Cullowhee, N.C. – Returning home for the first time in two weeks, Western Carolina men's basketball opens December with its final home nonconference game, hosting Virginia University of Lynchburg on Tuesday (Dec. 2) morning on Education Day from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Cullowhee, as Tuesday's action will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available through a link online on CatamountSports.com. Live audio will be provided from the Catamount Sports Network.
Men's Basketball Matchup: Virginia Univ. of Lynchburg (0-8) vs Western Carolina (3-4)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 2
Time: 11 a.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts turn the calendar to December, looking to rebound from a 93-73 defeat last Saturday against High Point, who entered the game sixth in the latest Mid-Major top 25 poll. WCU finished the first month of the season with a 3-4 mark, including three straight victories at home against Voorhees, Stetson, and UNC Asheville, but looks to shake a two-game slide with losses at Lipscomb and High Point.
Redshirt junior Marcus Kell had a game-high 27 points, connecting on 11 field goals, including two from range. Graduate transfer Julien Soumaoro scored 12 points with three triples, while redshirt junior Cord Stansberry rounded out double-figure scoring with 11 points as he buried three from beyond the arc.
Sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba finished with a team-best nine rebounds to go along with eight points as he had three dunks in the second half for the Purple & Gold. Graduate transfer Tidjiane Dioumassi dished out a team-best seven assists, marking his best performance in a WCU uniform.
Stansberry enters play sitting in sixth in the league in scoring at 14.8 points per game, followed by Soumaoro, who begins Tuesday in ninth at 14.3. The Bronx, N.Y. native sits among the league leaders in 3-point shooting, making 19 threes with his treys putting him in a tie for sixth. Kabba begins play seventh in the league in blocks with seven rejections.
The Catamounts have crashed the boards early in the 2025-26 season, averaging 38.7 boards per game through seven contests, ranking second in the SoCon and just 0.6 rebounds behind league-leader Furman. Following his team-high nine rebounds at High Point, Kabba maintains his lead for the Catamounts on the glass at 7.9 boards per contest, ranking in a tie for fourth in the SoCon.
Behind Kabba, Kell checks into Tuesday morning's tilt, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game, followed by freshman Samuel Dada at 5.0 per contest. The trio has at least 13 offensive boards, with Kabba leading the way with 20, ranking fifth in the league. WCU has won or tied the rebounding battle in five of seven games during the early season, with Saturday's game against High Point marking the first time they have deadlocked with their opponents this season.
As a team, WCU ranks in a tie for third with 12.3 offensive rebounds per game and is third in the league with 26.4 defensive boards per contest through the opening seven games. The Catamounts also begin action fourth in the league with 7.7 steals per contest.
Scouting the Opposition:
Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), which features 53 Division I teams. VUL has already faced numerous NCAA Division I teams, including Coastal Carolina, Tennessee Tech, VMI, and Alabama State, with a trip to Appalachian State on tap for Wednesday following their visit to Cullowhee.
Virginia University of Lynchburg travels to Belmont Abbey on Monday night before making the trek to Cullowhee under the direction of Kevin Johnson. The Dragons finished 0-25 last season.
Freshman forward Derek Todd Jr. leads the Dragons, averaging 11.7 points per game, having four games in double figures. He has gone 20-of-25 (80%) at the free-throw line. Junior Brayden Smith is averaging 8.6 points per game, and sophomore Filaun Paythress is at 8.0 this season. Todd Jr. leads the way with 3.9 rebounds per game, and freshman guard Jarek Sasser has 2.8 assists per game. Sasser and Paythress each have 10 steals thus far.
Series History:
Western Carolina and Virginia University of Lynchburg have never met in the two programs' respective histories ahead of Tuesday's tilt in Cullowhee.
Up Next:
Following Tuesday's action in Cullowhee, the Catamounts conclude their nonconference slate with a three-game road swing beginning on Saturday, Dec. 6, with a trip to Spartanburg to battle USC Upstate. The battle with the Spartans is slated for a 2 p.m. tip-off and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats will be available online at 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).
