Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball returns to the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center for its final two home games of the 2024-25 regular season, first with the Wofford Terriers on Thursday, Feb. 13. Tip-off for the penultimate home game of the season is set for 6 p.m. as the Catamounts look to scratch their way back into the win column.
As part of Thursday night's promotion, the first 300 fans through the gates will receive a free purple "Growl Towel" featuring a caricature of WCU's mascot Paws, courtesy of Farm Bureau Insurance and The Everson. Advance tickets are available online at CatamountSpots.com/BuyTickets.
Thursday's game will be available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with a free live audio broadcast available through the Catamount Sports Network and live stats online at CatamountSports.com.
The Catamounts (11-13, 1-8 SoCon) enter the week after most recently falling on the road to the Chattanooga Mocs. After starting the conference season strong, the Terriers have stumbled as of late with back-to-back losses to ETSU (63-50) and Furman (93-88, 2OT). Wofford (14-7, 6-2 SoCon) heads to Cullowhee on Thursday looking up at the SoCon's top spot for the first time this season, trailing UNCG (8-1).
Thursday's Women's Basketball Matchup:
Western Carolina (11-13, 1-8 SoCon) vs Wofford (14-7, 6-2 SoCon)
Feb. 13, 2025, | Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 6 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/4c3fncer
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/8c642zsk
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yzx5bwn4
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/367jc5k6
Full Court Press – About the Teams:
The Catamounts and Terriers battle it out for the second time this season and for the 65th time overall head-to-head. WCU leads the series 36-28, though the Terriers capitalized on a strong start with a 23-point first quarter and held on to score the 66-53 win in Spartanburg earlier this year. Both WCU's AC Carter and Wofford's Helen Matthews had explosive performances for their respective squads, recording 23 and 24 points, respectively in the matchup.
The two teams saw two common opponents in the nonconference schedule – the Southern Wesleyan Warriors and the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. Both teams went 2-0 in those games, though the Catamount victory over UNCA came on the road in a 77-64 decision while Wofford claimed a 75-56 win over Asheville at home.
Both teams have finished an entire run through the Southern Conference with the Terriers holding a 6-2 record and the Catamounts going 1-8. WCU is the only team of the two to earn a home win over the ETSU Bucs with a 64-60 win early in the conference slate. Wofford fell to the Bucs 63-50 at the beginning of their two-game skid.
Players to Watch:
AC Carter and Jada Burton directed the Catamount offense in their first meeting with the Terriers in Spartanburg, going for 23 and 14 points, respectively. The duo also led the team on the glass combining for 13 boards in a 7 and 6 split.
Carter continues to lead the Catamounts, most recently going for a game-high 18 points against Chattanooga. The graduate student transfer has enjoyed a strong run of play in the SoCon, leading the league in scoring with 15.5 points per game and is 10th in rebounding with a 6.2 average.
Outside of Carter, Tyja Beans and Burton hold premiere positions statistically in the conference as well. Beans is one of only four players in the league to average eight or more rebounds per game and is third with an 8.2 mark. Burton leads the conference in assists, with a total of 122, and is the only player to average more than five helpers (5.1).
Wofford is led in scoring by standout and preseason player of the year Rachel Rose, though the Scranton, Pa., product hasn't appeared in a contest since the Terrier's game with Erskine to open the New Year. In her stead, sophomore Evangelia Paulk has paced Wofford's offense, most recently going for 29 points and nine rebounds in a double-overtime loss to Furman.
When considering only conference games, Paulk – this week's SoCon Women's Basketball Player of the Week – ranks fourth in the conference in scoring as she averages 16.2 points per game against conference rivals. The Asheville product is the only player to average a double-double in conference games as she collects 10.6 boards on a per-game basis.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU closes out its home season on Saturday, Feb. 15 as it hosts Furman for Senior Day in the front end of a Catamount hoops doubleheader. Six Catamounts – AC Carter, Jada Burton, Chelsea Wooten, Zanoria Cruz, Reagan Trumm, and Nicole Azar – are set to be honored for their achievement in the classroom as each step out onto the home floor for the last time this season. Tip-off with the Paladins is set for 1 p.m. followed by the men's team hosting The Citadel at 3:30 p.m.
