Cullowhee, N.C. – Blackout conditions are expected on Wednesday night on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center as Western Carolina men's basketball begins the final two-game home swing of the 2024-25 regular season. The Catamounts battle mountain-rival ETSU on regional television with tip-off set for a special start time of 6 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to wear their black WCU gear to Wednesday's game with ETSU to participate in the "Blackout Ramsey." As part of Wednesday's promotion, the first 400 students through the doors will receive a replica of WCU's black men's basketball jerseys, courtesy of The Everson. The Catamounts will wear their black Nike jerseys at home for the first time as part of the promotion.

Wednesday's meeting with the Buccaneers is part of the Ingles Southern Conference television package with Nexstar. Network affiliates with the option to air games are: WCBD (Charleston), WBTW (Myrtle Beach), WGHP (Greensboro/High Point), WHDF (Huntsville/Florence), WJHL (Johnson City), WMYT (Charlotte), WWCW (Lynchburg/Roanoke) and WYCW (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville). The broadcast will also be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).

Live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network will be available online at CatamountSports.com and locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Live stats are also available via a link on CatamountSports.com.

Matchup: ETSU (15-10, 8-4 SoCon) vs Western Carolina (6-17, 2-10 SoCon)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required) & Nexstar Networks
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
TICKETS

About Western Carolina:
Last time out, four Catamounts scored in double figures led by senior Bernard Pelote, but Western Carolina's late rally was unable to erase UNCG's quick start to the second half as the Spartans held off WCU for the 74-70 decision in Southern Conference action at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.

Pelote scored 17 points and added five rebounds, while redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds to pace WCU. Junior Ice Emery scored all 15 of his points in the second half as he caught fire midway through the frame, connecting on four 3-pointers. Redshirt sophomore Cord Stansberry rounded out the Catamount foursome in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. 

On Monday, Kell received Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors following a pair of tight SoCon matchups on the road. Kell's career week included averaging a SoCon-leading 22.5 points and pulling down 9.5 rebounds per game for the Catamounts.

A product of Rock Hill, S.C., Kell rides a hot hand into Wednesday night's matchup with five straight games in double figures including a career-high 29 points a week ago at Furman. In conference play, Kell is second on the WCU squad with a 12.0 point per game average, double figures seven times, and five straight contests. He is shooting 42.3% (41-of-97) from the field and 34.6% (18-of-52) from beyond the arc.

Pelote continues to maintain a top five spot in the league in scoring over a dozen SoCon games. He enters Wednesday as fifth in the league in scoring averaging 17.2 points per game, and paces the league in SoCon games only with 6.4 made field goals per game. He is fifth in rebounding with 7.4 boards per conference game. He's tied for seventh in league play with 31 made threes and tops in defensive rebounds with 74 while checking in fifth overall with 89 boards.

WCU is averaging 24.13 points per game off the bench from its reserves – the third-best mark in the conference. Kell leads the Catamounts in bench production as a reserve with 116 points. He's made four starts in the last six games, eclipsing double figures in the last three starts. Emery has totaled 104 points off the bench following a second-half explosion of 15 points for the Appleton, Wis. native on Saturday.

The Catamounts have seen a bench player reach double-figures 15 times, high-pointed by Emery's 24 against Truett McConnell. Kell leads the squad with five double-digit point performances, including three of the past four games he's come off the bench. Emery has four double figure scoring games for WCU, including three in league play.

Western Carolina enters the mountain rivalry tied for second in the league in rebounds with 38.6 per game over 23 games. The Catamounts have boarded a league-high 27.9 defensive rebounds per contest. WCU sits just 0.6 rebounds behind Mercer's top spot in the league.

Pelote leads the Catamounts on the glass with 7.5 per game –tied for the second-best individual average in the SoCon. He also ranks first in the league with 6.0 defensive rebounds per game and second in the conference with 138 total defensive boards. Stansberry paces the team and the SoCon at the free-throw line at 93.7%, ranking among the top free-throw shooters in the nation.

Scouting the Opposition:
ETSU begins Wednesday with a 15-10 overall record and have climbed to 8-4 in league play after completing the season sweep of Samford last Saturday, 66-59 in Johnson City. The win over the Bulldogs pushed ETSU's current win streak to three after adding wins over VMI and Furman. ETSU has been strong at home posting an 11-3 record at home compared to just four wins in 11 attempts away from Johnson City.

Senior guard Quimari Peterson – a transfer from Indiana State two years ago – leads the SoCon in scoring with 18.2 points per game. He has scored double figures in all but one game this year and has nine performances of 20 or more. He's shot 47.8% (171-of-358) from the floor and made 39.4% (56-of-142) from beyond the arc. Peterson also has dished the third-most assists in the SoCon with 99 helpers and earned SoCon Player of the Week plaudits back on Nov. 25.

Senior forward Jaden Seymour, who started his collegiate career at Wichita State but has been with the Bucs since the 2021-22 season, sits tied for second in the league, averaging 17 points per contest. The senior has six double-doubles, including a triple-double earlier this year against VMI. A two-time SoCon Player of the Week, Seymour leads the way on the glass with 7.1 boards per game, ranking fourth in the SoCon.

Senior guard John Buggs III – a transfer from North Texas a season ago who also spent time at UMass and UTSA before landing at ETSU – rounds out the Bucs double-figure scoring with 11.4 points per game. Buggs III has done it from deep this season, connecting on 65 threes, which is sixth-most in the league.

ETSU has the most offensive rebounds per game in the SoCon, at 13.3 – a mark that ranks the Bucs tied for 29th in the NCAA, led by 71 from junior forward Karon Boyd. The Bucs also sit second in blocks per game, at 3.9 rejections, led by 30 from Seymour.

ETSU was tabbed third in the 10-team SoCon preseason poll, one of three schools to receive a first-place vote with two. Brooks Savage is in his second year at the helm for the Bucs, and he had both Peterson and Seymour land on the preseason all-conference team. ETSU finished the 2023-24 season at 19-16, including an 8-10 mark in league play, before falling to Samford in the SoCon finals. 

Last Meeting vs ETSU:
Ice Emery drained a 3-pointer with four and a half minutes remaining in a seesaw first half that gave the Catamounts a two-point, 31-29 lead. But homestanding East Tennessee State closed the opening half on a 15-to-4 run to lead by nine at the break before outscoring WCU 20-to-9 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to earn an 85-58 Southern Conference victory at Freedom Hall.

Coming off the bench on Wednesday night, senior forward Bernard Pelote led the Catamounts with 21 points, while redshirt sophomore Cord Stansberry added 14 points, sinking all five free throw attempts. At the same time, Emery – who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the mid-December match-up with top-ranked Tennessee – rounded out WCU's double-figure scorers with 11 points.

Series History:
Western Carolina and ETSU meet for the 90th time in series history with the Bucs holding a 59-30 lead in the all-time series. ETSU snapped WCU's six-game series winning streak on Jan. 22 with an 85-58 victory in Johnson City. The Catamounts look to continue their winning ways against ETSU inside the Ramsey Center, winning each of the last three matchups including a 70-65 win a season ago in Cullowhee.

Up Next for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts return to the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Saturday afternoon for a Catamount Basketball doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. WCU's women's team hosts Furman before the men's squad plays host to The Citadel with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m. Prior to tip of both games, each of Western Carolina's basketball seniors will be honored as a part of Senior Day. 

Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network is available online at CatamountSports.com and on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva for the men's game. Live stats are also available via a link on 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).