Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina men's basketball team closes its final two-game homestand of the regular season on Saturday in the backend of a Catamount basketball doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The women's team hosts chromatic rival Furman before the men's squad welcomes in The Citadel at 3:30 p.m. Before the tip-off of both Saturday games, WCU's basketball seniors will be honored in special pregame ceremonies, presented by the Smoky Mountain News.
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.
In addition to Senior Day, Catamount men's basketball is hosting a Foster Care and Adoption Awareness Day. Foster parents, children, and families have been invited to attend the game and participate in some special activities both before and during the game.
The "One More One Less Project" will provide information and details about Foster Care and Adoption throughout the game, and educate on how individuals can get involved to support this important need in our community. One More One Less has a mission to inform, inspire, and intertwine the local church with foster care, reunification, and adoption. Catamount head coach Tim Craft and his wife Jess will also share their families' adoption story on a video during halftime.
Matchup: The Citadel (5-19, 0-13 SoCon) vs Western Carolina (7-17, 3-10 SoCon)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15
Time: 3:30 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:
The Catamounts look for a second-straight home SoCon win on Saturday and to complete the regular-season sweep of The Citadel. Marcus Kell led five in double figures on Wednesday with a double-double effort of 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as Western Carolina used a strong second-half defensive effort to upend mountain rival East Tennessee State 76-67 on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Kell's 17 rebounds were the most by a Catamount since Vonterius Woolbright also posted 17 against Brescia on Dec. 21, 2023. A product of Rock Hill, S.C., Kell also matched a career-high with three blocked shots. Last Monday, Kell received his first career Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week honor 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.
Kell looks to continue his hot hand, entering the weekend with six 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 12.5 point per game average, has reached double figures eight times including six straight contests. He is also averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game.
Senior Bernard Pelote – the lone honoree in the men's pregame on Saturday – continues to maintain a top-five spot in the league in scoring. He enters Saturday ranked fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game, and is second in the league in conference games with 6.3 field goals per game. He ranks fourth in rebounding with 7.3 boards per conference game and He's also eighth in league play with 32 made threes and tops in defensive rebounds with 79 while checking in tied for third overall with 95 boards.
WCU is averaging 23.92 points per game off the bench from its reserves – the fourth-best mark in the conference. Junior Ice Emery has now taken the lead in bench production for the Catamounts with 117 points, as he's tallied double-figure scoring in back-to-back games. He's followed closely behind by Kell, who tallied 116 points with double figures in each of his last four starts.
The Catamounts have seen a bench player reach double-figures 16 times, high-pointed by Emery's 24 against Truett McConnell. Kell and Emery are tied for the team lead with five double-digit point performances apiece.
Western Carolina enters Saturday's Senior Day matchup third in the league in rebounds with 38.9 per game over 24 games. The Catamounts have boarded a league-high 28.1 defensive rebounds per contest. WCU sits just 0.1 rebounds behind Mercer and Wofford for the top spot in the league.
Pelote leads the Catamounts on the glass with 7.5 per game—the third-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 143 total defensive boards. Stansberry paces the team and the SoCon at the free-throw line at 94%, ranking among the top free-throw shooters in the nation. Kell is fifth in the league in conference play with a team-high 14 blocks, followed closely by Pelote's 13 rejections in SoCon play.
Scouting the Opposition – The Citadel Bulldogs:
After WCU's win over ETSU midweek, The Citadel enters the weekend among the hungriest team in the league, sitting at 5-19 and winless in 13 league games following an overtime loss to Wofford on Wednesday in Charleston. The Bulldogs look to snap a 16-game skid as they haven't found victory since Dec. 3 against Toccoa Falls – and seek their first win against a NCAA-DI opponent since Nov. 11, when they downed Stetson in Charleston. The squad's other four wins came against Erskine, North Greenville, St. Andrews, and Toccoa Falls.
Senior combo guard Brody Fox – a transfer from DIII University of Wisconsin Stout – leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game. Fox has scored double figures in 20 games with 20 or more times. He enters Saturday tied for fifth in the league in scoring as he does most of his damage inside the arc, shooting an effective 50.2% (140-of-279) from the floor.
Junior forward Sola Adebisi – a Florida State transfer – checks in with a 9.0 points per game average, with nine games in double figures this season. Adebisi is also leading the Bulldogs with 5.9 rebounds per game including a pair of double-digit rebound performances with a double-double of 16 pts and 12 boards against North Greenville.
Senior guard Cam Glover, who started his collegiate career at the University of Montevallo in Alabama before joining The Citadel this season, averages 8.5 points per game, reaching double figures nine times with a season-high 20 against Furman. The senior has connected on a team-high 38 threes. Senior forward John Adams – a DIII Worcester Polytechnic Institute transfer – sits fourth in the SoCon with 67 offensive rebounds.
The Citadel was picked ninth in the 10-team SoCon preseason poll under the direction of Ed Conroy, a 1989 alum who is in his second stint as the head coach in Charleston. The Bulldogs finished the 2023-24 season at 11-21, including a 3-15 mark in league play, before falling to Mercer in the opening round of the SoCon Championship.
Last Meeting vs The Citadel:
Western Carolina rallied from a four-point deficit in the overtime session against The Citadel as senior Bernard Pelote and junior Marcus Kell combined for the game's final six points as the Catamounts earned the tough 80-78 road victory over the Bulldogs in Charleston.
Pelote scored a game-high 24 points and just missed a double-double with nine boards and blocked three shots, while Kell scored 16 and matched with nine boards. Cord Stansberry did not connect from beyond the arc but still managed 15 points, hitting 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Series History:
Western Carolina and The Citadel meet for the 90th time in series history with the Catamounts holding a 48-41 lead in the all-time series. WCU has earned wins in each of the past three meetings as the Catamounts look for back-to-back seasonal sweeps over The Citadel.
Western Carolina has controlled the series in recent games in Cullowhee, winning seven of the past eight. All told the Catamounts hold a 27-16 lead in the series in home contests.
Up Next for Western Carolina:
Following the weekend twin bill, the Catamounts hit the road on Wednesday, Feb. 19, for a trip to Chattanooga for a SoCon showdown against the Mocs, who are currently tied for the top spot in the league standings. Tip-off from the Scenic City is slated for 7 p.m.
Wednesday's game 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. 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).
