Cullowhee, N.C. – Redshirt sophomore transfer Ally Hollifield led four Catamounts in double figures with a career-high 26 points as Western Carolina women's basketball opened the 2025-26 season the best way possible, rolling to a 99-58 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL).
Hollifield paced the Catamounts in scoring in her WCU debut, joined by fellow transfers Betsey Burnett with 17 points off the bench and Ary Dizon with 15 points. Dizon led the team in blocks, posting six with four coming in the first quarter alone, while adding eight rebounds. Joyce Mulumba was the game leader in rebounds with 11.
A combined 10 of the 13 players on the WCU roster saw action on Thursday, with eight registering points and each recording stats in the season-opening victory.
VUL was led in scoring by Lovely Tua-Link, who went for 22 points on an 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from range. Princess Akojenu recorded six rebounds as DaNiya Warren McClure and Jamilah Hayes both fouled out of the contest for the Dragons, who dressed just eight players in the exhibition match for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) member institution.
How it Happened:
The two squads were relatively even through the first five minutes of the opening quarter, though Ary Dizon swished through the first two points of the season for the Catamounts to take a 2-0 lead in the game's first minute. WCU held an 8-6 lead over the Dragons with 5:44 to go before Ally Hollifield hit the first Catamount 3-pointer of the season to kickstart a 12-0 scoring run.
Justice Zimmerman and Hollifield were the only contributors to the early run, with Hollifield going for eight of the 12 points. With the Catamount lead resting at 20-6, Lovely Tua-Link broke the scoring, though the Dragons were still outpaced 9-8 for the remainder of the quarter.
With the Catamounts holding a strong 29-14 lead going into the second quarter, Taj Hunter opened the period with her first 3-pointer of the season, only nine seconds into the frame. WCU's lead grew to as much as 31 in the second quarter following a Dizon tip-in with 30 seconds left, though the Dragons hit a trey to tighten the game to 53-25 going into the break.
The Catamount advantage never fell to less than 26 in the second half, with the Dragons posted 15 and 18 points in the third and fourth quarters. WCU matched those scoring totals with 20 points in the third and 26 in the fourth for their second-highest-scoring total of the game. WCU's lead ballooned to as much as 42 in the fourth quarter, before a nearly even 14-13 finish to the game, favoring the Dragons, gave the Catamounts the 99-58 victory.
By the Numbers:
The Catamounts led in every statistical category, save for free-throw percentage in the 99-58 win over VUL. Four players landed in the double figures in points. Ally Hollifield led the bunch with her career-high 26, and was followed by Betsey Burnett (17), Ary Dizon (15), and Taj Hunter (11).
Of WCU's 11 newcomers on the 2025-26 roster, nine saw action against the Dragons, with Hollifield, Dizon, Joyce Mulumba, and freshman Ellie Richardson all starting the game. Johnson C. Smith transfer Betsey Burnett came off the bench for the Catamounts, along with freshmen Justice Zimmerman and Tina Bowers.
Eight of the Catamounts to see the floor scored, with Dizon, Mulumba, Richardson, Hollifield, Zimmerman, and Burnett all recording their first points in the Purple and Gold. Tina Bowers did not record a point in her appearance, but did collect a pair of rebounds and assists, as well as a steal in her WCU debut.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU remains at home on Sunday, Nov. 9, as it hosts the Tusculum Pioneers for a 2 p.m. tip on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts then hit the road for the first time as they head to Buies Creek, N.C., to battle the Campbell Fightin' Camels on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
The Catamounts return home to host the Top-Ten Oklahoma Sooners in a doubleheader on Nov. 15, with the tip against the SEC foe scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
