Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina women's basketball team caps off a six-game road swing on Tuesday night when it visits the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Tip-off in Knoxville is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network. Additionally, radio coverage will be provided on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com.
The Catamounts (5-2) are coming off a dominant 71-41 road win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose, while the Lady Vols (4-0) come in with an electric offense, scoring 89 or more points in all four games this season. Tennessee most recently scored 109 in a 16-point win over the Liberty Flames.
Tuesday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (5-2) at Tennessee (4-0)
Nov. 26, 2024 | Food City Center | Knoxville, Tenn. | 7 p.m.
Watch (SEC Network):
https://tinyurl.com/3chh2jab
Live Stats:
https://tinyurl.com/4druzfs6
Listen (CSN):
https://tinyurl.com/8c642zsk
Full Court Press:
Western Carolina and Tennessee share a relatively lengthy series of 20 matchups with both teams claiming 10 wins on the hardwood. The two teams have only played twice in the 21st century with Tennessee winning both the regular season game in the 2008-09 season and the NCAA tournament meeting in 2005. The last Catamount victory over the Lady Vols came in 1976 as the Catamounts defended their home court in a 77-72 battle.
Both teams have already faced an opponent from the other's conference this season as the Catamounts traveled to Norman to face the SEC-newcomer Oklahoma. The Lady Vols opened the season with the Samford Bulldogs. WCU fell on the road to the then ninth-ranked Sooners while Tennessee claimed a 101-53 win over the Bulldogs. The Catamounts hold a 14-28 record over SEC opposition, with 10 of those wins coming against Tennessee.
Players to Watch:
As one of only 41 teams in Division I basketball to play seven or more games already this season, several Catamounts have already earned their stripes in the early weeks of the season.
Jada Burton shined offensively against Presbyterian, recording a career-high 25 points in the road win over the Blue Hose.
Kehinde Obasuyi,
AC Carter, and
Chelsea Wooten have all notched 20-point scoring efforts early this season as well.
Tyja Beans led the Catamounts in their road game with the Sooners, posting 16 points and six rebounds behind an efficient 3-for-5 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. The sophomore Catamount has recorded at least 10 points in five of WCU's seven games this season and has collected at least five rebounds in every outing so far.
Tennessee has the second-leading offense in NCAA basketball entering the week, averaging 97.3 points per game thanks in large part to the efforts of five individuals in Talaysia Cooper, Ruby Whitehorn, Samara Spencer, Jewel Spear, and Zee Spearman. The Lady Vol quintet each average over 10 points per game, with Cooper leading the way with a 19.0 average. As a team, Tennessee is shooting 43.8% this season and force an NCAA-leading mark of 18.8 steals per game.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Following Tuesday's game on "Rocky Top," Western Carolina takes a moment to rest and relax after its six-game road swing before returning home to host Gardner-Webb for Education Day on Friday, Dec 6 (11 a.m.) and the West Georgia Wolves on Sunday, Dec. 8 on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
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).
