CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Behind a 20-point performance by senior Bernard Pelote and Western Carolina's record Education Day attendance of 3,514, the Catamount men's basketball team closed out nonconference play with a 78-69 win over upset-minded NAIA opposition Milligan on Thursday morning from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Pelote led a trio of Catamounts in double figures with a season-best 24 points and was an efficient 8-of-12 from the field, making all four of his 3-pointers and all four from the foul line. He also pulled down nine rebounds for the Catamounts, one of three to slightly miss a double-double. Redshirt sophomore Cord Stansberry added 14 points, connecting on three from beyond the arc, to accompany a career-high seven rebounds. Junior Brandon Morgan rounded out the double-figure scoring for WCU with 12 points, doing most of his work at the foul line where he connected on 7-of-8 to go along with a career-high nine rebounds.
Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell just missed double-figures with nine points and six rebounds.
WCU went an efficient 27-of-30 at the foul line led by Pelote and junior Vernon Collins, both making all four attempts. Morgan was 7-of-8 and Stansberry and junior Ice Emery both finished 3-of-4. It's the second time in the 2024-25 season that the Catamounts have made 90% or higher of their free throws, making 10-of-11 (90.9%) at Wake Forest.
Playing Thursday's game as an exhibition, Milligan was led off the bench by transfer Elijah Bredwood, who tallied 23 points including five 3-pointers to go along with four rebounds. McCaskill Rivers added 13 points, while Handje Tamba had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Luke Lentz rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Buffaloes with 10 points off the bench.
The Catamounts started fast on Thursday, going on a 9-4 run in the opening five minutes led by threes from Morgan and Pelote, giving the hosts an early advantage. Milligan answered with the next nine points over the next three minutes to take a four-point lead with 11:34 to play in the opening half.
WCU used an 8-3 spurt with four players hitting baskets in the next 2:21 to inch in front by one, 17-16 with 8:55 to play before halftime. Milligan answered the run with a 14-5 burst of its own, though, to take an eight-point lead at 30-22 with 3:54 to play before intermission. The two teams traded points down the stretch and gave the Buffaloes a 35-29 halftime lead.
Matching five-point spurts over the opening three minutes of the second half followed by six in a row from the Catamounts that tied the contest at 40 six minutes into the second half. Milligan, however, used a 9-2 run over the next 2:13 to jump in front by seven, 49-42, matching its largest lead of the game. The Catamounts used a 12-4 burst that allowed WCU to take a 54-53 lead with 7:53 to play in the contest.
The teams went back-and-forth over the next 3:37, giving the Buffaloes a one-point lead at 63-62 before WCU used a 12-3 run to jump in front by eight points on the way to gutting out the nine-point victory at 78-69 to close out nonconference play.
Western Carolina finished with a 34.5% (20-of-58) field goal shooting performance with 11 threes on 32.4% shooting from deep. The Catamounts posted a season-best from the foul line, going 27-of-30 (90%) in the contest. Milligan posted a 38.5% (25-of-65) performance from the field, making nine threes and going 10-of-13 at the foul line.
WCU won the rebounding battle by 12, 47-35, led by Pelote and Morgan, who each had nine rebounds. The Catamounts also pulled down 12 offensive rebounds. Western Carolina improved to 4-1 when winning the rebounding battle in the 2024-25 season.
Milligan committed 14 turnovers, of which the Catamounts turned into 16 points, while WCU had 16 turnovers, which became 15 points for the Buffaloes. The guests had a slight edge in bench scoring at 33-26 and outscored WCU in fast break points 20-17.
The Catamounts flip the calendar to 2025 on Wednesday, Jan. 1, opening Southern Conference play on New Year's Day against Furman from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. between the two chromatic rivals in the second game of the three-game homestand. WCU also welcomes Samford to Cullowhee on Jan. 4.
The league-opening game will be shown on ESPN+ (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).
