Cullowhee, N.C. – The Catamount women's basketball team looks to close out the final road swing of the 2024 calendar year on a high note as they face mountain rival UNC Asheville on Saturday (Dec. 21) afternoon. Tip-off at Kimmel Arena is set for 4 p.m. with the game set to air locally on the TheCW 62 and online ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
Additionally, fans can listen to the game on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com with pregame coverage beginning at 3:45 p.m.
Western Carolina (7-5) comes into the game after suffering a road defeat in a high-scoring game with the Murray State Racers back on Thursday. The UNC Asheville Bulldogs (1-10) are still on the hunt for their first Division I win of the season after most recently dropping a close 53-47 game with Southern Conference foe ETSU.
Saturday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (7-5) vs UNC Asheville (1-10)
Dec. 21, 2024 | Kimmel Arena | Asheville, N.C. | 4:00 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/334swkvp
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/mr27hj53
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/8c642zsk
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Bulldogs battle it out on the hardwood for the 61st time in series history, the seventh-longest series in Western Carolina women's basketball history. WCU holds a strong 40-20 lead in the series, but the Bulldogs have won six straight games – and eight of the last 10 overall. The last Catamount victory in Asheville came during the 2014-15 season as WCU claimed a 79-66 win behind a 20-point effort from former Catamount Lindsay Simpson. The Bulldogs have defended their home court relatively well in the series, but still trail in the series 10-18 to the Catamounts in Asheville.
The two teams have one common opponent: the Warren Wilson Owls. Both mountain schools claimed dominant victories over the non-Division I opponent. The Catamounts tied the single-game scoring record in the first game of the season against the Owls with a 119-36 victory, while the Bulldogs took a 98-23 win over WWC.
The Catamounts are 3-1 against Big South schools so far this season, scoring wins over Radford, USC Upstate, and Presbyterian but a loss to Gardner-Webb. UNC Asheville is 0-5 against Southern Conference competition with losses to Mercer, UNC Greensboro, Wofford, Furman, and ETSU. The Bulldogs' average defeat margin in those games is 15.4 points, averaging just 50.6 points per game as a team against the SoCon this season.
Players to Watch:
Graduate transfer AC Carter followed up her first double-double and SoCon Player of the Week Award by posting a second double-dip in the Catamount loss to Murray State. Carter has been a force for the Catamounts offensively this season as the graduate transfer leads the team and the conference in points per game at 14.4. She also leads the conference in total points scored, the only SoCon athlete to record at least 170 this season (173).
Tyja Beans is enjoying a strong start to the season as well. The sophomore is currently seventh in the conference in points per game averaging a dozen 12.0, while also ranking second in rebounds per game (8.7). Beans and Carter have combined for five double-double performances already this season, the most for the Catamounts since recording five in the entirety of the 2021-22 season.
Additionally, Jada Burton leads the SoCon in field goal percentage with a top mark of 64.2%. Burton has contributed both efficiency and production for the Catamounts in the non-conference slate as she averages 10.1 points per game and has recorded 121 points this season.
The Bulldogs are led by Lalmani Simmons and Abigail Wilson, who average 10.5 and 10.3 points per game respectively. Additionally, Wilson leads the team in rebounds with 68 and is the only Bulldog with more than 35 so far this season. Dakota McCaughan has been the sharpshooter for UNC Asheville so far this season as the fifth-year senior has 20 three-pointers for the Bulldogs. She also leads the team in assists with 29, 11 more than Alana Swift who is second with 18.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU heads home for the holidays before returning to the Ramsey Center to host the Southern Wesleyan Warriors on Dec. 30 to close out 2024. They'll then open 2025 with the Montreat Cavaliers on January 2. Both home games are scheduled to tip at 2:00 p.m.
