Men's Basketball 1/2/2026 7:30:00 PM Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Men's Basketball Battles Chromatic Rival in Saturday Afternoon Showdown

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball begins its longest road stretch of Southern Conference play with a three-game road swing beginning with a trip to Greenville to battle chromatic rival Furman on Saturday afternoon from Timmons Arena.

Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast 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.

Men's Basketball Matchup: Western Carolina (4-8, 0-1) at Furman (10-4, 1-0)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3
Time: 4 p.m.
Site: Timmons Arena (Greenville, S.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: ESPN Plus (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
MEDIA CENTER

About Western Carolina:
Western Carolina returned home for the first time in 29 days on Wednesday to kick off its Southern Conference slate against reigning tournament champion Wofford as the Catamounts went toe-to-toe with the Terriers before the guests edged WCU by five, 79-74, to close out the 2025 calendar year. The Catamounts hold the 28th toughest NET SOS entering Saturday's action.

Cord Stansberry led WCU with 20 points on Wednesday, including three three-pointers and perfect free-throw shooting. Tidjiane Dioumassi added 13 points, five rebounds, and a team-best five assists.

The Catamounts ended pre-SoCon action on a high note over the last seven games, averaging 79.4 points per contest, and raised their seasonal per-game average from 71.7 to 77. Kell leads the Catamounts in that stretch with 13.6 points per game, as he has maintained the top spot in scoring for the Purple & Gold during the stretch. Hyland contributed 11.4 points per game, including a 12-of-15 mark at the charity stripe and 11 threes at a 57.9% clip.

The Catamounts have continued to crash the boards in the 2025-26 season, averaging 39.6 rebounds per game through 12 contests, ranking third in the league. Coming off a solid 20 offensive rebounds on Wednesday in Cullowhee, the Purple & Gold lead the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.5), and they rank fifth in defensive rebounds (26.1).

Sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba leads the Catamounts in rebounding with 7.4 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the SoCon. Next is Samuel Dada at 6.3 rebounds per game; he also grabbed a personal best of 13 rebounds on Wednesday. Kell averages 4.7 per game. Each player has at least 16 offensive rebounds; Kabba's 35 (2.9 per game) ties him for second in the league. As a group, they have helped WCU win or tie the rebounding battle in seven games this season, highlighted by a 64-rebound outing against VUL.

Julien Soumaoro averages 2.5 threes per game, tied for sixth in total made. Kabba is tied for fifth in blocks with 13, while Dada sits fifth in the league with 30 offensive rebounds.

Scouting the Opposition:
Furman (10-4, 1-0) enters the weekend on a six-game win streak, following a tight 74-72 decision over Mercer on Wednesday to open the Paladins' league slate. After falling to High Point and Troy to begin the season, Furman has been red-hot of late, including wins in nine of its last 10, with only losses coming to Northern Iowa (70-54) and Illinois State (72-65). The Paladins are in the receiving votes column of the latest mid-major top 25 poll.

The Paladins posted a 25-10 record last season, including an 11-7 mark in the SoCon. North Texas defeated them in the opening round of the NIT after Wofford topped the Paladins for the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament crown.

Freshman Alex Wilkins leads the Furman offense with 17.0 points per game, scoring in double figures in 12 games and notching six games of 20+ points. Wilkins sits fourth in the league in scoring and third in the conference with 4.9 assists per game, leading the way with 69 helpers.

Redshirt sophomore Asa Thomas averages 13.9 points over 14 games. He has connected on a team-high 47 threes at a 40.9% rate. Junior Cooper Bowser averages 13.4 points per game. As the preseason all-SoCon selection, he is connecting on an 81.2% clip.

Senior Charles Johnston tops the team with 9.5 rebounds per game, tallying seven double-doubles on the season. Bowser sits at 6.3 boards per game. Senior Ben Vander Wal and Johnston each have a team-best 16 steals, as Bowser leads the squad with 13 rejections.

Bob Richey leads the Paladins in his 10th season at the helm, where he's eclipsed 22 wins six times during his career in Greenville. Furman was picked second in the 10-team preseason poll by conference coaches, as five coaches selected Furman to win the league, and Bowser and Tom House were named to the league's preseason team.

Series History:
Saturday's tilt marks the 90th all-time meeting between the two purple-clad programs. The Paladins hold a 58-31 lead in the series, with Furman winning six of the last seven meetings. Furman has commanded the series in Greenville, leading 33-9 all-time, including wins in each of the last 11 games over WCU. The Catamounts are looking for their first true road win against the Paladins since Dec. 5, 2009, when WCU downed Furman 64-57 inside Timmons Arena.

Up Next:
Following Saturday's action in Greenville, the Catamounts continue a conference season-long three-game road swing with a trip on Wednesday, Jan. 7, with a trip to Birmingham, Ala., battling Samford. The meeting with the Paladins is slated for a 7 p.m. EST start and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available online at 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).

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