Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina looks to leave the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center in a "Purple Haze" on Wednesday night as the Catamounts return home in Southern Conference play to host The Citadel Bulldogs with a special 6 p.m. tip-off.
Wednesday's "Purple Out" includes the Catamounts wearing their purple Nike uniforms on the home court, with replica purple jerseys to be given out to the first 400 WCU students, courtesy of the Everson.
Wednesday's game will be shown regionally on Nexstar stations WYCW, The Carolina's CW across western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, as well as TheCW affiliate WFLI in Chattanooga, Tenn., and simulcast 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. Air time is 5:30 p.m., ahead of the special 6 p.m. tip-off.
The Catamounts enter the week with a 4-8 league record after falling in a 77-66 contest on the road on Saturday against Wofford. The Citadel (6-6 SoCon) earned a 77-71 road victory at Chattanooga, giving the Bulldogs wins in five of their last seven games to climb into a three-way tie for fifth entering Wednesday's action.
Men's Basketball Matchup: The Citadel (9-16, 6-6) at Western Carolina (8-15, 4-8)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 11
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required) / Nexstar (check local listings)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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TICKETS
About Western Carolina:
Cord Stansberry and Marcus Kell led four Catamounts in double figures with 13 points apiece last Saturday at Wofford. However, the host Terriers used a decisive 15-to-4 second-half run to build on a 13-point lead and pulled away for the 77-66 victory at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
In SoCon play, the Catamounts have climbed to fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 77.8 points per game, while ranking fourth overall at 77.6 this season. In league play, redshirt junior Cord Stansberry leads the squad at 15.3 points per game, followed by Kell at 14.1 per game. Graduate transfer Julien Soumaoro rounds out the double-figure trio at 11.1 points per contest. As a group, WCU has five 20-point individual outputs in league action, as Stansberry has three, with Kell having the other two.
The Catamounts have continued to crash the boards in 2025-26, averaging 38.7 rebounds per game through 23 contests, second in the SoCon. The Purple & Gold maintain the lead in the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.8).
Freshman Samuel Dada leads the Catamounts in rebounding with 7.1 per game, ranking fifth in the SoCon. He is followed by sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba, who is eighth in the league in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game. Both players sit among the league leaders in offensive rebounding: Dada's 72 offensive boards (3.1 per game) rank second in total offensive boards and his per-game average. Kabba checks in tied for fifth in total offensive rebounds with 55.
In conference play, Dada is second in the league with 48 offensive rebounds, averaging 4.0 per game. He's also fifth in overall rebounds at 8.4 per contest. Tidjiane Dioumassi, who looks to return to the lineup this week, averages 3.4 assists per contest, ranking in a tie for sixth in the league, after missing Saturday's game against Wofford. Kell ranks ninth in league play at 47.3% shooting from the field. Dada is fifth in the league at 1.3 blocks per game in conference play, with 15 rejections, fifth in the SoCon.
Scouting the Opposition:
The Citadel (9-16, 6-6 SoCon) enters Wednesday having won five of its last seven games, including a seven-point victory last time out against Chattanooga. The Bulldogs have a pair of wins over VMI, with victories also against Furman, UNCG, and the Mocs in recent on-court action.
Tabbed 10th in the SoCon preseason poll, the Bulldogs have earned seven of their nine wins on their home court with just a 2-10 mark away from Charleston throughout the 2025-26 season.
Senior Braxton Williams leads the team with 13.3 points over 25 games, reaching double figures in 15 games and notching six games of 20 or more points. Williams, a Valdosta State transfer, leads The Citadel offense from deep with 55 threes, ranking in a tie for fifth in the SoCon.
Redshirt sophomore Christian Moore averages 11.2 points over 24 games, connecting on 50 threes to rank 10th in the SoCon. Senior Carter Kingsbury has been a scoring force in SoCon play, averaging 13.0 points per game in 10 league contests, while making 42.5% of his 3-pointers (17-of-40).
Senior Sola Adebisi leads the Bulldogs with 6.3 boards per game, including three double-doubles, with a pair coming in league play against Wofford and VMI. Sophomore Eze Wali leads the way with 62 assists, along with a team-best 23 steals, with Adebisi totaling a team-best 25 blocks, fifth in the league.
Ed Conroy, a 1989 alum of The Citadel, 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 the first of his two stops back in 2006-07.
Last Time vs The Citadel:
Redshirt juniors Marcus Kell and Cord Stansberry led the way with a game-high 24 and 23 points, respectively, to lead Western Carolina at The Citadel. However, the Bulldogs used a 19-7 run over the final seven minutes of regulation and into overtime to pull out a 79-77 victory in the extra session at the McAlister Field House.
Kell finished 9-of-17 from the floor as he buried three from beyond the arc, adding a pair of steals and three rebounds. Stansberry connected on seven field goals, including four from range, to go along with five free throws, three rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Series History:
Wednesday's matchup marks the 92nd all-time meeting between the two schools, with WCU holding a slight 49-42 lead in the head-to-head battles. The Catamounts look to get back in the win column against the Bulldogs after WCU's four-game win streak was snapped earlier this season in the overtime loss on January 10 in Charleston. The Purple & Gold have had success in Cullowhee against The Citadel, holding a 28-16 record against the Bulldogs.
Up Next:
Following Wednesday's action, the Catamounts hit the road once again with a trip to Chattanooga on Saturday, Feb. 14. The action with the Mocs is slated for a 4:30 p.m. tip and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live stats will be provided via a link 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).
