Birmingham, Ala. – Sophomore Tyja Beans matched a single-game program record with a perfect 10-for-10 performance from the field as Western Carolina women's basketball closed the 2024-25 regular season by downing the Samford Bulldogs 76-69 on the road at the Pete Hanna Center.

Beans was one of three Catamounts to score in double figures, leading the Catamounts with 20 points in the finale, also leading WCU on the glass with nine rebounds. Zanoria Cruz and AC Carter went for 18 and 11 points, respectively. Jada Burton dished out nine assists, just one shy of her third double-digit helpers effort of the season. 

Samford's Claire Johnson recorded a strong performance with 21 points to head the home squad, with Sierra Godbolt chipping in 13. Annie Ramil led the Bulldogs in rebounding, picking up eight boards despite the Catamounts dominating the glass, 33-20.  

Chelsea Wooten started the scoring for the Catamounts early as the senior knocked down the first shot of the game for WCU to put her team ahead 3-2 in the opening seconds. Johnson answered with a three-ball for the Bulldogs before Nicole Azar connected on a pair of free throws to tie things at five all. The two teams began trading baskets, though the Bulldogs held a one-point advantage thanks to another 3-pointer from Johnson until Cruz and Beans swung the lead back to the Catamounts at 15-12. Samford rallied out of the media timeout, outscoring the Catamounts 9-2 to finish the first quarter with a 21-15 lead.  

Samford continued to build on their lead in the second quarter, eventually commanding a 42-29 advantage late in the opening half. The Catamounts pulled within a single possession three times in the quarter thanks to buckets from Beans, Burton, and Cruz, but the Bulldogs pulled away whenever WCU came within striking distance. Reagan Trumm hit a 3-pointer with 3:30 to play to cut the deficit to five, but the Bulldogs rattled off an 8-0 run before Cruz capitalized on an and-one making it a 42-32 halftime lead for Samford.  

Taj Hunter and AC Carter combined on a quick six-point burst out of the halftime locker room that forced Samford into an early timeout as WCU pulled to within four. Another Claire Johnson 3-pointer pushed the Samford lead back to eight. An 8-3 finish to the third by the Catamounts brought WCU back to within three, 55-52, through three complete.

Cruz brought WCU within a single point before Trumm's second deep shot of the game tied it at 57-all with 8:26 to go in regulation. Beans gave the Catamounts a 59-57 lead at the 7:56 mark as momentum swung in WCU's favor as the Catamounts never trailed for the remainder of the game despite a trio of ties. Hunter gave the Catamounts the lead a final time with 2:19 left in the game before adding a big 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game with 45 seconds left. Carter finished off the day with three free throws as the Catamounts took the 76-69 win in the regular season finale.  

Catamount Notables:  

• Saturday's 76-69 road win is only the fifth win in series history for the Catamounts, snapping a 23-game skid dating back to 2014.  
• The last Catamount road win over Samford came during the 2009 season as the Catamounts took a 55-53 win over the Bulldogs in the penultimate game of the regular season. WCU took down the Bulldogs a second time in the SoCon semifinals that year.
• Tyja Beans had a perfect day from the floor against the Bulldogs, going 10-for-10 from the field for 20 points. Her performance was only the second 100%, 10+ shot attempt game by a Catamount in program history as she ties Karen Mason (11-for-11, vs. Eastern Kentucky in 1995) for the single-game shooting percentage record 
• Zanoria Cruz enjoyed a strong performance as well, as her 18-point performance was her second-consecutive 10+ point game and her 14th this season. 
• Jada Burton dished out nine assists in the road win, tying her SoCon season high which she originally set against the Bulldogs in Cullowhee. 

Up Next for the Catamounts: 

The eighth-seed Catamounts face the regular-season champion and top-seed UNCG to open the 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championship. Tip-off for the first game of the conference tournament is set for 11 a.m. in the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. 

Catamount Coaches Show - 2025 SoCon Basketball Tournament Preview Show:
On Tuesday, March 4, Western Carolina head men's basketball coach Tim Craft and head women's basketball coach Jonathan Tsipis will lay out the road map for the Catamounts to win a title at the 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships with a special Facebook LIVE SoCon Tournament Preview Show, presented by Catamount Jaxe. The show airs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Watch the show and interact with the coaches through the WCU official Facebook page.