Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina used a 14-to-4 run in the second quarter as part of limiting Furman to just six points in the frame to seize a lead it would never relinquish in powering past its chromatic rival with an emphatic 70-57 home win to close out the home portion of its regular-season schedule on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
 
All six of WCU student-athletes honored during Saturday's Senior Day festivities saw the floor in the winning effort, combining for 36 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in the home rout that  
 
While the day belonged to the Catamount seniors playing in their final regular-season home game, WCU sophomore Tyja Beans tried to steal the headline to help her teammates land the victory. Beans carded a double-double with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, her eighth double-dip of the season.
 
Chelsea Wooten, one of the six in the pregame spotlight, followed Beans in the scoring order with 13 points as she was the only player on the day to record more than one 3-pointer. Senior guard Jada Burton again filled the stat sheet with a 10-point, seven assists, and six rebound line to go with two blocks and a steal.  
 
Furman put four Paladins in double-figures with Sydney Ryan and Raina McGowens tying for the team lead at 11. Jada Sessions led the Paladins on the glass, picking up seven rebounds.  
 
Though Beans won possession for the Catamounts off the jump, the Paladins struck first as Chantelle Stuart gave Furman a 2-0 lead in the opening moments of the game. Beans tied it at two on the ensuing possession before Zanoria Cruz notched a steal and Burton drove home a basket to give WCU the early 4-2 lead.
 
Stuart tied it at 4-all for the Paladins with 8:15 to go in the opening quarter – but the remaining 38 minutes of play belonged to the Catamounts once Wooten knocked down a go-ahead jumper. WCU outran the Paladins down the stretch in the quarter, heading into the second with a 17-12 lead after Taj Hunter made it a two-possession game with 10 seconds to go.  
 
WCU used the second quarter to establish what proved to be an insurmountable lead, outscoring the SoCon foe by 10 (16-6) before the half. Wooten hit the first three of the game for the Catamounts with 9:01 left in the quarter that gave WCU a double-digit lead which would not fall below for the remainder of the game.
 
Sydney Ryan found Furman's first points of the quarter with just under 6:00 to play, but Hunter responded for the Catamounts with a deep 3-pointer, extending the lead back out to 15. Carter added two more layups in the quarter before Walters hit a late jumper as WCU carried a 33-18 lead into the break.  
 
Wooten got the Catamounts rolling again in the third quarter, hitting back-to-back treys to put WCU up 21. Furman began rallying following the 3-pointers, going on a 6-0 run and cutting WCU's lead to 15. Carter and Grace Pack ended the Furman sprint with back-to-back buckets before the two teams began trading baskets to end the third quarter. The two teams scored 15 points each in the third quarter, with the Catamounts being unable to pull further ahead and the Paladins unable to make progress on the deficit.  
 
The Catamounts continued to keep the Paladins at arm's length in the fourth quarter, though Furman cut the WCU lead to as few as 13 with 4:40 to play. WCU responded with a 6-0 burst to stretch the advantage back to 19 with just over three minutes remaining. Furman finished on an 8-2 run but the Catamounts came out on top with the 70-57 win.  
 

Catamount Notables: 

• Western Carolina's six Senior Day participants – Nicole Azar, Jada Burton, Zanoria Cruz, AC Carter, Reagan Trumm, and Chelsea Wooten – were honored for their contributions in Cullowhee, which included 2,712 combined points, 1,022 rebounds, and 649 assists. 
• The Catamount hexad combined for 36 points, 20 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on a 15-of-32 shooting performance and 3-of-9 performance behind the arc.  
• Tyja Beans went for her eighth double-double of the season on an 18-point, 11-rebound performance in the winning effort.
• Grace Pack was a force for the Catamounts beneath the net, blocking a season-high four shots in the win.
• Saturday's 70-57 win over Furman snapped a 15-game series slide to the Paladins as the Catamounts notched their first home win in the series since a 75-72 OT decision in 2017.  

WCU's 13-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Catamounts in the series since a 77-64 win in 2015.
 
Up Next for the Catamounts: 
Idle in the midweek, Western Carolina hits the road next Saturday to face UNC Greensboro with a 2 p.m. tip at the on-campus Flemming Gym. The Catamounts then close out the 2025 regular season with trips to Mercer (Feb. 27 | 7 p.m.) and Samford (Mar. 1 | 3 p.m.) before the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament gets underway in Asheville (Mar. 6 – 9).