Lexington, Va. – Five Catamounts scored in double figures as Western Carolina rode a strong start to its 20th victory of the season, cruising past VMI 84-51 in Southern Conference action on the road at Cameron Hall. The Catamounts scored the game's first 10 points and the Keydets missed their first nine offerings as WCU led wire-to-wire for the fourth time this season.
 
WCU improved to 20-9 on the year and 9-7 in SoCon play, collecting the program's 11th 20-win season all-time – and just the second since becoming a NCAA Division I program in 1976-77. It's the first 20-win season for the Catamounts since the 2009-10 squad finished 22-12. WCU is the second 20-win team in the SoCon this season.
 
Russell Jones Jr. and Tre Jackson both scored 15 points, DJ Campbell added 14, and both Kamar Robertson and Vonterius Woolbright scored 11 apiece in the winning effort. Jackson hit a pair of 3-pointers adding three assists while DJ Campbell was credited with a career-high five steals.
 
Woolbright boarded 13 misses for his 24th double-double of the season, again tied for the most in the NCAA. Corneilous Williams pulled down a career-high nine rebounds with Bernard Pelote adding eight as the Catamounts commanded the glass by 20, 52-32.
 
VMI received scoring from just six players with Tyran Cook posting a game-high 18 points and Stephen Olowoniyi scoring 10. Devin Butler chipped in nine with Taeshaud Jackson scoring eight with a game-high 16 rebounds in the loss.
 
Western Carolina raced out to a 10-0 lead on Saturday ahead of the first media timeout before the Keydets found their offensive footing. Consecutive buckets including its first of just four 3-pointers cut the lead in half. However, the Catamounts went back to work at both ends and extended their game-opening run to 20-5 to lead by 15 midway through the opening half.
 
Woolbright gave the Catamounts their first 20-point lead with a layup around the four-minute mark as WCU took a 32-12 lead. Corneilous Williams slammed home two of his six points to give Western Carolina a half-high lead of 23 at intermission, 44-21.
 
In the second half, the Catamount advantage hovered in the 20-point range until Campbell sank a jumper at the 12-minute mark that handed WCU its first 30-point lead at 31, 60-29, and the Keydets would not get any closer. The Catamount lead ballooned to a game-high 38 points on three occasions before VMI scored eight of the game's final 11 points to provide the final tally, 84-51.
 
WCU shot 53.6 percent from the field, the squad's eighth time connecting on at least half of its field goal attempts. Defensively, the Catamounts limited VMI to an opponent season-low of 27.1 percent shooting (16-59). It's the lowest shooting percentage by the opposition since Dec. 20, 2022, when WCU limited Toccoa Falls to just 24.3 percent – and the lowest by an NCAA Division I opponent since holding Appalachian State to 26.5 percent (13-of-49) in a 58-53 win in Boone back on Dec. 3, 2016.
 
Western Carolina returns home on Wednesday (Feb. 28) for its final home game of the 2023-24 regular season, hosting chromatic rival Furman (16-13, 10-6 SoCon) at 7 p.m. on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU looks to "Paint it Purple" for the national television audience on ESPNU as the squad will wear its purple Nike uniforms with all fans encouraged to wear their Catamount purple to the game. The first 300 WCU students to the game will receive a free replica purple jersey courtesy of The Everson.
 
Wednesday's game will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also listen to the game locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com) in Sylva and 103.7 FM WPVM in Asheville (wpvmfm.org).
 
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