Cullowhee, N.C. – Redshirt sophomore guard Cord Stansberry led the way with 18 points and five rebounds, but Western Carolina was unable to overcome sluggish second-half shooting and 15 3-poiners by UNC Greensboro as the Spartans claimed an 83-55 victory in Southern Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Matching the halftime margin of four-points at 39-35 just four minutes into the second half, UNCG scored the game's next 11 points as part of a decisive 24-to-5 run in grabbing a 23-point lead with seven and a half minutes to play on the way to the road victory. During UNCG's run, the Catamounts were just 1-for-11 from the floor including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc with four turnovers and 3-for-4 at the free throw line.
Stansberry connected on 8-of-12 field goals including a pair of 3-pointers to lead the Catamounts in scoring. Junior Brandon Morgan just missed double figures with nine points including a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Senior Bernard Pelote and junior Vernon Collins led the Catamounts with seven rebounds apiece with Pelote scoring seven – finishing outside of double-figures for the first time in eight games – and Collins boarding a team-best three on the offensive glass.
Strong out of the gates in the first half, Donovan Atwell was one of three players in double-figures for UNCG with a team-high 17 points, connecting on 5-of-9 threes, including three in the opening five minutes. Returning to the lineup after missing the previous game, Kenyon Giles added 15 points off the bench, connecting on three of his six attempts from deep and adding four rebounds and three assists. Ronald Polite III rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points and a team-high six assists. Jalen Breath pulled down a team-high six rebounds as both he and UTC transfer Demetrius Davis scored eight apiece.
The Catamounts fired out of the chutes quickly on Saturday after with a triple by Pelote and Stansberry spearheading an 8-3 run to give the hosts the early edge. UNCG answered with a quick 10-4 spurt, though, to inch in front by one 13-12 with 13:15 to play in the half.
The two teams split the ensuing 18 points as neither gained much footing before an 8-3 run allowed the Spartans to take a 30-24 lead with 3:01 to play. Only a CJ Hyland layup for account for two of his eight points inside the final three minutes changed the scoreboard as UNCG carried a 30-26 lead into the break.
WCU opened the second half on a 7-4 run to cut the deficit to one, 34-33, before the Spartans began to take control offensively, capitalizing on the slow offense for the Catamounts. The home squad continued to fight with points from Kell, Pelote, and Stansberry, but a pair of threes from UNCG thwarted any momentum for WCU.
UNCG kept the foot on the gas to stretch the lead to as many as 31 at 80-49 and ultimately allowed the Spartans to claim an 83-55 victory in SoCon play.
Western Carolina was held to 32.7% (18-of-55) from the field, connecting on five threes while converting 14-of-16 at the free-throw line. UNCG connected on 46.8% (29-of-62) from the floor as the Spartans made 15 threes at a 46.2% clip and were 10-of-14 at the charity stripe.
UNCG won a tight rebounding battle by one, 37-36, with the Catamounts edging the Spartans 10-9 on the offensive glass. Both squads had 22 points in the paint with UNCG's bench outscoring one of the SoCon's top reserve units, 35-9.
The Catamounts open a two-game road swing on Wednesday, Jan. 22, with a trip to Johnson City, Tenn., to battle mountain rival ETSU at Freedom Hall. Tip-off with the Buccaneers 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.
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