Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's basketball team looks to cap off the 2025 regular season on the right foot as they travel to Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday to take on the Samford Bulldogs. Tip-off for the regular-season finale is set for 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT at the Pete Hanna Center.
Saturday's game will be available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats links will be available online at CatamountSports.com.
Both teams come into the finale looking to get back in the win column as the Catamounts fell 51-49 to the Mercer Bears and the Bulldogs dropped a 71-59 contest with the UNC Greensboro Spartans. The Catamounts are locked into a rematch with the Spartans at next week's 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Tournament in Asheville, but the Bulldogs could fight their way into the top half of the bracket if other results around the league go their way.
Saturday's 2025 Regular Season Finale:
Western Carolina (12-15, 2-11 SoCon) at Samford (12-17, 7-6 SoCon)
Mar. 1, 2025, | Pete Hanna Center | Birmingham, Ala. | 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/2wtkhzef
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/ycrex3fj
Full Court Press – About the Teams:
The Catamounts and Bulldogs battle it out for the 37th time in series history as WCU looks to snap a 23-game skid in the series. The last WCU victory came in 2014 when the Catamounts claimed a 54-50 home win over the Bulldogs. The Catamounts took the first road matchup of the series back in 2008, downing the Bulldogs 55-53.
The two teams faced one common opponent in the nonconference slate as they both made the trip to Knoxville to face a red-hot Tennessee Lady Volunteers team. Samford fell 101-53 in their season-opening matchup while the Catamounts dropped a 102-50 contest late in November.
The first meeting between the two teams proved to be a turning point of the season for the Bulldogs as Samford has rattled off five SoCon wins in seven outings since the 90-86 OT decision in Cullowhee. The Catamounts picked up a home win over Furman but are looking to put the brakes on a two-game slide as they fell to UNCG 57-53 and Mercer 51-49. WCU's last three league losses have been by a combined eight points with the defeats at UNCG (4 pts) and Mercer (2 pts), and a home loss to Wofford (2 pts).
Players to Watch:
AC Carter erupted for a career-high 26 points the last time the Catamounts and Bulldogs faced each other, posting a 26-point, nine-rebound, three-assist line in the 90-86 overtime loss. She was one of four Catamounts to record double-digit points as Jada Burton, Tyja Beans, and Grace Pack all had strong offensive performances with 18, 14, and 11 points respectively.
Carter compiled her sixth double-double of the season in WCU's road loss to Mercer and recorded a career-high 15 rebounds. The Catamount offense was led by Zanoria Cruz's 13-point night in Macon, while Tyja Beans had a strong performance on the glass by contributing 13 rebounds to WCU's 46 team boards.
Carter continues to lead the Southern Conference in scoring as the graduate student averages 14.9 ppg and has an outstanding total of 416. Tyja Beans is third in total points, posting 351, and is second in rebounds with 228. Jada Burton leads the conference in assists per game, dishing out an average of 5.2 per game.
Samford is led by a trio who average double-figure scoring per game in Claire Johnson (11.6 ppg), Kennedy Langham (11.3 ppg), and Emily Bowman (10.3 ppg), although Bowman is still looking to regain her footing after making her return to the lineup against the Catamounts earlier this season. The 6-5 redshirt junior is a force in the middle as she's racked up 177 rebounds this season and her 7.7 rebounds per game rank fourth in the SoCon.
Up Next for the Catamounts:
All roads lead to the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville next Thursday, March 6, as WCU opens the 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Tournament against UNCG. Tip-off for the opening game of the SoCon basketball tournament is set for 11 a.m. as part of Education Day in Asheville.
