Cullowhee, N.C. – Betsey Burnett and Taj Hunter paced the Catamounts offensively with 17 and 12 points, respectively. At the same time, Ally Hollifield controlled the boards for WCU with 10 rebounds in the Education Day bout with USC Upstate. However, the Spartans overcame an early deficit to secure the 55-44 win.
Burnett and Hunter both hit a pair of 3-pointers in the loss, while also going a perfect from the free throw line - 9-for-9 by Burnett and 4-of-4 by Hunter. Hollifield, who just missed the double-double, added seven points to accompany her 10 boards. She also dished out four assists. Ary Dizon recorded five rebounds, four blocks, and three steals, but WCU's second-leading seasonal scorer was limited to a season-low five points.
USC Upstate was led by a 19-point effort from Cassie Gallagher, who also dished out three assists and two steals with five rebounds. Aijah Palmore notched a game-high 13 rebounds, though six Spartans picked up at least five boards.
Western Carolina (2-8) hosts the Queens Royals on Sunday, Dec. 7, for another opportunity to stop its current eight-game skid. Upstate (4-6) next hosts consecutive SoCon foes, UNC Greensboro and the Samford Bulldogs.
How it Happened:
Western Carolina's defense put up a stout performance early in the first quarter, holding the Spartans scoreless through the first 7:15 of the game. The Catamounts slowly added to their scoring total, with buckets by Taj Hunter and Betsey Burnett giving WCU an 11-0 lead. Cassie Gallagher gave the Spartans a jolt to close out the first 10 minutes, connecting on two 3-pointers, though the Catamounts held on for a 13-8 lead after one.
WCU's lead grew to as much as seven in the second quarter following a pair of Burnett free throws, but the Spartans kept pace for much of the frame. Upstate eventually took a 23-21 lead as Gallagher capped a 7-0 spurt for the Spartans to close out the quarter for the two-point margin at the break.
The Catamounts trailed by as many as seven in the third quarter, falling behind 33-26 at the 5:34 mark before Hunter pulled WCU within one on back-to-back longballs, forcing an Upstate timeout. Gallagher went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to close out the frame, giving the visitors a 37-32 cushion headed into the fourth quarter.
The Spartans pushed their advantage to 10 in the opening moments of the final frame, using a 5-0 burst on consecutive buckets to lead 42-32 with eight minutes to play. USC Upstate held tightly to that lead for much of the remainder of the afternoon. Hollifield managed to tick the deficit down to seven points off an and-one play with 5:27 to go. However, Upstate outscored WCU 8-4 down the stretch for the 55-44 win.
By the Numbers:
Both teams heavily relied on free throws to supplement their offensive production, with 40 of Wednesday's combined 99 points coming from the charity stripe. The two squads combined for 46 free throw attempts, which were rewarded after 43 fouls were called in the game.
Upstate had 26 turnovers to WCU's 18, but scored 20 points off those turnovers compared to the 13 scored by the Catamounts.
Ally Hollifield's 10 rebounds represented a third of WCU's 30 boards. Upstate's Aijah Palmore had a similar contribution, picking up 13 of her team's 52, as the Spartans held a 52-30 edge on the glass.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU is back in home action on Sunday, Dec. 7, to host the Queens Royals. Tip with the ASUN foe is set for 2 p.m. in the on-campus Ramsey Center. The Catamounts then hit the road for two straight, battling the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Dec. 13 and the Indiana Hoosiers on Dec. 21.
