CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior Bernard Pelote and redshirt sophomore Cord Stansberry led the Catamounts offense with 14 points apiece, but Western Carolina couldn't overcome an 18-2 run from visiting USC Upstate out of the halftime locker room as the Spartans claimed the 74-68 win on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Saturday afternoon.
Pelote finished an efficient 5-of-8 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers while Stansberry connected on three of his eight attempts from the floor, including 2-of-4 from deep, and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the foul line. Freshman CJ Hyland continued his strong stretch of action, just missing double figures with nine points and a team-high four assists among WCU's rotation. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell added eight points along with a team-high six rebounds.
The Spartans were led by Brit Harris with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting to pace four players in double figures. Carmelo Adkins added 14 points and a team-high five rebounds. Mister Dean and Karmani Gregory both added 11 points for Upstate, Gregory also dishing out a team-high six assists and a team-best four steals. Breylin Garcia finished with nine points, four rebounds, and five assists.
USC Upstate opened the contest quickly with a five-point burst, but a 12-3 Catamount run, including five from Stansberry and Pelote, allowed WCU to take a 12-8 lead at the 14:50 mark. The Spartans answered with five of the next seven points to cut it to a two-point game, but a 13-6 run from WCU stretched it to an eight-point lead, 27-19, with 8:12 to play.
The guests scored five in a row before a 10-2 run from the Catamounts stretched it to a half-high of 11, 37-26, with 2:10 to play before the break. USC Upstate finished the half on a 5-0 burst, making it 37-31 WCU at the intermission.
Upstate carried the momentum out of the halftime locker room using an 18-2 run over the opening seven minutes to stretch the lead to 49-39 with 12:10 to play. The two teams traded points over the next two minutes to keep the deficit at eight, 53-45 for WCU, before a 6-2 run from the Spartans made it a 59-47 ballgame with 8:24 to play.
Western Carolina used the three-ball from Stansberry, Hyland, and Kell as part of a 9-2 burst to cut a once 12-point deficit in half at 61-56 with 6:40 to play. The guests answered with an 8-4 run, though, that stretched the lead back to nine, 69-60, as both teams struggled to fill up the basket down the stretch. WCU closed on an 8-4 run but was unable to claw all the way back, as the Spartans held on for the 74-68 nonconference win.
Western Carolina posted 44.4% (24-of-54) from the floor with nine 3-pointers on 32.1% shooting from deep. The Catamounts connected on 11-of-16 (68.8%) from the free throw stripe. USC Upstate finished shooting 50% (28-of-56) from the field and connected on four threes, a season-low for a WCU opponent. The Spartans struggled from the foul line, finishing 14-of-22 (63.6%).
USC Upstate won a tight rebounding battle by one, 34-33, as the Spartans pulled down eight offensive rebounds compared to seven by WCU for the difference. The guests committed 13 turnovers, of which the Catamounts turned into six points, while WCU had 19 turnovers, which became 15 points for Upstate. The Spartans controlled the paint by 20, 48-28, including scoring 30 of their 43 second-half points in the paint. USC Upstate also led in fast break points 16-6 as Western Carolina outscored the Spartans bench 23-20.
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 series 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.
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