Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in the league slate as the Catamounts visit the Wofford Terriers and the Furman Paladins in the second week of Southern Conference play. WCU battles the Terriers on Thursday, Jan. 15, in a 6 p.m. tip before traveling to Greenville, S.C. to take on the Paladins in a 2 p.m. tilt on Saturday, Jan. 17.
The Catamounts (3-13, SoCon 0-2) enter the week looking to pick up their first win of the young conference season. Wofford (7-9, SoCon 1-1) and Furman (9-8, SoCon 1-1) split their opening week, with both teams taking tight wins over ETSU – Wofford winning 61-57 and Furman, 72-70, but falling to Chattanooga by double-digits.
Both games will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with a live audio broadcast available through the Catamount Sports Network for Thursday's game against Wofford. Additionally, fans can follow along with both games through the live stats link on CatamountSports.com.
Thursday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (3-11, SoCon 0-2) vs Wofford (7-9, SoCon 1-1)
Jan. 15, 2026 | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C. | 6 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/mrxr9uns
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/2rmuc4aw
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/uj727fwf
Saturday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (3-11, SoCon 0-2) vs Furman (9-8, SoCon 1-1)
Jan. 17, 2026 | Timmons Arena | Greenville, S.C. | 2:00 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/37b96efh
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/46t8dtsh
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Terriers meet for the 66th time in series history, with WCU holding a 36-29 lead all-time over Wofford. The Terriers have won six straight meetings overall and are on a six-game series win streak in Spartanburg, with WCU's last road win in the series coming back in 2018 (W, 68-62).
Despite the 0-2 start to the conference season, WCU has seen a marked improvement in scoring compared to the nonconference slate. Through two games, the Catamounts are tied for the third-most in scoring at 68.5, connecting on 41.1% of their field goals for the fourth-best mark in the SoCon. Additionally, the Catamounts are the second-best rebounding team in the conference early, racking up 39.0 boards per outing in their two games against Samford and Mercer. However, the Catamounts are conceding the most points defensively in the conference (75.5) and are averaging 21.5 turnovers per game early in SoCon play.
Wofford enters the week ranked eighth in both scoring (51.5 ppg) and shooting (33.6%). Conversely, the Terriers are one of only two teams to hold opponents below 60 points per game at 59.0 points per game, joining league favorite Chattanooga (43.0 ppg).
The Catamounts and Terriers faced two common opponents in the nonconference schedule, both battling UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb. Wofford picked up a pair of strong road wins over those two teams, claiming an 80-54 win over UNCA and a 58-41 victory over GWU, while the Catamounts fell to both teams.
Furman opens the week after most recently falling 61-44 at Chattanooga. The Paladins led the SoCon in scoring in nonconference play but have found tougher sledding in their two conference matchups, slipping from 73.3 points per game to 58.0. Furman leads the conference in blocked shots per game in SoCon play and ranks second in steals with 4.0 and 10.0 marks, respectively.
The Catamounts and Paladins faced three common opponents this season, with both squads battling Campbell, Clemson, and UNCA. Both teams fell to Campbell and Clemson, though both of Furman's losses came at home in the newly minted Timmons Arena. The Paladins picked up a home win against UNCA (74-67) while the Catamounts fell to the Bulldogs in Cullowhee.
Players to Watch:
Transfer guard Ally Hollifield maintains her status as one of the strongest scoring players in the Southern Conference, currently sitting tied for fourth in points per conference game at 15.0. Additionally, she leads the conference in steals (3.0) and assists per game (5.0) in league games, and is sixth in rebounding at 7.5 boards per game.
Additionally, post Grace Pack supplemented the WCU offense in their loss to Mercer, posting a career-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds. Pack's offensive run against the Bears was the third 20-point game of the season for the Catamounts, joining Ally Hollifield (26, vs. Virginia University of Lynchburg) and Betsey Burnett (22 at West Georgia).
Wofford is led by Queen Ikhiuwu, who is one of nine players in the SoCon to surpass 200 points on the season already. Ikhiuwu ranks second in the conference with 12.1 field goal attempts per game, and her 54.1% on those shots is second among SoCon players who average at least 10 per outing. She also leads the Terriers in rebounding at 6.4 per game. Additionally, both Gabby Mundy and Maddie Heiss are averaging double figures, netting 12.3 and 11.3, respectively.
Furman fields a lineup with the SoCon's leading rebounder in Clare Coyle. Her 7.8 rebounds per game and 133 boards total lead the conference, with the 6-1 sophomore also ranking as the second-best scorer in the conference, averaging 14.9 points per game. She's the only player in the conference to hit over 100 shots this season, connecting on 107-of-192 attempts from the floor, though she is yet to attempt a 3-pointer this year.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina returns home next week as the Catamounts host the ETSU Buccaneers and the Chattanooga Mocs on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Thursday's game against ETSU will be the annual "Blackout" game against the Bucs, with fans encouraged to wear their black WCU gear to the game, while Saturday's matchup with Chattanooga is the annual "Pack the RAC" game.
The Catamounts then have the midweek off before closing the first half of the conference slate with a road game against UNCG on Feb. 1.
