Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball is back on the road, opening back-to-back games away from home on Saturday with the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. Tip-off in Boiling Springs, N.C. is set for 2 p.m. at GWU's Paul Porter Arena.
WCU (2-9) faces its third Big South opponent of the season, while Gardner-Webb (2-9) faces its fifth SoCon team this year.
Saturday afternoon's game will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats links available online at CatamountSports.com.
Saturday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (2-9) vs Gardner-Webb (2-9)
Dec.13, 2025 | Paul Porter Arena | Boiling Springs, N.C. | 2 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/32myaxp6
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yc58w3tf
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs meet for the 16th time in series history, with the Catamounts leading 10-5 all-time. However, WCU is on a five-game winless drought to the Runnin' Bulldogs, in a skid that dates back to the 2016-17 season. Gardner-Webb claimed a 73-65 win over the Catamounts last season and has won two straight games in the series at home, with WCU's last win in Boiling Springs coming in an 85-62 decision in 2002.
WCU comes into the matchup looking to snap a nine-game slide and earn its first win in true road games (0-3). The Catamounts have faced Campbell (L, 66-54), Wake Forest (L, 60-49), and West Georgia (L, 69-60) on the road this season, and have held multiple possession leads in two of the three. The Catamounts are shooting 33% from the floor and 37% from range in those contests.
Gardner-Webb is 2-2 at home this season, with wins over Hampton and UNC Wilmington to open their home schedule. Most recently, the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped home games to Appalachian State and the Wofford Terriers. As a team, GWU is shooting 29% from three and 37% overall while averaging 54.5 points per game.
The two teams have faced two common opponents, with both squads falling to Queens and West Georgia. Gardner-Webb faced both teams on the road, dropping their season opener with Queens 58-47 and their following outing with West Georgia 91-68 in Carrollton. WCU lost both of those games as well, but by closer margins as WCU fell 71-64 at home to Queens and 69-60 to West Georgia on the road, despite leading late in the third quarter.
Gardner-Webb is the third and final Big South opponent for the Catamounts this season, who fell to UNC Asheville and USC Upstate. The Runnin' Bulldogs are 0-3 against SoCon competition this season, dropping their games with Mercer (L, 61-56), UNCG (L, 54-52), and Wofford (L, 58-41), with ETSU still on the slate.
Players to Watch:
Grace Pack led all WCU scorers their last time out as four Catamounts notched double figures in the home loss to Queens. Taj Hunter posted a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Pack's 14 points paced WCU, with Ary Dizon (13) and Kehinde Obasuyi (12) also reaching double figures.
Ally Hollifield maintains a slight edge over Taj Hunter to pace the Catamounts in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game to Hunter's 11.4. Hollifield has been out of double-figure scoring in three of the last five games, including two straight. Hunter has the advantage in field goal percentage (35.6%) and 3-point percentage (37.1%).
Betsey Burnett became the third Catamount this season to hit the 100-point plateau her last time out, joining Hollifield (127) and Hunter (125) in the milestone.
Gardner-Webb is led offensively by Amina Gray and Nyla Walker, who average 10.8 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Amira Ofunniyin leads the team in rebounding with a 7.3 average and is third in scoring, recording 9.1 points per outing. Gray ranks second on the team in total 3-pointers, hitting 20 of her 58 attempts, with Jaelyn Acker leading the team with 21 makes.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts remain on the road for their final game away from Cullowhee in the 2025 calendar year as they take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Dec. 21. Tip in Bloomington, Ind., is set for 1 p.m., and can be seen on the Big 10 Network Plus (paid subscription required).
WCU then returns home for their first of four straight games in the Ramsey Center, as they host the Montreat Cavaliers on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m. The Catamounts then face the South Carolina Central Christian College Gladiators to open the New Year on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. before opening conference play with Mercer on Jan. 8 at 6 p.m.
