Charlotte, N.C. -- Led by double-double efforts from AC Carter and Tyja Beans, the Western Carolina women's basketball team cruised to an 82-66 victory over the Queens Royals earlier this afternoon.  
 
WCU is now 7-4 on the season, surpassing last year's win total already, while the Royals fall to 5-5 this season.  
 
The Catamounts shot a season-best 64.2% from the field in their fourth road victory, with Tyja Beans, AC Carter, Jada Burton, and Chelsea Wooten all breaking the double-figure threshold.  
 
Following a defensive stop and a rebound by AC Carter to open the game, Chelsea Wooten got things going offensively for the Catamounts. The sharpshooting Wooten drained the first shot attempt of the day for WCU, giving the visitors an early 3-0 advantage at the 9:34 mark which they would not relinquish the rest of the game.  
 
The Royals fought back, knocking down a three-pointer courtesy of Magda Friere but Jada Burton responded with a layup to give the Catamounts the 5-3 edge. Friere knotted it up at 5 apiece with 6:40 to go in the first before AC Carter drove home a layup to put the Catamounts out in front for good.  
 
WCU closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run thanks to threes by Carter and Grace Pack and a final bucket by Tyja Beans to stretch the lead to 21-10 going into the second. However, the Royals responded with an 11-4 run of their own and eventually cut the Catamount lead to 25-24 with 4:40 to go in the half.  
 
Jada Burton and Zanoria Cruz rallied with three quick buckets to stretch the lead back to seven before Carter and Beans hit a shot each to make it an 11-point game. Queens closed the first 20 on a 6-2 run, split by an AC Carter bucket, to cut the Catamount lead to 37-30 at the half.  
 
Both teams opened the third quarter hot, combining for a 5-7 effort from the field in the first 2:15 quarter. With the lead dwindling to six, Grace Pack kickstarted the Catamount offense with a jumper just under the seven-minute mark. The Catamounts rolled to a 24-12 run to close out the quarter, with the defense holding the Royals to just three made field goals over the final 7:40 of the third. In total, the Catamounts outscored the Royals 30-19 in the quarter to take control of the game.  
 
The fourth quarter saw the Catamount lead grow to as much as 23 after Jada Burton sliced through traffic to record her seventh of eight made shots on the day. With a 76-53 lead with 6:36 to play, the Catamount offense slowed down as the Royals closed out the game on a 13-6 run but WCU held on for the 82-66 win and their third consecutive victory over the Royals. 
 
Catamount Notables:  

• WCU is now 7-4 on the season, surpassing last season's win total in only 11 games 
• The Catamounts shot a season-high 64.2% from the field in the win over Queens. They have shot 50% or better in three games this season. 
• WCU went 8-15 from the perimeter in the win over Queens. They have made at least five three-pointers in nine of their 11 games this season and have hit at least 8 in six games so far. 
• The 30 points scored by the Catamounts in the third quarter are tied for the most in a single quarter this season and the most against a Division I opponent. 
• AC Carter and Tyja Beans both posted double-doubles in the win over Queens. Carter's 16-point/14 rebound double-double is the first of her career while Beans' 19-point/10 rebound effort is her third of the season and her second straight 
• Jada Burton and Chelsea Wooten joined Beans and Carter in double-digit scoring with 16 and 10 points respectively.  The Catamounts have had back-to-back games with at least four double-digit scorers and have had eight games this season with at least three in double figures. 

 
Up Next for The Catamounts 
The Catamounts remain on the road as they head to Murray, Kentucky to face the Murray State Racers on December 19 for a 7:00 p.m. EST/6:00 P.M. CST tip. They'll then head to UNC Asheville on December 21 for a 4:00 p.m. tip before heading out for the holidays.