Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina women's basketball team is looking to get back in the win column tomorrow afternoon as they prepare to host a surging West Georgia Wolves team. The Catamounts (5-4) are coming off a home loss to Gardner-Webb while West Georgia (4-3) comes in on a four-game winning streak, most recently downing UNC Wilmington 70-66 on the road.
Sunday afternoon'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.
Sunday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (5-4) vs West Georgia (4-3)
Dec. 8, 2024 | Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 2:00 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/mryf298n
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/8c642zsk
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yzx5bwn4
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Wolves meet for the first time in program history as West Georgia is one of two newly elevated Division I programs for the 2024-25 season. West Georgia will be the first of two back-to-back ASun opponents for Western Carolina, as the Catamounts face the Queens Royals in Charlotte next Saturday. West Georgia was tabbed to finish 12th in the ASun in the preseason coaches' poll and 11th in the preseason media poll, garnering a bit more favor than the Royals in the latter.
Both teams faced and fell to the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs this season. West Georgia dropped their season opener in Boiling Springs in a close 67-63 decision in favor of GWU while the Catamounts scrapped together a strong finish in Cullowhee, but Gardner-Webb held on for the 73-65 victory. The Wolves and the Catamounts scored 26 points against the Runnin' Bulldogs in the first half, with 13 points evenly distributed in the first and second quarters though neither team was able to complete the comeback despite a 19-point fourth quarter for West Georgia and a 25-point fourth for the Catamounts.
Players to Watch:
Despite a sluggish start to the game, AC Carter finished as the Catamount's leading scorer thanks to a dominant 14-point fourth quarter against Gardner-Webb. The Georgia Tech transfer finished 7-18 and 2-7 from the perimeter and collected seven shots off the glass in the loss.
Tyja Beans was dominant as usual on the boards, racking up a career-high total of 16 (9 offensive, 7 defensive) against the Runnin' Bulldogs. However, the talented sophomore was credited with seven of WCU's 16 turnovers in the loss, a number head coach Jonathan Tsipis and staff will look to limit in Sunday's showing against the Wolves.
In the Catamount's last win, a 71-41 decision over the Presbyterian Blue Hose, Carter, Beans, Zanoria Cruz, and Jada Burton all recorded double-figure scoring performances with Burton rolling to a career-high figure of 25 points. WCU has seen at least three double-figure scorers in all five wins so far this season.
West Georgia is led in offensive volume by 5-7 senior Zuriyah Davis, who has posted a 35-92 mark from the floor and a 15-53 figure from beyond the arc this season. Her 13.4 points per game average leads the team but is followed closely by senior K'Nari Holliday's 10.7 ppg average and freshman Destiny Jones's 10.4 ppg. Jones is one of only two freshmen on West Georgia's roster in their inaugural Division I season and has started all seven games of the season alongside Davis.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts have finals week off before heading to Charlotte to face the Queens Royals on Saturday, December 14. Tip is scheduled for 2:00 that afternoon. They'll then head west to face the Murray State Racers on December 19 at 6:00 p.m.
