Cullowhee, N.C. – Looking to get back into the win column, Western Carolina men's basketball treks in-state to High Point on Saturday (Nov. 29) afternoon for a matinee against the Big South preseason favorite Panthers at their on-campus Qubein Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in High Point, N.C., as Saturday's action will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available through a link online on CatamountSports.com.
Men's Basketball Matchup: Western Carolina (3-3) at High Point (6-1)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 29
Time: 2 p.m.
Site: Qubein Center (High Point, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts look to rebound from a tough 83-62 defeat last Saturday against Lipscomb, as part of the 2025 ASUN-SoCon scheduling alliance. The Catamounts finished the 2025 version of the ASUN-SoCon scheduling alliance with a 1-1 mark, earning the 76-65 victory over Stetson on Nov. 16 before falling last weekend in the Music City.
Graduate transfer Julien Soumaoro led the Catamounts with 15 points, as he made six field goals, including a pair of threes, to eclipse double figures for the fifth time this season. Freshman Tahlan Pettway matched his seasonal best with 12 points off the bench, connecting on 5-of-7 field goals, with two from beyond the arc.
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.
The Catamounts have crashed the boards early in the 2025-26 season, averaging 40.3 boards per game through six contests, ranking second in the SoCon and just 1.34 rebounds behind league-leader Furman. Kabba leads the Catamounts on the glass at 7.7 boards per contest, ranking sixth in the SoCon. Redshirt junior Marcus Kell checks into Saturday's tilt with 34 rebounds, followed by freshman Samuel Dada with 33 boards thus far in the 2025-26 season. The trio has at least 12 offensive boards, with Kabba leading the way with 16. WCU has won the rebounding battle in four of six games during the early season, with a four-game streak being snapped against Lipscomb last weekend.
Redshirt junior Cord Stansberry ranks sixth in the league in scoring at 15.6 points per game, followed by Soumaoro, who begins the weekend in a tie for eighth with 14.7 points per game. The Bronx, N.Y. native sits among the league leaders in 3-point shooting, making 16 threes with his treys putting him in a tie for fourth. Soumaoro also ranks third in the league in field goals with 30 made baskets.
Scouting the Opposition:
High Point (6-1) enters the holiday weekend following a 91-80 victory over Incarnate Word last Saturday as part of a three-game win streak that includes two wins at the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona, Fla. The Panthers, who rank sixth in the mid-major Top 25, have already earned a victory over the SoCon this season with a 97-71 triumph over Furman.
High Point has eclipsed 85 points in six of its seven games, including a season-high 127 points in a 127-52 victory over Averett, as the Panthers rank inside the top 20 in scoring (93.9 ppg).
The Panthers finished 29-6 last season, including a 14-2 record in the Big South, and earned the conference's automatic NCAA bid with a win over Winthrop before falling in the opening round of the NCAA tournament to Purdue.
Head coach Flynn Clayman is in his first season as the head man at High Point after Alan Huss resigned following last season to pursue a position at Creighton. Clayman spent the past two seasons as the Panthers' associate head coach and offensive coordinator.
Graduate student Cam'Ron Fletcher leads the Panthers on the offensive end, averaging 18.7 points per game, second in the Big South. He has recorded three double-doubles to date, with his most recent coming against Incarnate Word with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Fletcher, the reigning Big South Player of the Week, is shooting an efficient 62% (49-of-79) to begin the 25-26 campaign.
Senior Rob Martin averages 14.3 points per contest with four games in double figures, while also dishing out a team-best 37 assists and 18 steals. Graduate student Terry Anderson and junior Conrad Martinez round out the double-figure scoring with 11.7 per game and 11.4, respectively. Fletcher also paces the Panthers on the glass with 57 rebounds, averaging 8.1 per game.
The Panthers were tabbed as the league favorite by the conference's head coaches among the nine-team preseason poll, with eight first-place votes received by High Point. Martin and Washington were both tabbed as first-team all-conference honorees.
Series History:
Western Carolina and High Point have met 60 times before Saturday's action, with the Panthers holding a 40-20 lead in the all-time series. The Panthers have controlled the series in recent history, winning nine of the past 10 meetings, including each of the last three matchups. High Point also holds a 22-4 record in the head-to-head battles taking place in High Point.
Up Next:
Following Saturday's action in High Point, the Catamounts open December with an Education Day battle against Virginia University of Lynchburg on Tuesday, Dec. 2, on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Tip-off for the Education Day action is set for 11 a.m. The battle with the Dragons 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).
