Cullowhee, N.C. – Southern Conference play for the Catamount women's basketball team opens this week as Western Carolina hosts the Mercer Bears and the Samford Bulldogs in consecutive home games to open league play in the on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Tip against Mercer is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, with the game against Samford scheduled for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, Jan. 10.
WCU (3-11, SoCon 0-0) enters the conference slate after most recently picking up a 91-44 win over the Montreat Cavaliers, snapping an 11-game losing streak with the victory. The Catamounts also played an exhibition matchup with a victory heading into conference play.
Mercer (10-5, SoCon 0-0) rides in atop the SoCon standings, tied with UNCG for the most wins in the league. Samford (7-10, SoCon 0-0) comes to Cullowhee after a Thursday night matchup against UNCG, after closing out the nonconference slate with wins in three of its last five outings.
Both games will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with a live radio broadcast available through the Catamount Sports Network for Thursday's game against Mercer. Additionally, fans can follow along with both games through the live stats link on CatamountSports.com.
Thursday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (3-11, SoCon 0-0) vs Mercer (10-5, SoCon 0-0)
Jan. 8, 2026 | Ingles Court at The Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 6 p.m.
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/24drhxzm
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/59aecpne
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/4c28ezsf
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/ypvr7ssp
Saturday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (3-11, SoCon 0-0) vs Samford (7-10, SoCon 0-0)
Jan. 10, 2026 | Ingles Court at The Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 2 p.m.
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/mwecxbx2
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/ypwmxrne
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/ypvr7ssp
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Bears meet for the 32nd time in program history, with Mercer holding a 30-1 advantage in the all-time series. Despite the lopsided record, both games last season were decided by single digits, with Mercer rallying for a 71-66 win in Cullowhee and holding on for a tight 51-49 win in Macon, Ga. WCU's lone win over Mercer came in February of 2020, with the Catamounts scratching out a 51-40 win on the home court. Since then, WCU has been on a 13-game skid against the SoCon foe, though five of those games have been single-digit affairs.
WCU enters the opening week of SoCon play looking to improve upon its 3-11 mark through its nonconference slate. Those three wins came at home against Virginia University of Lynchburg, Tusculum, and Montreat as the Catamounts are still pushing for their first NCAA Division I win. Four of WCU's 11 losses came against NCAA Power Four conference competition, including a home game against the then sixth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners and a neutral site bout against the Clemson Tigers in the Bahamas.
Mercer comes into the SoCon slate on a five-game winning streak, though three of those victories came at home in Macon against Mississippi Valley State, Erskine, and Auburn Montgomery. The Bears are 3-4 on the road this season, with their wins coming against UNC Asheville, Jackson State, and Charleston Southern.
The Catamounts and Bear have battled five common opponents this season, with Mercer posting two wins against UNC Asheville (W, 48-39) and Gardner-Webb (61-56). The Bears also faced the Clemson Tigers, falling 72-51 at home to the ACC foe, as well as Wake Forest (L, 66-61), and Campbell (L, 71-49).
WCU faces the Samford Bulldogs for the 38th time in program history on Saturday, with the Catamounts holding a 5-32 record in the previous meetings. The Catamounts triumphed over the Bulldogs in the regular season finale in Birmingham last season, coming back in the fourth quarter for their first road win in the series since 2009. Samford claimed a hard-fought road win over the Catamounts a year ago, forcing double overtime to come away with the 90-86 victory in the highest scoring game in series history.
Samford enters the week with a 7-10 record overall, though five of those losses came against P4 competition. Outside of those losses, the Bulldogs have held their own against equal competition, with two of their five losses coming in single-digit games. Samford is 3-2 in their last five outings, with losses to UAB (L, 65-49) and Mississippi State (L, 112-54).
The Catamounts and Bulldogs have faced only one common foe this season in USC Upstate. WCU fell at home to the Spartans in a 55-44 loss while the Bulldogs posted a 74-67 win in Spartanburg. Samford visits the UNC Greensboro Spartans Thursday before their road contest with the Catamounts on Saturday.
Players to Watch:
Ally Hollifield led the Catamounts in nearly every statistical category through the nonconference season, pacing the team in scoring (12.3 ppg, 172 total points), rebounding (5.0 rpg, 70 total rebounds), assists (56), and steals (29). She is one of four top-ten scorers in the SoCon who will see the floor in Cullowhee this week, with Samford fielding Kaylee Yarbrough (6th, 12.9 ppg) and Brianna Rivera (10th-t, 11.9 ppg), and Mercer playing Nahawa Diarra (9th, 12.0 ppg).
Outside of Hollified, Taj Hunter has provided a consistent spark for the Catamounts offensively, leading the team in field goals made (55) and ranking second in scoring with 11.2 points per game. Transfers Ary Dizon and Betsey Burnett will earn their stripes in SoCon play, with Dizon leading the team in blocks with 24 and Burnett ranking second on the squad in made 3-pointers with 19.
Three other Bears outside of Diarra are averaging double-figure scoring, including sharpshooting transfer Abigail Holtman, who leads the team with 27 made 3-pointers. She is third on the team with an 11.1 per game mark, with Ariana Bennett ranking second at an 11.8 per game clip, while Robert Morris transfer Micah O'Dell sits fourth, averaging exactly 10.0 points in her 10 game appearances.
Samford boasts a lineup with the leading 3-point shooter in the nation in Briana Rivera, who enters the week with 60 made 3-pointers, five more than second-place nationally and 27 more than second place in the SoCon (33 – Makiya Asidanya, UNCG). She is one of only three players in the SoCon to break 200 points already this season, with Jaylee Yarbrough close behind in total points at 193 despite playing in only 15 games and doing most of her work off the bench. Three Bulldogs have hit 60 rebounds on the season already, with Samford mainstay Emily Snoddy (formerly Bowman) leading the team with 6.0 rebounds per game.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Following the two-game homestand this week, WCU hits the road for its next SoCon matchups, visiting the Wofford Terriers on Thursday, Jan. 15 in Spartanburg, S.C., for a 6 p.m. tip. The Catamounts then swing to Greenville, S.C., to face the Furman Paladins on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. before returning home to host ETSU on Jan. 22.
