Cullowhee, N.C. – The road warrior Western Carolina women's basketball team returns home for the first time since early November as the Catamounts host the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs for Friday's Education Day game. Tip-off on Ingles Court is set for 11 a.m. as local schools look to fill the Ramsey Center.
Friday morning's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
The Catamounts hold a 5-3 record through eight games for the first time since the 2014-15 season, while the Runnin' Bulldogs come into Friday's game with a 2-7 record, most recently falling to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
Friday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (5-3) vs Gardner-Webb (2-7)
Dec. 6, 2024 | Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 11:00 a.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/nsrs639n
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/8c642zsk
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yzx5bwn4
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs have battled it out on the hardwood 14 times in the series history with WCU holding a 10-4 record. However, the Catamounts have dropped the last four matchups with Gardner-Webb as the Boiling Springs representatives have won four straight games in the series dating back to a 2016 matchup in Cullowhee. Most recently, GWU scored an 88-62 decision favoring Gardner-Webb in 2019.
Western Carolina has enjoyed success against Big South opposition this season, going 3-0 with road wins over Radford, USC Upstate, and defending conference champions, Presbyterian. The Southern Conference as a whole boasts a 12-0 record over their fellow regional conference. The Catamounts are the last of two Southern Conference foes for Gardner-Webb, who fell to the ETSU Bucs earlier this season in a low-scoring affair, 44-42, in Boiling Springs.
Players to Watch:
In their last game against the Tennessee Lady Vols, the Catamounts were led by grad transfer AC Carter and senior Jada Burton, who posted 18 points and eight assists, respectively. As a team, the Purple and Gold turned in an efficient shooting percentage of 50%, their second game hitting the milestone and the first since the season opener with Warren Wilson. However, the Catamounts were held to a season-low 40-shot attempts in Knoxville.
Carter was one of two Catamounts to post 20-point efforts in the team's last home game, a 73-72 win over Campbell back on Nov. 7. She was joined in the milestone by Kehinde Obasuyi, who led WCU with 24 points in the victory over the CAA opponent. Burton was the only other Catamount to record double-digit points while Tyja Beans recorded nine rebounds.
Additionally, Gardner-Webb transfer Grace Pack will look to make an impact against her former team. Pack has three starts under her belt for the Catamounts this season and averages 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game despite working her way back onto the court after an injury earlier this season.
Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year Ashley Hawkins leads two Runnin' Bulldogs who average double-digit scoring with 17 points per game. Hawkins has three 20-point performances to date and is joined by Elle Blatchford, who has taken advantage of both volume and efficiency from beyond the arc, hitting on 24-of-48 3-pointers this season. Blatchford has scored in double figures in five consecutive games including a 20-point effort against James Madison.
A second-team preseason All-Big South selection sophomorme guard Anaya Harris has started seven of the eight games in which she has played, averaging 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game with a trio of double-figure outings.
The Runnin' Bulldogs also field three players with at least 40 rebounds on the season as Elze Motekaityte, Maja Rohkohl, and Lauren Bailey have combined 143 of GWU's 318 total rebounds this season.
Gardner-Webb was picked sixth in the nine-team Big South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Following Friday morning's Kids Day tilt, WCU hosts the West Georgia Wolves on Sunday, Dec. 8 to close out the brief homestand. Tip-off with West Georgia is scheduled for 2 pm with the Catamounts taking a brief reprieve before hitting the road once again to face the Queens Royals in Charlotte on Dec. 14.
