Cullowhee, N.C. – Tremendous individual efforts by Zanoria Cruz, AC Carter, and Tyja Beans pushed Western Carolina down the stretch as the Catamounts claimed an 81-76 overtime victory over West Georgia on Sunday afternoon on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU withstood a strong fourth quarter rally by the Wolves as a second-half lead evaporated then outscored UWG by five, 11-6, in the extra session for the win in the first-ever meeting.
The win was the first overtime game of the season for the Catamounts and their first since an 81-74 double overtime loss to ETSU in 2022-23. WCU's OT victory was its first since first since a 68-64 win over USC Upstate in 2018. The win also halted a brief two-game slide for WCU while also halting UWG's four-game winning streak.
Cruz led the trio of Catamounts in double figures with 19 points including six in overtime, followed by Carter with 17 and Tyja Beans with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds with a pair of blocks. Chelsea Wooten just missed double figures with nine points and a trio of assists.
Destiny Jones led West Georgia with a game-high 24 points adding six rebounds while Zuriyah Davis finished with 14 points including four 3-pointers. Mykah Anderson scored nine points with seven rebounds and five assists.
With Western Carolina (6-4) carrying a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter, West Georgia mounted a final-frame rally that knotted the game at 68 with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Jones converted an Anderson steal as the fastbreak bucket tied the game. On the ensuing possession, Carter connected on a pair of free throws to go up 70-68.
Another Anderson takeaway led to Sydne Tolbert tying the game at 70 with a layup. The Catamounts were unable to convert on the offensive end with West Georgia gaining the final possession of the second half. With just three seconds showing, Tolbert tried a lay-up that hit the front iron forcing the extra season.
Despite WCU outscoring the Wolves in four of the five periods on Sunday, West Georgia outscored the Catamounts 22-to-7 in the fourth that enabled the tying rally.
In the extra session, consecutive buckets by Carter and Cruz built a four-point lead as the Catamounts never trailed after regulation. UWG's Davis rattled home a 3-pointer to cut the margin to one, 76-75, with two and a half minutes remaining but would prove to be as close as the Wolves would get. Cruz converted three free throws inside the final minute to ice the victory.
On Sunday, the red-hot Wolves wasted no time trying to continue their four-game winning streak as Davis drained a 3-pointer within the first 10 seconds of the opening quarter. Amanda Blake added to the early lead after going 1-2 from the charity stripe before Beans put the first points on the board for the Catamounts with 8:51 to go in the first. Kehinde Obasuyi gave WCU its first lead of the game at 5:12, drilling a long three to put the Catamounts ahead 10-9 going into the media timeout.
The two teams combined to go 7-for-11 down the stretch in the first 10 minutes, though the Catamounts held onto a tight 19-18 lead going into the second quarter.
West Georgia's Grace O'Gara knotted the game at 22-all with 8:22 to go in the second quarter before WCU sprinted out on a 10-0 run to take a 32-22 advantage with three minutes remaining in the half. UWG stepped up late in the half, outscoring the Catamounts 11-to-3 to close out the second quarter with a 35-33 score in favor of Western Carolina.
WCU fired on all cylinders in the third quarter, shooting a game-high 63% from the floor as a team and downing three 3-pointers in a 28-point frame. The Catamount lead ballooned as large as 19 points following a Grace Pack three with 1:53 to go, though a late flurry by West Georgia cut it to 15 going into the fourth and setting up the final frame and overtime.
Catamount Notables:
- The Catamounts shot 45% from the field, their seventh game shooting 40% or better this season;
- WCU also recorded 40+ rebounds for the second consecutive game, while blocking a season-high six shots in the five-point victory ... the Catamounts also dished out 17 assists in the overtime victory, their second-most in a game this season;
- Sunday was the first overtime game for the Catamounts since a double-overtime loss to ETSU in 2022, the first nonconference overtime game since a 58-51 loss to USC Upstate in December of 2021, and the first overtime victory since a 68-64 win over USC Upstate in December of 2018;
- The overtime matchup was the first of the NCAA Division I era for the West Georgia Wolves;
- Tyja Beans posted her second career double-double, going for 16 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime victory;
- Beans, AC Carter, and Zanoria Cruz all recorded 15+ points in the win with Cruz scoring 19 ... the 81-76 OT victory marks the second time this season the Catamounts have had a trio of 15+ point scorers;
- Jada Burton recorded a team-leading five assists in the win, her fifth game this season with at least five assists.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU enjoy a bit of a break for finals week before heading to Charlotte to face the Queens Royals on Saturday, Dec. 14. The Catamounts then head to Kentucky to battle the Murray State Racers on December 19 before finishing off the three-game road stretch with mountain-rival UNC Asheville on December 21.
