Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball looks to rebound from Wednesday's road setback with a trip to Charleston, S.C., to face a second set of Bulldogs in the finale of a three-game Southern Conference road trip, visiting The Citadel at the McAlister Field House.

The Catamounts begin Saturday's matchup with a 1-2 league record after dropping an 82-77 decision at Samford on Wednesday night in Birmingham, Ala. The Citadel returns to the hardwood on Saturday, looking to break a three-game league slide with two losses at home, falling to ETSU (74-49) and Wofford (95-86) before dropping a road decision at Mercer (101-63), last time out on Wednesday night.

Saturday's tip-off is slated for 1 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 (5-9, 1-2) at The Citadel (3-13, 0-3)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 10
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: McAlister Field House (Charleston, S.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN Plus (paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC  
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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About Western Carolina:
Western Carolina suffered an 82-77 road defeat at the hands of Samford last time out as the Bulldogs used a 21-7 run down the stretch to jump in front and claim the five-point home decision. Samford overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to rally for the victory.

Catamount freshman Samuel Dada posted career highs with a double-double effort of 19 points and 14 rebounds, while tying his career benchmark with four blocks in the setback.

Redshirt junior Cord Stansberry added 12 points on five made field goals, while both graduate transfer Julien Soumaoro and sophomore transfer Justin Johnson poured in 11 points apiece. Rounding out the season-high six Catamounts in double figures were graduate transfer Tidjiane Dioumassi and redshirt junior Marcus Kell with 10 points apiece.

The Catamounts have continued to fill the basket over the last nine games and to begin SoCon action, averaging 79.2 points per contest. WCU has raised its seasonal per-game average from 71.7 to 77.2. With six double-figure scoring outputs in that stretch, Kell leads the way for WCU with 13.4 points per game, followed by Soumaoro at 10.3 per game, including a team-best 19 threes in the last nine games. Stansberry rounds out the double-figure scoring trio at 10.2 points per contest, including a 25-of-30 mark at the charity stripe in the last nine.

The Catamounts have continued to crash the boards in the 2025-26 season, averaging a league-best 40.1 rebounds per game through 14 contests. Coming off their ninth double-figure offensive rebounds showing on Wednesday in Birmingham, the Purple & Gold lead the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.9) to go along with the league-best overall on the glass showing.

Sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba paces the Catamounts in rebounding with 6.9 rebounds per game, ranking in a tie for seventh in the SoCon. Following his career-high 14 boards at Samford, Dada sits at 6.8 rebounds per game, ranking in a tie for ninth in the league in rebounding. Kell averages 4.4 per game. Each player has at least 18 offensive rebounds; Dada's 40 (2.9 per game) put him in a tie for third in the league, followed by Kabba 38 (2.7 per game), fifth in the SoCon. As a group, they have helped WCU win or tie the rebounding battle in nine games this season, highlighted by a 64-rebound outing against VUL.

Soumaoro averages 2.4 made 3-pointers per game, tied for fourth in the league, and is tied for seventh in the conference with 33 made triples. Kabba is tied for sixth in blocks with 14.

In conference play, Dada leads the league with 16 offensive rebounds at a league-high clip of 5.3 offensive boards per game in the opening three contests. He's also tied for second in overall rebounds at 11.0 per contest. Dioumassi sits with 4.7 assists per contest, ranking third in the league through the opening three games of SoCon action.

Scouting the Opposition:
The Citadel (3-13, 0-3 SoCon) enters Saturday's action looking to snap a six-game seasonal slide, including three-straight losses in SoCon play after falling to Mercer, 101-63, on Wednesday night in its first road action of the league slate. The Citadel has already battled ETSU and Wofford.

Senior Braxton Williams leads the Bulldogs on offense with 11.6 points per game, scoring in double figures in eight games and notching three games of 20 or more points. Williams, a Valdosta State transfer, leads The Citadel offense from deep with 32 threes, ranking in a tie for ninth in the SoCon.

Redshirt sophomore Christian Moore averages 10.9 points over 16 games, connecting on 31 threes at a 37.8% clip. Senior Sola Adebisi leads the Bulldogs with 5.5 rebounds per game, including a pair of double-doubles, with one coming in league play against in-state foe Wofford. Sophomore Eze Wali leads the way with 35 assists, along with a team-best 17 steals, with Adebisi totaling 16 blocks to pace the squad.

Ed Conroy, a 1989 Citadel alum, leads the Bulldogs in his eighth season at the helm of his alma mater. Before his return to Charleston, Conroy spent nine combined seasons at Tulane and Francis Marion before joining The Citadel for his first of two stops back in the 2006-07 season.

The Bulldogs posted a 5-25 record last season, while going winless in SoCon play, before falling to VMI in the opening round of the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament. The Citadel was picked 10th in the league's 10-team preseason poll.

Series History:
Saturday's matchup marks the 91st all-time meeting between the two schools, with WCU holding a 49-41 lead in the head-to-head battles. The Catamounts have won the last four meetings, including back-to-back wins in Charleston, as the Bulldogs hold a 23-18 lead in games from the Holy City.

In last year's season sweep, Marcus Kell averaged 17.0 points per game with 18 points in the home win, while Cord Stansberry averaged 15.0 points per contest. Kell averaged 8.5 boards per game and shot 52.6% (10-of-19) in the matchups.

Up Next:
Following Saturday's action in Charleston, the Catamounts return to Cullowhee for the first time during 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 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).