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Schedule

Full
Abdulai Fanta Kabba vs Cincinnati
Ava Schmitt
62
Western Caro. WCU 3-3,0-0 SoCon
83
Winner Lipscomb Lips 2-4,0-0 ASUN
Western Caro. WCU
3-3,0-0 SoCon
62
Final
83
Lipscomb Lips
2-4,0-0 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Caro. WCU 23 39 62
Lipscomb Lips 34 49 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Bisons Use 3-Pointers to Race Past Catamounts on Saturday

Nashville, Tenn. – Graduate student Julien Soumaoro poured in a team-best 15 points, but Western Carolina could not overcome 16 made three-pointers from Lipscomb as the Bisons claimed an 83-62 victory on Saturday afternoon at Allen Arena.

With the conclusion of Saturday's action, the Catamounts finished the 2025 version of the ASUN-SoCon scheduling alliance with a 1-1 mark, earning the 76-65 victory last Sunday against Stetson before falling this evening in Music City.

Soumaoro led the Catamounts with 15 points, as he made six field goals and a pair of threes as he eclipsed double figures for the fifth time this season. Soumaoro also led the way with three assists for the Purple & Gold. Freshman
Tahlan Pettway matched his seasonal best with 12 points off the bench, connecting on 5-of-7 field goals, with two of those from beyond the arc. Redshirt junior Cord Stansberry rounded out the double-figure scoring for WCU with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 at the charity stripe.

Sophomore Abdulai Fanta Kabba led the Catamounts on the glass with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with a seasonal-best four blocks, while adding five points and two steals to his stat line. Kabba and senior Vernon Collins each tallied a pair of steals as Collins had five rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench.

Grant Asman led all players with 22 points, connecting on 9-of-13 field goals and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Ethan Duncan came off the bench on Saturday and poured in 18 points as he went 6-of-10 from deep and pulled down five rebounds in the win. Ross Candelino rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points on four threes to go along with five rebounds and two steals. The Bisons had four players with five rebounds each, led by Candelino and Duncan. Mateo Esmeraldo added a team-best seven assists and five steals.

The Catamounts got out to a quick start with a Dioumassi layup and a Soumaoro triple to take the early lead before a 5-0 burst from the Bisons saw the scoreboard flip to 7-5 at the 14:40 mark of the first half. The hosts responded with a 15-7 burst, including 10 unanswered points, to take a 22-12 lead with 5:57 to play in the opening half.

Following back-to-back free throws from Justin Johnson, Lipscomb used a 12-4 run over a three-minute stretch to push the lead to a half-high 16, 34-18. Tahlan Pettway connected on a late three before a Kabba dunk, which saw the first half scoreboard sit at 34-23 for the host Bisons.

Lipscomb (2-4) used a fast start out of the locker room with a 7-1 burst in the opening 90 seconds to stretch the lead to 17, 41-24. The Catamounts battled back with a quick 9-4 run to make it 45-33, but the Bisons answered the bell with a 19-2 run over the ensuing six minutes to stretch the scoreboard to 64-35.

The Catamounts made a run at the hosts down the stretch with a 13-5 burst over the next four minutes to cut it to a 21-point game at 69-48, but were unable to get it any closer on Saturday. WCU mounted a 10-3 run over the final three minutes to lead to the 83-62 final margin.

Western Carolina shot 43.6 percent from the floor, posting a 16-of-31 (51.6%) in the second half. The Catamounts buried five threes at a 17.9% rate and also made 9-of-15 (60%) at the charity stripe. Lipscomb finished at 45.7% (32-of-70) shooting, connecting on 52.8% (19-of-36) in the second 20 minutes. The Bisons were electric from deep on Saturday, making 16 threes at a 43.2% clip, while making just 3-of-6 free throws.

For just the second time in the young season, the Catamounts lost the rebounding battle by four, 39-35, as the Bisons held a 10-5 advantage in offensive boards. Lipscomb was advantageous, scoring 28 points off the Catamounts' 18 turnovers compared to eight points off 11 Bisons turnovers. Lipscomb held a 37-22 advantage in bench scoring, while WCU outscored the hosts 38-32 in paint scoring.

Western Carolina (3-3) closes out November with a trip to High Point to battle the Big South preseason favorite on Saturday, Nov. 29, from HPU's Qubein Center. Tip-off for the post-Thanksgiving Day tilt with the Panthers is slated for 2 p.m. The battle with the Panthers will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available online 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).
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