Cullowhee, N.C. – For the final time in the 2024-25 regular season, Western Carolina men's basketball returns to the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center for a midweek Southern Conference battle against Wofford on Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. tip-off.
Wednesday's home finale with the Terriers is chocked-full of giveaways as the first 400 WCU students will receive a FREE purple WCU logo t-shirt, while the first 500 fans will receive a WCU logo keychain, courtesy of Nathan Earwood Criminal Defense.
Wednesday's meeting with the Terriers will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network will be available online at CatamountSports.com and on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Live stats are also available via a link on CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: Wofford (15-14, 9-7 SoCon) vs Western Carolina (8-19, 4-12 SoCon)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
TICKETS
DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM
About Western Carolina:
After halting a four-game slide with back-to-back wins over ETSU and The Citadel – and a near-miss at league-leading Chattanooga – the Catamounts dropped their second in a row on Saturday at Samford. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell led the way with 19 points and junior Ice Emery added 15 points and four assists, but Western Carolina was unable to overcome a season-high 28 turnovers as the up-tempo Samford Bulldogs claimed a 93-72 victory at the Pete Hanna Center.
Kell has eclipsed double figures in his last nine games to become a third Catamount averaging double-digit scoring on the year. Kell has averaged 19.22 points per game in that stretch to rank second in the SoCon. He's also fourth in rebounds per game in that timeframe at 8.11, one of seven players in the league to have multiple double-doubles in his last nine games. A product of Rock Hill, S.C., Kell has netted two of the past three SoCon Player of the Week awards.
Kell is second on the WCU squad in league play with a 14.4 point per game average and has reached double figures 11 times. He is also second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per contest, shooting at a 45.8% (71-of-155) clip in league play.
Senior Bernard Pelote sits among the top in the league in scoring during SoCon play as he enters the final week of the regular season tied for eighth in scoring. The Savannah, Ga. native averages 16.2 points per game and is tied for second in the league in conference games with 6.1 field goals per game. He ranks fourth in rebounding with 7.4 boards per conference game, and he's also tied ninth in league play with 39 made threes and tops in defensive rebounds with 97 while checking in third overall with 119 boards.
WCU is averaging 23.37 points per game off the bench from its reserves – the third-best mark in the conference. Junior Ice Emery is the leader in bench production for the Catamounts, scoring 134 points, as he made his first start on Saturday since Jan. 22 as the Appleton, Wis. native poured in 15 against the Bulldogs. He's followed closely by Kell, who tallied 116 points with double figures in his last nine starts.
The Catamounts have seen a bench player reach double-figures 18 times, high-pointed by Emery's 24 against Truett McConnell. Emery has a team lead with six double-digit point performances, and Kell has five double-figure point outputs in bench outings.
Western Carolina ranks in a tie for second in the league in rebounds with 38.7 per game over 27 games as the Catamounts are tied with Wednesday's counterpart. The Catamounts have boarded a league-high 28.0 defensive rebounds per contest, which ranks among the national leaders. WCU sits just 0.5 rebounds behind Mercer for the top spot in the league. WCU also ranks third in the league in free-throw percentage at 75.2%, led by Stansberry, who's connected a league-high 93.2%, ranking among the top free-throw shooters in the nation.
Pelote leads the Catamounts on the glass with 7.5 per game—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 161 total defensive boards. Pelote and Kell are both tied for fourth in the league in conference play with 17 blocks. Junior post Vernon Collins ranks seventh in conference play with 41 offensive rebounds.
Scouting the Opposition – Wofford Terriers:
Wofford (15-14, 9-7 SoCon) comes into Wednesday's action after a tight 73-68 loss to ETSU on Saturday in Spartanburg. The Terriers have three wins in their past five games, defeating Mercer, The Citadel, and VMI, with all three coming away from Spartanburg. Wofford has won in its last four road contests to improve its seasonal road record to 7-8.
Senior guard Corey Tripp leads the Terriers with 14.3 points per game. He's posted double figures in 23 contests this season, including each of his last seven games with a season-high 31 last time out against ETSU. Tripp has connected on 51 3-pointers at a 35.7% clip while dishing out 88 assists.
Senior center Kyler Filewich – transfer from Southern Illinois a season ago – checks in with 11.7 points per game as he's eclipsed with double figures in four of his last five. Filewich is also a mainstay on the glass with a league-high 9.4 rebounds per game as he's tallied nine double-doubles. He's making 55.9 percent (151-of-270) from the field. Filewich has also tallied a team-high 91 helpers. Filewich leads the league with 9.0 rebounds per game in SoCon play, as he's had four double-doubles in SoCon games.
Senior guard Dillon Bailey rounds out the double-figure scoring for the Terriers at 11.2 points per game, posting a season-high 21 against Chattanooga. He's also connecting on a team-high 56 three-pointers.
Wofford is tied for second in rebounding with 38.7 boards per game and ranks second in SoCon play with 38.3 rebounds/game. The Terriers are third in SoCon play, allowing 68.6 points per game while connecting on the second-highest field goal percentage at 45.6%.
Wofford was tabbed fourth in the 10-team preseason poll as the Terriers are under the direction of third-year head coach Dwight Perry. The Terriers were one of four teams to put two players on the preseason all-league team, as both Filewich and Tripp garnered honors on the 10-player squad.
Wofford finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-15 record, including a 10-8 league record, before falling in the tournament's opening round to Chattanooga.
Last Meeting vs Wofford:
Bernard Pelote and Marcus Kell both matched their previous career-highs to lead the Catamounts, but homestanding Wofford overcame WCU's feverish start to the second half to edge WCU, 77-68. The Terriers closed the game on a 13-to-3 run over the final three minutes of regulation to overcome WCU's strong start to the second half. The Catamounts erased a 13-point second-half deficit with a 16-0 run and took a three-point, 53-50 lead as Wofford missed 10 shots and committed two turnovers during the spurt.
Only able to build a six-point lead after the rally, the game remained close throughout the second half. Brandon Morgan hit 3-pointer at 4:46 to give the Catamounts what proved to be their final lead at 66-64 with the Terriers keeping pace at the free throw line down the stretch to ice the win.
Series History:
Winners of two straight, Wofford holds a slim 36-33 lead in the all-time series entering Wednesday's meeting in Cullowhee. WCU has fared better on its home court against Wofford with a 19-12 mark, including wins in each of the past two home matchups against the Terriers.
Up Next for Western Carolina:
Following Wednesday's home finale, the Catamounts close out the 2024-25 regular season on Saturday, Mar. 1, with a trip to Macon, Ga. to battle Mercer. The regular-season finale from the on-campus Hawkins Arena is slated for a 4:30 p.m. tip against the Bears in what could likely be a preview of the opening round matchup of the SoCon Tournament.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and have 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).
