Johnson City, Tenn. – Ary Dizon and Betsey Burnett led a 24-point third-quarter surge that saw Western Carolina fight back from a 21-point halftime deficit on Saturday at East Tennessee State. However, the Bucs, just outpaced the Catamounts down the stretch in the fourth quarter, outscoring WCU 13-12 points in the final 10 minutes to hold on for the 61-51 victory in the on-campus Brooks Gymnasium.
Ally Hollifield scored a team-high 14 points in the road finale, dishing out six assists and a steal. Betsey Burnett finished with 11 and Ary Dizon notched 10, including six apiece in WCU's big third-quarter push. Taj Hunter went for 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Daniela Lopez led the Bucs with 15 points, five steals, four rebounds, and an assist. Meghan Downing paced ETSU in rebounding with six boards to accompany nine points, two steals, two blocks, and an assist.
WCU (3-24, SoCon 0-13) has the midweek away from competition before hosting the UNCG Spartans on Sat., Feb. 28 in the regular season finale. ETSU (15-12, SoCon 8-4) closes the season on the road, facing the Mercer Bears in Macon, Ga., on Feb. 26 and the Samford Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 28.
How it Happened:
Down five, the Catamounts rallied early in the first quarter to pull within one point of the Bucs following a Grace Pack 3-pointer with 4:12 to go in the frame as part of five-straight points. ETSU pulled away with an 8-0 run to close the quarter, taking a 17-8 lead into the break.
ETSU continued to build its lead early in the quarter, opening the frame on a 10-0 run to stretch its lead to 27-8, before Hunter halted the surge. A separate 7-0 run added onto that lead as the Bucs commanded a 36-15 halftime lead.
Out of the locker room, ETSU built onto its lead early in the third quarter, connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers for a 27-point cushion, 42-15, before the Catamounts responded. Taj Hunter sparked a 10-0 run to close the gap with the Bucs. ETSU scored four points in the remainder of the quarter, with WCU outpacing the Bucs 12-4 to pull within nine points heading into the final 10 minutes.
ETSU built its lead back to 15 with a pair of 3-pointers by Lopez, though the Catamounts fired back to pull within single digits again with 2:54 to play on a Hollifield free throw. But, the Bucs went 5-of-6 from the free throw line to close the night, securing the 61-51 win.
By the Numbers:
The Catamounts enjoyed one of their strongest 3-point shooting performances of the conference season, connecting on 7-of-18 (38.9%) of their attempts from deep against the Bucs. The 38.9% mark ranks as their third-best mark in SoCon play and comes only two days after a 0-for-14 performance against Chattanooga.
Turnovers damaged the Catamounts throughout the evening in Johnson City, with WCU committing 24 against the Bucs. The 24 giveaways are the third most of the conference slate for the Catamounts, with ETSU scoring 20 points off the WCU turnovers.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU is back in action on Feb. 28 for the first half of a regular-season finale doubleheader, hosting the UNCG Spartans at 3 p.m.
The Catamounts will then head to the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville for the 2026 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Tournament beginning on March 5.
