Cullowhee, N.C. – Looking to continue to defend its home court and close out a two-game Tennessee home swing, Western Carolina men's basketball plays host to Southern Conference preseason favorite Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The annual "Diaper Derby," presented by New Generations Family Birthing Center at Harris Regional Hospital, is scheduled for halftime of Saturday's SoCon showdown. The intermission entertainment will also include the Bouncing Bulldogs Halftime show.

Saturday's game will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live audio from the Catamount Sports Network is on 105.7 FM/540 AM WRGC in Sylva, with streaming audio and live stats online at CatamountSports.com.

The Catamounts enter Saturday's matchup with a 2-3 league record after downing previously league-unbeaten and mountain rival East Tennessee State on Wednesday, 72-68, to improve to 5-1 in Cullowhee on the season. Chattanooga improved to 2-3 in SoCon play after rallying to defeat Wofford in Spartanburg 76-67. It marks back-to-back wins for the Mocs after downing Samford, as UTC opened league play with a 0-3 record.

Men's Basketball Matchup: Chattanooga (8-10, 2-3) vs Western Carolina (6-10, 2-3)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)  
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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About Western Carolina:
Redshirt junior Marcus Kell beat the shot clock to score a late layup to help push Western Carolina men's basketball past mountain rival ETSU 72-68 to give the visiting Buccaneers their first league loss on Wednesday night.

Redshirt junior Cord Stansberry scored a team-high 20 points, finishing with seven field goals, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Kell added 15 points, while freshman Samuel Dada picked up his second double-double in his last three outings and his team-best third on the season with 13 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.

Over the last 11 games, the Catamounts have averaged 78.4 points per contest, increasing their seasonal average. Marcus Kell leads with 14.5 points per game, followed by Cord Stansberry at 12.3. Julien Soumaoro and Stansberry have both made 22 threes in that span. Tidjiane Dioumassi leads with 40 assists, while Samuel Dada averages 7.3 rebounds per game in these games.

The Catamounts have continued to crash the boards in 2025-26, averaging 39.75 rebounds per game through 16 contests, second in the SoCon. The Purple & Gold lead the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.63).

Dada leads the Catamounts in rebounding with 6.9 per game, ranking sixth in the SoCon, following his 13 points, 10 rebounds double-double on Wednesday. Sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba sits in eighth in the league in rebounding at 6.75 boards per game, followed by Kell at 4.4 per game. Each player has at least 20 offensive rebounds; Dada's 48 offensive boards (3.0 per game) put them in a tie for second in the league. As a group, they have helped WCU win or tie the rebounding battle in 10 games this season, highlighted by a 64-rebound outing against Virginia University - Lynchburg.

In conference play, Stansberry enters Saturday 10th in the league in scoring at 18 points per game, making 3.2 threes per game, fourth in the SoCon through five games. He's also tied for fifth in the league at a 40% 3-point rate. Dada sits second in the league with 24 offensive rebounds, while also sitting second in offensive boards per game at 4.8 in the opening five contests. He's also fourth in overall rebounds at 9.8 per contest. Dioumassi sits with 4.4 assists per contest, ranking sixth in the league. The Paris, France native is also fifth in the SoCon in league play with a 2.44 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Scouting the Opposition:
Chattanooga (8-10, 2-3 SoCon) enters play on Saturday with back-to-back wins over Samford and, most recently, Wofford to earn its first two league triumphs of the season. The Mocs began the league slate with losses to UNCG and VMI on the road before a home defeat to Furman. 

Pittsburg State transfer, junior Jordan Frison, paces the Mocs at 15.1 points per game as he's hit 20 or more points in five games and double figures in all but three games on the season. Frison has been effective throughout the 2025-26 season, shooting 52.7% (97-of-184), making 26 threes and 52-of-63 (82.5%) at the charity stripe. The Mocs have a trio of players at 9.0 points per game average, including Bellarmine senior transfer Billy Smith (9.8), graduate student and Southeast Missouri transfer Teddy Washington Jr. (9.6), and freshman Tate Darner (9.3).

UTC has done it from deep, connecting on a 35.3% of its 3-pointers with 195 makes, ranking second in the SoCon through 18 games. Smith leads the Mocs with 39 makes, followed by 33 apiece for Darner and NDSU transfer, senior Brennan Watkins.

Darner leads the Mocs' regulars on the glass with 4.2 rebounds per game. Frison sits fourth in the league with 4.3 assists per game and is third with 77 helpers. Washington Jr. has a team-best 22 steals, and redshirt senior Makai Richards has seven blocks to lead Chattanooga.

The Mocs are led by Dan Earl in his fourth season at the helm in Chattanooga after spending seven seasons at VMI. Earl has tallied 76 wins at a 61.3 win percentage in his time at the Scenic City.

Chattanooga posted a 29-9 record last season, while going 15-3 in the league, before defeating UC Irvine to claim the 2025 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) title. The Mocs made their run through the NIT, defeating Middle Tennessee in triple overtime, and wins over Dayton, Bradley, and Loyola Chicago before downing UC Irvine in OT. Chattanooga was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the league's 10-team preseason poll, earning five first-place votes, while Jikari Johnson, Collin Mulholland, and Washington Jr. were named to the 10-player preseason All-SoCon Team. 

Series History:
Saturday's matchup marks the 106th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Chattanooga holding a 73-32 lead in the head-to-head battles. The two teams have traded wins in Cullowhee over the last 10 matchups, with both teams earning five wins in the head-to-head battles, with the Mocs earning wins in the last two matchups in Cullowhee. In games played from WCU, the Mocs hold a tight 26-24 lead in the head-to-head battles. 

Marcus Kell represents the top offensive threat returning from last year's two meetings, averaging 23.0 points per game, including a career-best 31 in a tight road defeat at Chattanooga. Cord Stansberry averaged 14.0 points per contest, connecting on 9-of-19 field goals and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe.  

Up Next:
Following Saturday's action, the Catamounts hit the road for a midweek trip to the Peach State for a matchup against Mercer on Wednesday, Jan. 21. The action with the Bears is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), as live stats will 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).