Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina women's basketball team is getting ready to battle their chromatic rivals as they face the Furman Paladins in a 7:00 p.m. tip tomorrow night. The Catamount's third Southern Conference game of the season will take place at North Greenville's Hayes Gym as the Paladins' traditional home of Timmons Arena is undergoing renovations.
Thursday night's game will be live-streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on Catamountsports.com. A free online audio broadcast will be provided through the Catamount Sports Network.
Thursday's Women's Basketball Matchup
Western Carolina (11-6, 1-1 SoCon) at Furman (10-7, 0-1 SoCon)
Jan. 16, 2025, | Hayes Gym | Greenville, S.C. | 7:00 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+):
https://tinyurl.com/yc59ad7s
Listen (CSN):
https://tinyurl.com/8c642zsk
Live Stats:
https://tinyurl.com/42z54u9x
Looking Around the Southern Conference 1/16:
Western Carolina vs Furman | 7:00 p.m.
Samford vs Chattanooga | 6:00 p.m.
UNCG vs Wofford | 7:00 p.m.
Mercer vs ETSU | 7:00 p.m.
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Paladins meet for the 94th time in series history with WCU trailing 39-54. The 39 victories are the second-most against a current Southern Conference member for the Catamounts, trailing only their 42 all-time victories over UNC Greensboro. WCU has dropped 14 straight matchups in the series and has an opportunity to earn their first win away from Cullowhee since a 2014 meeting in the SoCon tournament. The last true road-game victory for the Catamounts came in 2013.
Western Carolina and Furman shared the floor with five common opponents during the non-conference season, going 4-1 against USC Upstate, Campbell, UNC Asheville, Georgia State, and non-Division I opponent Southern Wesleyan. The Catamount's only stumble in those five games came against Georgia State, who defended their home court with a 68-64 win. The Paladins picked up an 85-74 victory over the Panthers in GSU's Thanksgiving tournament but fell to the Campbell Camels 82-72 in the previous game. WCU earned a hard-fought 73-72 win over Campbell in their first Division I game of the season.
Players to Watch:
Zanoria Cruz led the Catamount offense with a 20-point game in the 64-60 win over ETSU on an efficient 7-11 performance from the field and a 6-7 night from the free throw line. She also contributed four rebounds and assists as the Catamounts dominated the boards 41-27.
Tyja Beans and
Jada Burton made unexpected offensive contributions in the win, hitting their first three-pointers since November 2024. Beans powered to her sixth double-double of the season and the first of her career against a SoCon foe after a 13-point, 11-rebound performance. Burton cut down on the turnovers and had an efficient 3-4 FG, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists game with 12 points in the win. WCU is 7-3 when Burton has at least five assists this season.
The Paladin offense was largely kept in check by the Wofford Terriers their last time out, as Jada Session was the only Furman athlete to record 10+ points, going for 11 on a 5/10 performance from the floor in the 68-51 loss. Furman has four Paladins averaging 10+ points per game, with Kate Johnson leading the way with a 12.3 mark, scoring exclusively from within the arc. Niveya Henley and Tate Walters follow her in the scoring order with 11.7 and 11.5 points per game respectively while Sydney Ryan rounds out the top Paladin scorers with a 10.9 average. All three do their damage from range, but Ryan leads the team in made and attempted three-pointers, hitting 37 of 105 deep shots this year.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU is on the road for a bit longer, taking on the Wofford Terriers in Spartanburg on January 18. They'll then have some time off after the early SoCon sprint as they host the UNC Greensboro Spartans on January 25.
