Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina
The Official Home of Catamount Athletics

Schedule

Full
WBB at UNCG PREVIEW - FRONT

Women's Basketball Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Catamounts Look to Sweep UNCG In Regular-Season Finale

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball closes out the 2023-24 regular season slate on Saturday as the Catamounts look for the season sweep of UNCG from Fleming Gymnasium in Greensboro. Saturday's action is set for a 2 p.m. start and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available on CatamountSports.com. 

Matchup: Western Carolina (6-22, 1-12 SoCon) at UNCG (18-10, 7-6 SoCon) 
Date: Saturday, March 2 
Time: 2 p.m.  
Site: Fleming Gymnasium (Greensboro, N.C.)  
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: Watch ESPN
Twitter: @CatamountWBB 
GAME NOTES

Western Carolina enters Saturday's finale following the Tennessee swing, pressuring league-leader Chattanooga in a close four-point loss in the Scenic City before suffering a 71-33 setback at ETSU last weekend. The Bucs used 12 3-pointers and a solid defensive performance to down the Catamounts in Johnson City. Freshman Tyja Beans pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and set a benchmark on the defensive glass with eight defensive rebounds.

Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Jada Burton ranks second in the SoCon with 106 assists on the season while ranking in a three-way tie for second in assist/turnover ratio at 1.2. She continues to be among the top players in the conference in assists during league play with 44 helpers in 12 conference games to sit third in that category. She also ranks in a tie for ninth in the league in steals, with 34 on the season. 

Led by Burton's 106 helpers, the Catamounts sit third in the league with 363 assists while tallying 145 of those in SoCon play, as the Catamounts rank third in league games.

Chelsea Wooten maintains her third-place spot in the SoCon with 56 made 3-pointers as she is second in the league with 2.2 made threes per game. The McKinney, Texas, product leads the team and is 11th in the SoCon, with an average of 30.7 minutes per game. 

Lonasia Brewer comes into the finale in a tie for eighth in offensive rebounds, totaling 63, including 33 in conference play, which puts the Akron, Ohio native in fourth place in the SoCon.

UNCG is likewise coming off the swing through the Volunteer State, most recently scoring a 68-64 upset victory last Saturday over regular-season champion Chattanooga. UNCG (18-10, 7-6  SoCon) boasts a 14-1 mark on its home floor with its only home defeat coming to the aforementioned Mocs. 

Jayde Gamble leads the Spartans offensively, averaging 13.7 points per game to rank fifth in the SoCon. Gamble leads the conference with 60 steals and is second in steals per game average at 2.1. Gamble is third in scoring in league play at 14.9 ppg, while Khalfani is seventh in the SoCon with 12.2 points per game in 13 league games. 

Khalis Cain paces UNCG on the glass with 7.5 rebounds per game, sitting in fourth place in the league, while Ayanna Khalfani is seventh at 7.0 boards per contest. Khalfani is also one of the top players in the SoCon in assists with 101 as one of three players in the league to eclipse 100 helpers along with Jada Burton and consensus favorite for SoCon Player of the Year Rachael Rose. 

Western Carolina holds a tight 42-40 edge in the head-to-head series over UNCG with the Catamounts claiming the most recent head-to-head battle at the beginning of the month in Cullowhee. WCU looks to snap a brief two-game skid to the Spartans in Greensboro, with the last road win coming on January 10, 2021, when WCU won 49-42. Western Carolina also looks to get its first back-to-back wins over UNCG since an 11-game win streak spanning 2012-2016. 

On Feb. 3, WCU used a red-hot shooting performance and five double-figure scorers to defeat UNCG 78-71 in Southern Conference women's basketball action on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU posted a program single-game record 63.6% (28-of-44) shooting performance led by Chelsea Wooten with a team-high 17 points.

Following Saturday's action in Greensboro, the Catamounts turn their attention to the 2024 Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships in Asheville at the Harrah's Cherokee Center. The eight-team women's tournament will begin on Thursday, March 7, with four quarterfinal matchups before two semifinals on Friday, March 8, and the champion crowned on Sunday, March 10. All games will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with the final being broadcast on ESPNU, with live stats available on CatamountSports.com. 

Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's basketball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, Catamountwbb).
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Lonasia Brewer

#1 Lonasia Brewer

F/P
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Tyja Beans

#5 Tyja Beans

G/F
5' 11"
Freshman
Jada Burton

#10 Jada Burton

G
5' 8"
Junior
Chelsea Wooten

#11 Chelsea Wooten

G
5' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Lonasia Brewer

#1 Lonasia Brewer

6' 0"
Graduate Student
F/P
Tyja Beans

#5 Tyja Beans

5' 11"
Freshman
G/F
Jada Burton

#10 Jada Burton

5' 8"
Junior
G
Chelsea Wooten

#11 Chelsea Wooten

5' 9"
Junior
G