Carrollton, Ga. – Betsey Burnett led a pair of Catamounts in double figures with a career-high 22 points, including 13 in a strong 25-point opening frame for Western Carolina women's basketball on Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action. However, West Georgia rode a 40-point second half to erase WCU's six-point halftime advantage to claim the 69-60 victory at The Coliseum in the squad's final game before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Western Carolina (2-5) looks to pick up positive momentum over the holiday break, stepping out of the country to face the Clemson Tigers to open the 2025 Baha Mar Nassau Hoops Championship on Friday. West Georgia (3-2) maintains its perfect home record this season with the win and looks to extend it against UNC Wilmington.
Burnett just missed a double-double effort, pulling down nine rebounds to accompany her game-high 22 points. Taj Hunter posted 17 points and six boards with two assists, while Grace Pack had seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
West Georgia had four players hit double figures, with Grace O'Gara scoring 19 with three 3-pointers and a perfect 6-of-6 mark from the charity stripe. Asia Donald finished with 13 points, with Jasmine Jones (11) and Sydne Tolbert (10) also with double-digit scoring. Destiny Jones had a team-high six rebounds for the Wolves, while Tolbert dished out a game-high seven assists.
How it Happened:
Taj Hunter opened the day for the Catamounts with a first-possession bucket to give the Catamounts an early 2-0 lead, but the home team fought back to take a 7-4 lead in the initial minutes. The two teams began trading three-point baskets for the lead, with West Georgia taking a 13-11 advantage into the media timeout.
At the break, head coach Jonathan Tsipis subbed in Betsey Burnett. The Catamount junior transfer took advantage of her opportunity, exploding for 13 points in the remainder of the quarter. Burnett went 5-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in that span, giving WCU a 25-20 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Following a 45 combined point opening frame, the second quarter slowed down significantly as neither team recorded a bucket for nearly three full minutes until Hunter capitalized on a three-point play with a layup and a made free throw. Both teams entered another scoring drought before Destiny Jones notched West Georgia's first points of the quarter with 5:16 to go before the break.
The Wolves outpaced WCU 7-5 down the stretch of the second quarter, though the Catamounts took a 35-29 lead into halftime.
West Georgia rallied in the third quarter, consistently chipping away at the Catamount lead before Grace O'Gara knotted the game at 41 with a 3-pointer with 4:10 to go. Ally Hollifield knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Catamounts the lead again, but the Wolves went on a 6-2 run to finish the quarter with a 49-46 lead.
Destiny Jones opened the fourth quarter with a long shot for the Wolves for a 52-46 lead with 9:18 to play. The Catamounts kept the pressure on UWG, trimming the deficit to as little as three points on three separate occasions, though the Wolves responded each time.
Hunter connected on a free throw to make it a three-point game with 2:50 to play, but a 6-0 sprint by West Georgia put the Wolves ahead 64-55 with 1:30 remaining. Free throws by Burnett and Hunter broke up UWG's scoring run, but the Wolves closed the game with four of the last five points for the 69-60 win.
By the Numbers:
The Catamounts – and Betsey Burnett in particular – opened the game red hot, posting 25 points in the first quarter on a strong 10-of-17 shooting performance from the floor and hitting four of their first five from beyond the arc. Burnett alone went 5-of-5 from the field and hit all three 3-point attempts, recording 13 points in the final four and a half minutes of the frame.
Both teams entered a lull in the second quarter, combining to go just 8-of-28 from the floor and recording 19 total points. West Georgia shot 50% in the second half to close out the game, while the Catamounts went just 4-of-26 from the floor with 16 of their 25 second-half points coming from the free-throw line.
WCU controlled the glass against the Wolves, collecting 43 rebounds to UWG's 36, but committed 23 turnovers to West Georgia's 17.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina heads to Nassau, Bahamas, for the 2025 Baha Mar Nassau Hoops Championship at the Baha Mar Resort. As part of the Junkanoo Division, the Catamounts face the Clemson Tigers on Friday, Nov. 28 for a 4 p.m. tip. WCU then meets either #20/25 Michigan State or Temple at either 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. on Nov. 30, pending the result of Friday's game with the Tigers.
The Catamounts return home to host the USC Upstate Spartans for an education day game on Wednesday, Dec. 3, with tip-off at 11 a.m., on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
