Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign as it treks to eastern North Carolina and Buies Creek to battle the Campbell Fighting Camels. Tip-off with the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 12) at Campbell's on-campus Gore Arena/Pope Convocation Center.
The Catamounts (2-0) enter the midweek matchup having most recently picked up an 86-45 win over the Tusculum Pioneers. The Camels (1-2) earned their first win of the season their last time out, smothering the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons 88-23 to open the home season.
Wednesday's matchup between the Catamounts and Camels will be broadcast through FloSports (paid subscription required) as per the CAA's contract with the streaming service. Fans can also follow along with the live stats, which are available through CatamountSports.com.
Wednesday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (2-0, SoCon 0-0) at Campbell (1-2, CAA 0-0)
Buies Creek, N.C. | Gore Arena/Pope Convocation Center. | 7 p.m.
Watch: https://tinyurl.com/bp75swh6
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/bd6a5fbs
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Camels meet for the 26th time in a historic series, with the Catamounts holding a slim 13-12 lead in the previous meetings. WCU claimed a thrilling victory over the Camels last season, rallying from an eight-point deficit with 3:30 to play to claim the 73-72 win. The Catamounts look for just their third win in Buies Creek all-time, and their first on Campbell's home court since a 56-43 win in 2003-04.
WCU faces its first NCAA Division-I opponent of the season, with the Catamounts previously earning a pair of 41-point wins over NCCAA rep VU of Lynchburg (99-58) and NCAA D-II's Tusculum (86-45). The Catamounts averaged 58.5 rebounds in those two matchups, leveraging their size and effort on the glass and around the rim, posting 7.0 blocks per game.
The Camels have already faced two NCAA D-I teams, opening the season against Tulane and at Charlotte. Campbell fell in a close 74-72 matchup with the Green Wave to open the season, with Tulane's Jordan Weaver hitting the game-winning jumper with two seconds left. Campbell's matchup with Charlotte was more one-sided, as the 49ers claimed an 11-point advantage at the end of the 1st quarter and held on for a 61-50 victory.
The two have one common opponent – the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons. The Camels smothered the Dragons defensively, holding the NCCAA squad below 20% shooting from the floor and did not five up a 3-pointer in the matchup. The Catamounts were more efficient offensively than Campbell against the Dragons, with WCU shooting 46.1% from the floor and 48.1% from beyond the arc in the 99-58 win.
Players to Watch:
Western Carolina has been led by a balanced scoring attack in its first two games of the season, with four Catamounts hitting double-figures in each game. Redshirt sophomore transfer Ally Hollifield has the highest scoring performance so far for the Catamounts, posting 26 in the win over VUL. Sophomore Taj Hunter had an impressive career-high 18-point outing against Tusculum.
On the glass, junior Joyce Mulumba and freshman Justice Zimmerman lead the team with 23 and 17 rebounds, respectively. The two posted 12 boards each in WCU's win over Tusculum, contributing heavily to the Catamount 60-33 rebounding advantage.
Redshirt junior guard Kehinde Obasuyi has quietly had a strong start to the season as well, as the Catamount veteran leads the team in field goal percentage early. She's fourth on the team in total points with 22 in only 32 minutes of play and enjoyed a career night against the Camels last season with 24 points and four assists in the win.
Campbell is led by freshman Jasmine Nivar, who has already posted 41 points in her three games this year. The Apex, N.C. native went for 20 points in her collegiate debut, connecting on 8-of-17 FG against Tulane. Ciara Alexander is nearly averaging a double-double for the Camels, as the sophomore averages 13 points per game and collects 9.3 rebounds per outing. Alexander is one of two Camels with more than 20 boards this season, as she has a team-leading total of 28 rebounds and is followed closely by Jasmine Felton's 25.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts return home for the first basketball doubleheader of the season, hosting the #6/7 Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday, Nov. 16 with a 3:30 p.m. tip. The Catamount men's team opens the day by battling the Stetson Hatters at 1 p.m.
WCU then hosts the UNC Asheville Bulldogs for the second doubleheader of the year on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The women's game against the mountain rival will tip at 5:30 p.m., with the men's game scheduled to follow.
