Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina men's basketball team returns home to close out both the first half of Southern Conference play and the month of January with a visit from Chattanooga on Wednesday night. The SoCon action is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Wednesday's 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 6:30 p.m.
Matchup: Chattanooga (13-8, 5-3 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina (6-13, 2-6 SoCon)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
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:
Western Carolina rallied from a four-point deficit in the overtime session against The Citadel last Saturday as senior Bernard Pelote and Marcus Kell combined for the game's final six points as the Catamounts earned the tough 80-78 road victory over the Bulldogs in SoCon men's basketball action.
After neither team could claim victory in 40 minutes of action, the Bulldogs built a pair of four-point leads at 76-72 and 78-74 on a pair of jumpers and two free throws midway through the extra session. Pelote sank his fourth 3-pointer of the day as part of scoring five of his game-high 24 points, and Kell converted one of two free throws inside the final 10 seconds as the Catamounts outlasted the Cadets for the win.
Pelote continued his strong work in league play on what proved to be a historic career day for the Savannah, Ga., product. He collected his fifth 20-point performance of the season, four coming in league play. He finished with a game-high 24 points to crest the 1,000 career point plateau between his time at Catawba and in Cullowhee. He added nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
After his second straight 20-point performance, Pelote maintains the top spot on the squad in scoring over eight SoCon games. He returns to Cullowhee ranked fourth in the league, averaging 17.8 points per game through eight contests. He's atop the SoCon with 6.8 made field goals per game and is sixth in rebounding with 7.2 boards per SoCon game. Pelote ranks fifth in league play, connecting on 21 threes, and is second in defensive rebounds with 50.
Led by redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell's career-high tying 16 points, the Catamount bench continues to fill the scoreboard this season. WCU is averaging 24.63 points per game from its reserves – the fourth-best mark in the conference. Kell leads the Catamounts in bench production as his seasonal totals as a reserve sits at 101 points. Junior Ice Emery has totaled 76 points off the bench, including his 16 points against Mercer for his third double-figure scoring bench performance of the campaign.
The Catamounts have seen a bench player reach double-figures 13 times, high-pointed by Emery's 24 against Truett McConnell. Kell leads the squad with four double-digit point games, while Emery has three outings, with Jamar Livingston and Brandon Morgan having two apiece.
Western Carolina enters play on Wednesday second in the league in rebounds with 38.47 per game over 19 games, as the Catamounts have pulled down a league-high 27.47 defensive rebounds per contest. Pelote leads the Catamounts on the glass with 7.4 per game –the second-best individual average in the SoCon. He also ranks second in the league with 6.0 defensive rebounds per game and second in the conference with 114 total defensive boards.
Redshirt sophomore Cord Stansberry paces the team and the SoCon at the free-throw line at 94.7%, ranking inside the top five nationally. Junior Vernon Collins is tied for eighth in the league, averaging 2.2 offensive rebounds per game. He has 41 total boards, including 23 in league games. He is also tied for ninth in league play with 48 rebounds in SoCon play. Collins leads WCU with 18 blocked shots, sitting in a tie for sixth with just under a block per game.
Scouting the Opposition:
Chattanooga enters play on Wednesday with a 13-8 record. The Mocs improved to 5-3 in league games after beating in-state rival ETSU on Saturday by the score of 71-63. The Mocs defeated The Citadel, VMI, Wofford, Furman, and the Bucs last time out. UTC has already played a pair of Power Four opponents in Indiana and USC in nonconference play.
Two-time transfer – most recently Florida two years ago – senior guard Trey Bonham – leads the Mocs with 13.6 points per game. Playing with his second SoCon school after beginning his collegiate career at VMI, Bonham has eclipsed 20 points in four games, including a season-high 28 against Tennessee State. The 2024-25 SoCon Preseason Player of the Year selection is connecting on 44.5% (98-of-220) field goals and 55-of-68 (80.9%) from the free throw line. Bonham has also won a SoCon Player of the Week award.
Graduate student Bash Wieland – a transfer from Bellarmine a season ago – averages 13.5 points per game, connecting on 57.0% (98-of-172) from the floor. Wieland has eclipsed double figures in 13 contests, led by 26 against Morehead State. Junior guard Honor Huff, who also began his collegiate career at VMI, averages 12.7 points per game while ranking in a tie for fourth in the league with 60 3-pointers. A preseason all-conference selection, Huff also has hit 45-of-52 (86.5%) from the charity stripe.
North Georgia transfer, senior forward Frank Champion, rounds out the double-figure scoring for the Mocs at 10.2 points per game, shooting 55.8% (48-of-86) from the field. Champion began his season on Dec. 3 and has eclipsed double figures six times in 13 games thus far in the 2024-25 season.
Sophomore guard/forward Sean Cusano leads the Mocs on the glass with 4.8 rebounds per game with a double-double against Johnson (Tenn.) with 16 points and 10 rebounds earlier this season. Senior Garrison Keeslar leads UTC in the assist column with 60 helpers, followed by 58 with Bonham and 57 with Huff.
Chattanooga owns the top free-throw percentage in the SoCon at 76.5%, followed closely by WCU at 74.9% as a team. The Mocs also take care of the basketball, committing the second-fewest turnovers (10.9) turnovers per game and the fourth-highest points per game output in the league at 76.9. The Mocs have upped their offensive output in league play with a league-leading 79.9 ppg and 18.1 assists per game.
Under third-year head coach Dan Earl, Chattanooga was tabbed second in the 10-team SoCon preseason poll, one of three schools to receive a first-place vote with two. Bonham and Huff were among 10 players recognized on the league's preseason all-conference team, with Bonham tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year. UTC finished the 2023-24 season at 21-12, including a 12-6 mark in league play, before falling in the semifinals of the SoCon tournament to ETSU.
Series History:
Chattanooga and WCU meet for the 104th time in series history as the Mocs hold a commanding 71-32 lead in the all-time series. The two teams flipped the script a season ago, with both winning on each other's home floor, with the Mocs grabbing a 91-85 win in Cullowhee before WCU closed out the regular season with an 82-63 triumph in Chattanooga. The win for the Catamounts snapped a three-game slide in games contested in the Scenic City as UTC holds a 39-7 lead in those home tilts.
Catamount Coaches Show:
Catch Western Carolina head men's basketball coach Tim Craft and senior Bernard Pelote on the Catamount Coaches Show, LIVE on location at Catamount Jaxe (114 Market St., Cullowhee) on Tuesday (Jan. 28) beginning at 6 p.m. The Facebook LIVE stream is available through the Catamount Athletics Facebook page.
Up Next for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts open the month of February on Saturday, Feb. 1, for a Catamount basketball doubleheader. The women's team battles Mercer at 1 p.m. before the men's team faces VMI to begin the second half of SoCon play. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. in the backend of the twin bill. Both games on Saturday 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 for the men's game. 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).
