Cullowhee, N.C. – Coming off of an 86-74 victory over Bellarmine as part of the ASUN-Southern Conference Challenge on Wednesday night, Western Carolina men's basketball looks to continue its winning ways with a matchup against USC Upstate out of the Big South Conference on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center is set for 3 p.m.
 
Saturday's tilt between the Catamounts and Spartans will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats are available at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also listen to the game locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC, "The River" in Sylva (www.wrgc.com).
 
Advance tickets for Saturday afternoon's game as well as season tickets for Western Carolina's men's and women's basketball are available online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
 
Matchup: USC Upstate (3-8) vs Western Carolina (3-4)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7
Time: 3 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats:  Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
 
About Western Carolina:
Western Carolina opened the month of December in style on Wednesday night, riding a 36-10 run over 11 minutes to close the first half and begin the second 20 minutes to pick up the 86-74 victory over the visiting Bellarmine Knights. The Catamounts improved to 3-0 at home and have tallied wins in each of their last seven matchups inside the Ramsey Center, with the last loss coming on Jan. 31, 2024, in a SoCon matchup with Chattanooga by the score of 91-85.
 
In the win, redshirt sophomore guard Cord Stansberry led four Catamounts in double figures with a career-high 24 points including four made 3-pointers. Junior guard Ice Emery added 17 points with three from beyond the arc alone. Freshman guard CJ Hyland and senior Bernard Pelote rounded out WCU's double-digit scorers with a career-high 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Pelote led the squad with a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Hyland continues to rack up the numbers in recent games after his career-best 12 points this week were preceded by a career-high five rebounds and six assists at nationally-ranked Marquette. In his past five games, the Loganville, Ga. native is averaging 7.8 points per game on 14-of-31 (45.2%) shooting, along with going 5-of-12 (41.7%) from beyond the arc. Hyland is also averaging 2.4 assists per game and a steal per contest.
 
WCU has been well-tested to begin the 2024-25 season, the first under veteran head coach Tim Craft. Per the NET strength of schedule (SOS) rankings released for the first time this season on Monday, the Catamounts have played the 36th toughest schedule, with the next highest SoCon team in the latest ranking being Wofford at 143. The Catamounts are one of only two teams in the league to have played multiple quadrant one games, battling Marquette and Florida State, with UNCG facing SMU and Indiana.
 
Western Carolina has averaged a SoCon-best 41.9 rebounds per game over the first seven games of the year, led by Pelote at 8.0 per game. He ranks second in the SoCon and tops the league with 6.33 defensive rebounds per outing. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell sits in a tie for sixth in the conference, averaging 2.3 offensive rebounds per game, while Stansberry is ninth in defensive rebounds per contest at 4.3.
 
Junior Vernon Collins leads the Catamounts with eight blocks, sitting in a tie for fifth, followed closely by Kell with seven rejections in a tie for seventh as Western Carolina enters play on Saturday fourth in the league, averaging three blocks per game. 
 
Scouting the Opposition:
USC Upstate enters play on Saturday afternoon with a 3-8 record after earning the 91-60 win over NCAA-D3 opposition Brevard on Wednesday night. The Spartans snapped a four-game skid with the win over the Tornadoes. Much like WCU, Upstate has played stiff competition to begin the 2024-25 season, including ACC foes N.C. State, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech, along with Big 10 opposition, Iowa.
 
Freshman guard Mister Dean leads the Spartans, averaging 16.2 points per game. He's eclipsed 20 points in four games to begin his collegiate career, ranking second in the Big South. Dean is second in the conference at 64.4% field goal shooting and among the national leaders. He has also garnered Freshman of the Week honors from the Big South twice. Dean also leads Upstate with 5.9 rebounds per game, including 19 on the offensive glass.
 
Junior guard Britt Harris enters averaging 11.2 points per contest, shooting 50.0% (43-of-86) from the floor, while redshirt sophomore guard Karmani Gregory checks in averaging 10.8 points per game followed by freshman guard Carmelo Adkins with an average of 10.3. Adkins leads the Spartans from deep, connecting on 17 3-pointers, and has been honored with a Freshman of the Week award in the early season. He is followed by redshirt junior transfer Andrew McConnell with 14 triples. Harris has made 93 percent - 25-of-27 from the free throw line.
 
USC Upstate, under first-year head coach Marty Richter, was tabbed ninth in the nine-team Big South Preseason Poll. The Spartans finished the 2023-24 season with a 10-20 record, including a 5-11 mark in league play.
 
Series History:
Saturday's matinee with the Spartans marks the fifth all-time meeting in the two schools' histories and the fourth straight season the programs have met. The series stands tied at two wins and two losses apiece as the Catamounts earned the 70-53 victory last year in Spartanburg to even the series. Tre Jackson led Western Carolina with 17 points as Vonterius Woolbright tallied 15 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists.
 
Only two players – WCU's Bernard Pelote and Upstate's CJ Rich – played in last year's meeting in Spartanburg. Pelote scored two points and pulled down four rebounds in the winning effort.
 
The Catamounts look to tally their first win over the Spartans in Cullowhee, as the only two wins in the series have occurred in Spartanburg.
 
Up Next for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts are off for a week as finals week commences before returning to the hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 14, with a matchup against mountain-rival UNC Asheville at Kimmel Arena in Asheville. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. as the Catamounts look for back-to-back wins after a 78-63 triumph in Cullowhee last season.
 
The 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).