CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball returns to action Saturday for a Southern Conference matchup in Greenville, S.C., against Furman at the on-campus Timmons Arena. Saturday's tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: Western Carolina (6-17, 1-7 SoCon) at Furman (12-12, 2-6 SoCon)
Date: Saturday, February 10
Time: 2 p.m.
Site: Timmons Arena (Greenville, S.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: Watch ESPN
Twitter: @CatamountWBB
GAME NOTES
Western Carolina looks to rebound following an 89-52 defeat to Wofford on Thursday afternoon in Spartanburg. Senior Zanoria Cruz tallied a season-high 17 points for WCU as Wofford connected on 14 3-pointers in the contest.
Chelsea Wooten sits in a tie for seventh in the league, averaging 11.4 points per game. Wooten leads the SoCon in 3-pointers with 52 made threes and a conference-high 2.5 made threes per game. She is seventh in conference play with 15 made threes. Jada Burton ranks second in the SoCon with 84 assists as one of four players in the league to have at least 80 assists on the season.
Burton is tied for fourth in league play in helpers with 22 assists in eight SoCon matchups. Burton is also tied for ninth in the league with a team-high 29 steals. As a team, the Catamounts are tied for second in the league with 311 assists, led by Burton's 84 helpers.
Furman comes into Saturday's SoCon matchup with a 12-12 mark following a tight 59-56 home defeat to UNCG on Thursday night. The Paladins have dropped their past three SoCon matchups overall and have losses in six of their last seven games. WCU's chromatic rival has defended its home court with an 8-3 mark at home compared to 3-9 away from Greenville.
Jada Session leads the Paladins in scoring at 12.2 points per game as she's one of five Paladins averaging double-digit scoring thus far in the 2023-24 campaign. Session also leads Furman on the glass at 8.6 rebounds per game. Kate Johnson checks into Saturday's matchup with 11.4 points per contest and 7.0 rebounds. Niveya Henley (11.2), Sydney Ryan (11.1), and Tate Walters (10.0) round out the scoring prowess of the Paladins.
Furman leads the SoCon in scoring at 68.7 points per game, led by Session (6th in SoCon), Johnson (7th), and Henley (10th) in scoring per game throughout the 2023-24 season. Session sits behind only seven-time SoCon Player of the Week Rachael Rose of Wofford in rebounding at her 8.6 boards per contest.
WCU and Furman meet for the 93rd time in the two programs' respective histories with the Paladins leading the all-time series, 53-39. The Paladins have won each of the past 13 head-to-head battles. WCU is looking to tally its first win in Greenville since January 23, 2013, as the Paladins have defeated the Catamounts in the past 12 contests from Timmons Arena.
In the first meeting with Furman, Chelsea Wooten twice pulled Western Carolina to within four points off Furman inside the final four minutes of regulation as she sank her third 3-pointer and later connected on a pair of free throws in the SoCon opener. However, the Paladins managed to withstand the Catamount rally and pulled away to defeat WCU 84-69 on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Following Saturday's action in Greenville, the Catamounts begin their final home weekend of the 2023-24 season on Thursday, February 15, at 7 p.m. with a visit from Mercer on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts look to "White Out Ramsey" in the matchup against the Bears will be a White Out, while also serving as WCU Faculty and Staff Day. The game will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com and live audio on the Catamount Sports Network.
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