Cullowhee, N.C. – Whiteout conditions are forecasted for the Ramsey Center on Saturday afternoon as Western Carolina men's basketball returns home to Ingles Court to host instate Southern Conference foe UNC Greensboro. The Catamounts seek back-to-back home wins in league play as the Spartans roll up I-40 with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to wear their white WCU gear to Saturday's game with UNCG to participate in the "White Out Ramsey." As part of the promotion, the first 800 fans through the doors will receive a replica of WCU's home white jersey that is trimmed in purple and gold with the script "Catamounts" across the chest.
Additionally, for the first time since Jan. 18, 2022, the world-renowned ZOOperstars return to the Ramsey Center, presented by WCU Residential Living. The inflatable mascots will perform during the game, as well as at halftime of Saturday's SoCon matchup.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Free live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats are available online at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also listen to the CSN broadcast locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC, "The River" in Sylva (www.wrgc.com) beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Matchup: UNCG (11-7, 4-1 SoCon) vs Western Carolina (5-11, 1-4 SoCon)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
About Western Carolina:
Looking for its first road victory of the season and trying for back-to-back SoCon victories, Western Carolina was doomed by a cold-shooting second half coupled with VMI nailing 10 3-pointers as the Keydets pulled away late for a 66-50 win over WCU on Wednesday night at Cameron Hall in Lexington, Va. Senior Bernard Pelote scored 14 and Marcus Kell added 11 points off the bench.
Pelote posted his seventh straight double-figure scoring performance, connecting on five field goals including a pair of 3-pointers, and tied for the team-high with six rebounds. Kell shot 4-of-5 from the floor with a trey in the defeat. Junior post Vernon Collins was a force on the glass, boarding six rebounds including three on the offensive end while helping create additional offensive possessions that didn't show up in the stat sheet. Freshman CJ Hyland led WCU with three steals on the defensive end.
Pelote continued his fast start to SoCon play in Wednesday's road game. The Savannah, Ga. Native enters the weekend ranked fifth in the league, averaging 18.0 points per game through five league contests that includes a pair of 20-plus point performances. He's second in the league, averaging 7.2 made field goals per game, and is tied for fourth in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game. Pelote ranks in a tie for seventh in league play, connecting on 13 threes, and is third in defensive rebounds with 33.
The Catamount bench continues to fill the scoreboard throughout the start of the 2024-25 season, averaging 25.31 points per game – the third-best mark in the SoCon.
Kell ranks among WCU's leaders in bench production, posting his third double-digit scoring effort in reserve on Wednesday at VMI to run his seasonal bench total to 80 points to lead WCU. Junior Ice Emery has totaled 68 points off the bench, including his 16 points against Mercer for his third double-figure scoring bench performance of the campaign.
Freshman Fischer Brown and redshirt junior Chase McKey both have tallied 45 points as non-starters, followed by junior Brandon with 44. The Catamounts have seen a bench player reach double-figures 11 times, high-pointed by Emery's 24 against Truett McConnell. Emery and Kell lead the squad with three double-digit point games off the bench apiece.
Western Carolina sits third in the league in rebounds with 38.8 per game over 16 games, led by Pelote at 7.6 per game – the third-best individual average in the SoCon. He also ranks second in the league with 6.1 defensive rebounds per game and second in the conference with 97 total defensive boards. Collins and Kell are both tied for ninth in the league, averaging 1.9 offensive rebounds per game, as Collins has 31 compared to 30 for Kell.
Redshirt sophomore transfer guard Cord Stansberry sits among the nation's leaders at the free throw line, shooting a red-hot 93 percent (40-of-43) to rank inside the Top 10 in the NCAA while leading the SoCon.
Collins leads WCU with 16 blocked shots, sitting in a tie for sixth with a block per game. Fellow 6-10 post, redshirt junior Chase McKey is tied for seventh in the league with 59.5 percent (22-of-37) from the field, while Collins is ninth at 59 percent (36-of-61).
Scouting the Opposition:
UNCG enters the weekend with an 11-7 overall record and a 4-1 mark in league play after defeating The Citadel 70-57 on Wednesday in Greensboro to stay perfect at home (7-0). The Spartans' lone SoCon loss came to current unbeaten and league-leader Samford, which is UNCG's only blemish among its last six games. UNCG has already squared off with Wofford, Furman, Chattanooga, Samford, and The Citadel, along with a ranked battle against then No. 16 Indiana.
Junior guard Kenyon Giles – a transfer from Radford a season ago – leads the Spartans on the offensive end of the hardwood, averaging 16.9 points per game, tied for second in the SoCon. Giles has seven games with 20 or more points and he's seventh in the league with 50 3-pointers.
A preseason All-SoCon selection, junior guard Donovan Atwell currently averages 14.4 points per game with a team-high 61 threes. Atwell had his best game of the season against Chattanooga, scoring 28 points including six made 3-pointers.
George Mason transfer Ronald Polite III, who's in his graduate year with the Spartans, averages 12.9 points per game to round out the Spartan trio of double-figure scorers. Redshirt junior forward Jalen Breath leads the Spartans on the glass with 5.6 per game, while senior guard Joryam Saizonou, who transferred from St. Bonaventure, has tallied a team-high 54 assists.
As a scoring defense, UNCG has held opponents to a league-low 64.6 points per game, including eight opponents held to 64 or fewer points. The Spartans own the top spot in the league at 38.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, sitting among the nation's top 20. UNCG takes care of the basketball, committing a league-low 10.2 turnovers per game.
UNCG was tabbed sixth in the 10-team SoCon preseason poll under the direction of head coach Mike Jones, who's in his fourth year in Greensboro after spending a decade leading Radford. Atwell was among 10 players recognized on the league's preseason all-conference team. UNCG finished the 2023-24 season at 21-11, including a 12-6 mark in league play, before falling in the opening round of the SoCon tournament to ETSU.
Familiar Faces:
Western Carolina head coach Tim Craft and UNCG's leader Mike Jones are very familiar with each other as the SoCon represents the second shared conference affiliation. The two both coached against one another in the Big South Conference – Craft while at Garner-Webb and Jones during his tenure at Radford.
Series History:
Western Carolina and UNCG have met 64 times in program history with both claiming an even 32 of the previous matchups (32-32). UNCG has seized control of the series in recent years with regular season sweeps in each of the past three seasons. The Spartans have won six-straight over WCU – and have wins in 16 of the last 17 head-to-head matchups.
In 2023-24, WCU dropped a tight 85-82 home decision to the Spartans in overtime before UNCG edged the Catamounts 71-65 in Greensboro.
WCU is looking for its first win in the series since the 2021 season when the Catamounts slid past the Spartans 81-80 in Greensboro. The Catamounts look for their first win in eight tries against UNCG in Cullowhee as the Spartans have won eight-straight meetings dating back to 2015-16.
Up Next for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts open a two-game road swing on Wednesday, Jan. 22, with a trip to Johnson City to battle mountain rival ETSU at Freedom Hall. Tip-off with the Bucs is slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network available online at CatamountSports.com and on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva. Live stats are also available via a link on CatamountSports.com.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).
