Cullowhee, N.C. – After a four-game stretch on the road, the Western Carolina women's basketball team returns home to host the USC Upstate Spartans for its yearly Education Day game on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Tip with the Spartans is set for 11 a.m. at Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on campus.
The Wednesday morning tip sees the Catamounts (2-7) looking to snap a seven-game slide overall. USC Upstate (3-6) rides into the game 0-3 in their last NCAA DI games, most recently falling to Kennesaw State 55-41.
Wednesday morning's game will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with a live audio broadcast available through the Catamount Sports Network. Fans can also follow along with the live stats on CatamountSports.com.
Wednesday Morning's Matchup:
Western Carolina (2-7) vs USC Upstate (3-6)
Dec. 3, 2025 | Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 11 a.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/bdzd2p5b
Listen: https://tinyurl.com/3prbnvrc
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yc4n29ee
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Spartans meet for the fifth consecutive season, and the 19th time overall, with WCU holding a 10-8 series lead over the Big South foe. The Catamounts erupted for an 80-52 win in Spartanburg a year ago, with the 28-point win sitting as the largest margin of victory by either team in the series.
WCU is on a slight skid at home in the series as the Spartans won the last two matchups in the Ramsey Center. The last Catamount win at home against USC Upstate came during the 2018-19 season, with WCU battling for a 68-64 victory in overtime.
The Catamounts are 2-2 at home this season, with wins over Virginia University of Lynchburg and Tusculum, but with losses to the #6 Oklahoma Sooners and the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. In their two home wins, the Catamounts shot better than 40% from the floor, but that number was below 35% in both of their home losses.
USC Upstate enters the Wednesday matchup winless away from Spartanburg, with a 0-5 mark in true road games and a 0-1 record in neutral site matchups. Three of those five road games were against Power Four Conference competition, falling to Clemson (76-38), Georgia (78-44), Kentucky (90-30), though their games against Marshall, Morehead State, and Kennesaw State were all decided by 14 or more points.
The Spartans are the second of three Big South teams on the docket for WCU this season, with the Catamounts previously falling to UNC Asheville 67-50. They'll face the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Dec. 13 in Boiling Springs, N.C., for their final Big South opponent.
WCU represents the first of three consecutive SoCon foes for the Spartans, with Upstate hosting the UNCG Spartans on Dec. 6 and the Samford Bulldogs on Dec. 14.
Players to Watch:
Taj Hunter led the Catamounts in their last game, scoring 18 points against the Temple Owls. The sophomore ranks second in the team with 11.1 points per game, and has gone for double-digits in three of her last four outings.
Ally Hollifield leads the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game, with transfer forward Ary Dizon also averaging double-digit points at a 10.1 per game clip. The duo ranks second in the SoCon in assists (36) and blocks (14), respectively. Dizon is also one of two Catamounts to average more than five rebounds per game (5.4), with Joyce Mulumba pacing the team at 5.7 per game.
The Spartans are led offensively by redshirt sophomore Cassie Gallagher, who ranks second in the Big South with 16.6 points per game. She's reached double-figures in five consecutive games, including a 35-point outburst against Morehead State. Gallagher leads the team in 3-point percentage, connecting on 51% of her attempts, with Aubrie Kierscht hitting 43.9% of her threes.
Vera Soderblom and Aijah Palmore control the glass for the Spartans, combining for 111 of Upstate's 354 rebounds and averaging 6.8 and 5.6 boards per outing, respectively.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU caps a two-game homestretch with the Queens Royals on Sunday, Dec. 7. The final home game against a DI opponent for the 2025 calendar year is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Catamounts then hit the road for two straight matchups, facing the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. and the Indiana Hoosiers on Dec. 21 for a 1 p.m. tip.
