Charleston, S.C. – Redshirt juniors Marcus Kell and Cord Stansberry led the way with a game-high 24 and 23 points, respectively, to lead Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon at The Citadel. However, the Bulldogs used a 19-7 run over the final seven minutes of regulation and into overtime to pull out a 79-77 victory in the extra session at the McAlister Field House.
Kell finished 9-of-17 from the floor as he buried three from beyond the arc, adding a pair of steals and three rebounds. Stansberry connected on seven field goals, including four from range, to go along with five free throws, three rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba finished with eight points to accompany a team-best tying six rebounds, joined by freshman post Samuel Dada with six boards. Freshman Tahlan Pettway led the Catamounts with five assists as Kell, Kabba, Stansberry, and graduate transfer Julien Soumaoro each had a pair of steals.
The Citadel's Carter Kingsbury led the way with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a pair of threes and 6-of-8 at the foul line, to go along with six rebounds. Braxton Williams added 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting with three triples and a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe. Sola Adebisi rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points and nine rebounds. Simeon German paced all players with 10 rebounds.
Overall, Saturday's game featured 16 lead changes and seven ties. Neither squad held more than a nine-point advantage.
The Catamounts wasted no time using a 7-3 run spurred by Kell to gain the early advantage before the hosts responded with an 11-2 spurt to take a five-point lead, 14-9 at the 11:51 mark of the opening half. Stansberry, Pettway, and graduate transfer Tidjiane Dioumassi helped push WCU back in front with a 13-5 burst before four unanswered gave the Bulldogs a 23-22 lead.
The guests answered with a 10-2 burst to make it 32-25 with 4:04 to play before the break, with teams trading points down the stretch as the Catamounts led 40-33 at intermission.
The Citadel (4-13, 1-3 SoCon) began the second half on a 17-6 run over the opening five minutes to erase the deficit and push in front by four, 50-46. The Catamounts responded with eight of the next 10 points between Kell and Stansberry to jump back in front by two, 54-52, just two minutes later.
After the hosts quickly tied it, WCU put together a 13-6 run led by Kell with seven of the 13 points to take a 67-60 lead with 7:55 to go in regulation. The Citadel continued to fight back, though, utilizing an 11-2 burst over the final six minutes to retake the lead, 71-69. Soumaoro evened the score at 71 on a jump shot with 45 seconds left in regulation, but both teams were held off the scoreboard in the final seconds to send the contest to overtime.
The Bulldogs carried the momentum to the extra session with an 8-3 burst out of the gates in the overtime period to take a five-point lead, 79-74. CJ Hyland buried a late three to make it a 79-77 victory for The Citadel.
Western Carolina (5-10, 1-3 SoCon) shot 42.6% (29-of-68) from the floor with nine 3-pointers at a 30% clip, while also making 10-of-16 at the charity stripe. The Citadel finished at 41.4% (24-of-58), hitting eight threes at 28.6% and making 23-of-28 at the charity stripe.
The Citadel controlled the glass on Saturday, winning the rebounding battle by eight, 44-to-36, including a 30-24 lead in defensive rebounding. WCU held a six-point edge in paint scoring, 34-28, as The Citadel outscored the Catamounts by six, 16-10, in second-chance scoring.
The Catamounts return to Cullowhee for the first time in the 2026 calendar year to open a two-game Tennessee home swing with a visit from mountain-rival ETSU on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 17.
The matchup against ETSU will be a Black Out, with fans encouraged to wear their black WCU gear to the game. It will also feature the Air Elite Dunkers Halftime Show, presented by WCU Residential Life. The mountain rivalry with the Bucs is slated for a 6 p.m. start and will be shown regionally through the Nexstar family of stations (check local listings) and simulcast on ESPN+(paid subscription required). Streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live statswill be available online 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).
