Cullowhee, N.C. – Taj Hunter led a balanced scoring attack for Western Carolina with a career-high 18 points as the Catamounts improved to 2-0 on the year, downing the Tusculum Pioneers 86-45 on Sunday afternoon on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Hunter eclipsed her personal benchmark on an 8-of-16 performance from the floor. The sophomore also recorded four steals she converted into points, adding four rebounds without a turnover in the dominant WCU win. Guards Betsey Burnett and Kehinde Obasuyi both chipped in 15 points off the bench, while Ally Hollifield contributed 10 with four assist and a pair of steals.
Western Carolina dominated the glass, especially on the offensive end, collecting 60 rebounds to Tusculum's 33. Justice Zimmerman and Joyce Mulumba both had double-digit boards with 12 apiece, with Mulumba recording seven on the offensive glass.
All 10 of WCU's 13 players dressed for the game saw action in the winning effort, with each recording at least two points in the victory as freshman Tina Bowers recorded her first collegiate points on a pair of free throws.
Tusculum, an NCAA Division II program that treated Sunday's game as an exhibition, was led by post Josie Horner and Aisha Patel, who both notched double-digit point totals with 11 and 10, respectively. Dora Van Rijs led the team with six rebounds, while Angela Gomez had five assists.
How it Happened:
Following a game-opening bucket by Ary Dizon, the two squads traded blows early in the first quarter. The Pioneers answered WCU's early scores, tying the game at 4-4 before the Catamounts took the lead for good with 8:25 to go in the frame. WCU used a five-point burst to widen the gap before closing the quarter on an 8-2 sprint to take a 19-8 advantage after one.
For the second game in a row, the Catamounts opened the second quarter with a made 3-pointer as Ellie Richardson connected on the first deep ball of the afternoon, as WCU took a 22-8 lead. As a team, the Catamounts connected on 4-of-8 3-point attempts in the quarter, ballooning the lead to as much as 25 following a Kehinde Obasuyi mid-range shot with 1:30 to go in the opening half, and carried a 41-18 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Catamount defense was dominant in the third quarter, limiting the Pioneers to only two made shots on 14 attempts. WCU's perimeter defense was particularly potent as well, defending all seven long-range shots by Tusculum in the third. Dizon and Hollifield both had blocks in the period, with Hunter recording a pair of steals, with Richardson and Obasuyi picking up one apiece.
Though the game was well in hand, with the Catamounts holding a 57-25 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Pioneers mustered a 20-point fourth quarter to close out the night. Following a pair of made free throws by Ema Nagyova, the Pioneers had outscored the Catamounts 10-6 with 7:07 to go in the game. Hollifield gave WCU the quarter advantage back on her second made free throw of the frame, sparking a 9-0 run to build the Catamount lead to 40.
The Catamounts then closed the game, scoring eight of the last ten points, securing the 86-45 victory.
By the Numbers:
Western Carolina led in every major statistical category against the Pioneers, most notably holding a 60-33 advantage on the glass against the NCAA D-II representative. The Catamounts held the Pioneers to only 27.3% from the floor and 12.5% from beyond the arc, conceding only two made deep balls in the game.
The Catamounts improved from the free-throw line in the win as well, going 17-of-24 (70.8%) from the charity stripe against Tusculum, including a 10-for-10 performance in a 29-point fourth quarter. WCU also cut down on the turnovers, committing only 10 and scoring 23 points off Tusculum's 20.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina hits the road for the first time in 2025-26, visiting the Campbell Fighting Camels on Wednesday, Nov. 12, with a 7 p.m. tip in Buies Creek, N.C. The Catamounts then return home to host the #6/7 Oklahoma Sooners on Nov. 16, on Ingles Court in the Ramsey Center in their half of a home doubleheader. Tip-off with the Sooners is set for 3:30 p.m. and will follow the Catamount men's basketball team's game with the Stetson Hatters, which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
