Greensboro, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball battled till the end, but a 9-2 run in the early stages of the fourth quarter was the difference as UNCG claimed the 61-54 victory on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale from Fleming Gymnasium.

Western Carolina is set to battle top-seed and regular-season champion Chattanooga on Thursday, March 7 at 11 a.m. in the opening game from the 2024 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships from Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville. 

Lonasia Brewer and Zanoria Cruz led the Catamounts in scoring with 14 points apiece on Saturday. Brewer connected on 7-of-16 field goals and added three rebounds, while Cruz was 4-of-7 from the field and made all six free throws. Cruz matched her season-high with nine rebounds, five coming on the offensive glass. Chelsea Wooten tallied eight points, along with a pair of assists and freshman Tyja Beans continued her strong work on the glass, carrying over from the previous week as she finished with nine rebounds to match the team-high. 

Jayde Gamble led all scorers on Saturday with 20 points, making 7-of-16 field goals and adding a pair of threes. Gamble also pulled down five rebounds for the Spartans. Ayanna Khalfani added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a team-high five steals. Khalis Cain rounded out the double-figure scoring for UNCG with 11 points and a team-best seven rebounds. 

The two teams saw three ties in the opening minutes on Saturday before a Tyra Robinson layup allowed WCU to gain a 7-5 edge. UNCG then used a 6-2 burst to push in front 11-9 before a Brewer layup again evened the score. The hosts completed a three-point play in the final minute of the first quarter, and an Audrey Meyers layup allowed the deficit to be cut to one, 14-13 Spartans after 10 minutes. 

UNCG (19-10, 8-6 SoCon) opened the second quarter fast on a 7-2 run over the first three minutes to push the advantage to six, 21-15. WCU scored six of the next eight points to cut the deficit back to a one-possession game. The Spartans scored nine of the final 11 points of the first half to stretch their lead to nine, 32-23 at the break. 

Western Carolina (6-23, 1-13 SoCon) began the second half quickly on a 7-2 spurt to cut the UNCG advantage to four, 34-30 at the midpoint of the quarter. The Spartans responded with a quick 5-0 burst to answer and then stretched the lead back out to nine, 39-30. The Catamounts scored eight of the final 12 points in the frame to close to within five, 43-38, after three.

The Catamounts continued to push back to begin the fourth quarter with six of the opening 10 points, which cut it to a one-possession game at 47-44. The hosts responded with a 9-2 run that stretched the lead to 10, 56-46 with 3:18 to play. WCU responded with an 8-3 spurt over the next three minutes to cut the deficit in half, 59-54, but a pair of late free throws gave UNCG the win in Saturday's season finale. 

Western Carolina posted a 43.1% (22-of-51) showing from the field while limiting UNCG to 40% (22-of-55). The Spartans connected on three from beyond the arc, while WCU was held without a triple in seven attempts. UNCG made 14-of-21 at the foul line compared to 10-of-16 for the Catamounts. Western Carolina outrebounded UNCG by two, 34-32, as both teams pulled down 15 offensive rebounds. The Catamounts had the edge in second-chance points, 16-12, and bench scoring 18-12. UNCG had a slight edge in points in the paint at 34-32. 

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, at 11 a.m. as WCU battles regular-season champion Chattanooga in the quarterfinals of the 2024 tournament. The matchup with the Mocs will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com. 

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