, as well as Cassie Gallagher and Aubrie Kierscht who have done most of their damage from beyond the 3-point arc this season. As a team, the Spartans are hitting on 37% of their shots early in the season, but have struggled from the charity stripe, only converting 58% of their free throws through three games.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Following Saturday's trip through the South Carolina Upstate, the Catamounts hit the downswing of their six-game road trip. They'll head to Atlanta to face the Georgia State Panthers on Tuesday night for a 6:30 p.m. tip before traveling down I-26 to Clinton, S.C. for a Friday night battle with the Blue Hose.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's basketball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, Catamountwbb).
