Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball continues the road-heavy portion of its Southern Conference schedule on Saturday (Feb. 8) with a trip to the Gate City to battle UNC Greensboro with tip-off from the First Horizon Coliseum set for 4 p.m.
Saturday's meeting with the Spartans 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 3:30 p.m. Live stats are also available via a link on CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: Western Carolina (6-16, 2-9 SoCon) at UNCG (15-9, 8-3 SoCon)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
Time: 4 p.m.
Site: First Horizon Coliseum (Greensboro, N.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts went to overtime for the third time over their last four outings on Wednesday night as Furman rallied to spoil a career night by redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell. The Paladins used a 24-to-12 run over the final two minutes of regulation and overtime to upend the Catamounts 84-75 at the Davis Field House at Bob Jones University, the temporary home of the Paladins this season.
Kell scored a career-high 29 points to lead the strong effort for Western Carolina, connecting on eight field goals including five beyond the arc. The Rock Hill, S.C. native finished one off his season-high with eight rebounds and added a pair of blocked shots. Kell is the fourth different Catamount to eclipse the 20-point plateau this season, joining senior Bernard Pelote, Ice Emery and Cord Stansberry. His 29 points represent the high-water mark for WCU this season.
Pelote maintains a top-five spot in the league in scoring over 11 SoCon games. He enters play on Saturday tied for fourth in the league, averaging 17.3 points per game and paces the league in SoCon games only with 6.5 made field goals per game and is fifth in rebounding with 7.6 boards per conference game. He's tied for sixth in league play with 28 made threes and tops in defensive rebounds with 70 while checking in fifth overall with 84 boards.
After his career night on Wednesday, Kell finds himself with four straight double-figure scoring output, averaging 17.8 points per game in the last four games on 43.8% (21-of-48) shooting from the floor and 41.7% (10-of-24) from deep. Kell has been effective at the charity stripe, making 19-of-23 (82.6%) in the current stretch. He sits third on the team, just outside of double-digit scoring with 9.4 points per game. Kell is also tied for the team lead with 18 blocks and is second on the squad with 38 offensive rebounds.
WCU is averaging 24.27 points per game off the bench from its reserves – the third-best mark in the conference. Kell leads the Catamounts in bench production as a reserve with 116 points. He's made three starts in the last five games, eclipsing double figures in each start. Junior Ice Emery has totaled 89 points off the bench, followed by Fischer Brown and Brandon Morgan, who both have scored 64 bench points.
The Catamounts have seen a bench player reach double-figures 14 times, high-pointed by Emery's 24 against Truett McConnell. Kell leads the squad with five double-digit point performances, including three of the past four games he's come off the bench.
Western Carolina enters Saturday second in the league in rebounds with 38.7 per game over 22 games as the Catamounts have boarded a league-high 27.9 defensive rebounds per contest. WCU sits just 0.4 rebounds overall behind Mercer's top spot in the league. Pelote leads the Catamounts on the glass with 7.6 per game –the third-best individual average in the SoCon. He also ranks first in the league with 6.1 defensive rebounds per game and second in the conference with 134 total defensive boards.
Stansberry paces the team and the SoCon at the free-throw line at 93.4%, ranking among the top free-throw shooters in the nation. Junior Vernon Collins is sixth in the league, averaging 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. He has 50 total offensive boards, including 32 in league games, which ranks fifth in the SoCon. Kell and Collins both check in with a tie for blocks with 18 apiece, sitting in a tie for seventh.
Scouting the Opposition:
UNCG enters the weekend with a 15-9 overall record and an 8-3 mark in league play after fending off The Citadel 76-61 on Wednesday in Charleston. The Spartans currently hold an 8-2 record in home games but have dropped two SoCon home decisions to Mercer and Wofford. Since the win in Cullowhee on Jan. 18, UNCG has a 3-2 mark in SoCon play, with wins over VMI, ETSU, and The Citadel and defeats to the aforementioned Bears and Terriers.
Junior guard Kenyon Giles – a transfer from Radford a season ago – leads the Spartans on the offensive end of the hardwood, averaging 15.8 points per game, seventh in the SoCon. Giles has eight games with 20 or more points, which is tied for the league lead. He's tied for seventh in the league with 63 3-pointers.
A preseason All-SoCon selection, junior guard Donovan Atwell currently averages 14.2 points per game with a league-high 79 threes. Atwell has eclipsed double figures 17 times this season with four games of 20+ points, with his best game of the season coming against Chattanooga with 28.
George Mason transfer Ronald Polite III, who's in his graduate year with the Spartans, averages 13.6 points per game to round out the Spartan trio of double-figure scorers. Polite III also paces UNCG with 64 assists, followed closely by senior guard Joryam Saizonou, who transferred from St. Bonaventure and recorded 61 helpers. Redshirt junior forward Jalen Breath leads the Spartans on the glass with 6.4 per game.
As a scoring defense, UNCG has held opponents to a league-low 64.7 points per game, including 11 opponents held to 64 or fewer points. The Spartans own the top spot in the league at 38.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, sitting among the nation's top 25. UNCG takes care of the basketball, committing a league-low 10.3 turnovers per game.
UNCG was tabbed sixth in the 10-team SoCon preseason poll under the direction of head coach Mike Jones, who's in his fourth year in Greensboro after spending a decade leading Radford. Atwell was among 10 players recognized on the league's preseason all-conference team. UNCG finished the 2023-24 season at 21-11, including a 12-6 mark in league play, before falling in the opening round of the SoCon tournament to ETSU.
Last Meeting vs UNCG:
Redshirt sophomore guard Cord Stansberry led the way with 18 points and five rebounds, but Western Carolina was unable to overcome sluggish second-half shooting and 15 3-pointers by UNCG as the Spartans claimed an 83-55 victory in Southern Conference men's basketball action on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Stansberry connected on 8-of-12 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, to lead the Catamounts in scoring. Junior Brandon Morgan just missed double figures with nine points, including a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.
Series History:
Western Carolina and UNCG have met 65 times in program history with the Spartans edging the Catamount by one, 33-32, after January's victory in Cullowhee. UNCG has seized control of the series recently, claiming wins in seven straight meetings and 17 of the last 18 head-to-head matchups.
WCU is looking for its first win in the series since the 2021 season when the Catamounts slid past the Spartans 81-80 in Greensboro. The Catamounts look to improve their record in games from the Gate City, as UNCG holds a 17-11 lead in home tilts.
Familiar Faces:
Western Carolina head coach Tim Craft and UNCG leader Mike Jones are very familiar with each other, as the SoCon represents the second shared conference affiliation. The two both coached against one another in the Big South Conference—Craft while at Gardner-Webb and Jones during his tenure at Radford.
Up Next for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts return home for their final two-game home swing of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Feb. 12, with a battle against mountain-rival ETSU. The matchup with the Bucs has a special 6 p.m. start time from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Wednesday's Black Out will feature a replica of WCU's black jerseys to students courtesy of the Everson.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast through the SoCon's NexStar agreement (check local listings) and simulcast 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).
