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Schedule

Full
Marcus Kell at UNC Asheville
Catamount Athletics Creative Media
61
Western Caro. WCU 3-6,0-0 SoCon
78
Winner UNC Asheville AVL 6-4,0-0 Big South
Western Caro. WCU
3-6,0-0 SoCon
61
Final
78
UNC Asheville AVL
6-4,0-0 Big South
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Caro. WCU 33 28 61
UNC Asheville AVL 42 36 78

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

Catamounts Fall in Mountain Rivalry at UNC Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball opened a busy three games in six days on the wrong end of a 78-61 decision to mountain rival UNC Asheville on Saturday afternoon from Kimmel Arena. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell tallied 11 points to lead the way as junior Vernon Collins had 10 for the Catamounts.

Kell was an efficient 4-of-6 from the field, making both his triples and a steal. Collins also had a strong day shooting, going 5-of-6 from the floor with three rebounds and a block. Freshman Fischer Brown added eight points connecting on a pair of triples.

Senior Bernard Pelote pulled down a team-high eight rebounds while also tallying two assists, two steals, and six points. Junior Brandon Morgan dished out a team-high three assists, three rebounds, and five points.

Josh Banks led all players with 21 points as he shot 9-of-13 from the floor, pulled down five rebounds, and dished out a pair of assists. Jordan Marsh had 18 points and added five rebounds, four assists, and five steals for the Bulldogs. Kameron Taylor finished with 13 points, and Toyaz Solomon rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points and five rebounds. Greg Gantt Jr added a game-high nine rebounds along with nine points.

UNC Asheville began the contest on an 8-4 run to seize early control, but the offenses were hot on both sides, as a 7-3 run over the next 1:47 saw the game tied at 11. The Bulldogs inched in front on a free throw before a Marcus Kell triple gave WCU the lead by three. The Bulldogs responded with a 15-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 27-16 lead with 9:53 to play in the half.

The Catamounts went on a brief 5-2 spurt to cut the deficit to eight, 29-21, but Asheville used a 7-2 burst to stretch its lead to 13, 36-23 with 5:28 to play in the half. The Catamounts didn't go away quietly in the half, as a 10-6 run over the final four minutes allowed the game to be cut to 42-33 at the intermission.

WCU opened the second half with a Collins slam off a pass from Emery before the Bulldogs used an 11-4 run over the next three minutes to take a 53-39 lead with 15:27 to play. The Catamounts responded over the next six minutes with a 12-6 run to cut the deficit to eight, 59-51 with 9:40 to play.

UNC Asheville pushed back again with an 11-4 spurt that allowed the hosts to stretch the lead back to 15, 70-55 with 3:44 to play in the contest. WCU rattled off a 6-1 burst but would get no closer as Asheville scored the game's final seven points and claimed the 78-61 nonconference win.

Western Carolina finished with a 39.3% (24-of-61) field goal shooting performance with seven threes on 24.1% shooting from deep. WCU went 6-of-13 from the charity stripe. UNC Asheville posted a 52% (26-of-50) shooting performance from the field, making four threes in the win. The Bulldogs also connected on an efficient 22-of-28 (78.6%).

WCU deadlocked with UNC Asheville on the glass, with both teams pulling down 33 rebounds apiece, with the Catamounts pulling 11 down on the offensive end. Saturday's contest marked the first time in the 2024-25 season that Western Carolina tied its opponents in the rebounding battle.

UNC Asheville committed 14 turnovers, of which the Catamounts turned into 10 points, while WCU had 15 turnovers, which became 24 points for the Bulldogs. The Catamounts outscored the Bulldogs in the paint by eight, 34-26, and outscored the hosts bench 33-22. The Catamounts shut the Bulldogs out on second-chance points by the count of 11-0. UNC Asheville led in fast break points 24-7.  

The Catamounts return to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with a matchup against nationally ranked Tennessee from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Volunteers currently reside in the top spot of both the Associated Press (AP) and the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll with an unblemished 10-0 record after defeating Big 10 foe Illinois 66-64 with a buzzer-beater on the road. 

The game will be shown on SEC Network Plus (paid subscription required), with live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network available on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva and streaming LIVE through CatamountSports.com. Live stats are also 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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