Cullowhee, N.C. – Ally Hollifield and Taj Hunter combined for five unanswered points to open the second half, as Western Carolina quickly erased a halftime deficit to tie UNC Greensboro in the third quarter. The duo tied it twice more against the Spartans before UNCG capitalized on a 16-4 run to pull away for the 68-54 win in Saturday's regular-season finale on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Ary Dizon and Grace Pack led the Catamounts in scoring on their senior day, as the duo scored 14 points apiece. Dizon chipped in eight rebounds and three assists. Hunter was the only other Catamount to notch double figures against the Spartans, finishing with 11 points.
Makiyah Asidanya led the Spartans with 21 points, 15 coming from her five made 3-pointers. Jeni Levine and Tasia Johnson both netted 11 points, and Jaila Lee scored 10 to round out the Spartans in double figures. Rylan Moffit added six points to her team-best nine rebounds, with three blocked shots in the win.
WCU (3-25, 0-14 SoCon) now heads to Asheville for the 2026 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championship as the eighth seed and will face top-seeded Chattanooga at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 5. UNCG (14-15, SoCon 4-10) secured the No. 7 seed and will battle second-seeded ETSU following WCU's opening round matchup.
How it Happened:
UNCG opened the game with a quick five points before Ary Dizon netted WCU's first points with 7:11 to go in the frame. The Spartans built a 13-3 lead in the first quarter before Betsey Burnett sank a 3-pointer and Ally Hollifield capitalized on a turnover late with a layup as the Catamounts made it a 15-10 game at the end of the first 10 minutes.
The Catamounts pulled to within two points twice in the second quarter, with six-straight points run to make it an 18-16 game. However, consecutive five-point sprints by UNCG stretched the lead back to nine, but Dizon and Grace Packed notched back-to-back layups as the Catamounts pulled to within five points again.
Neither team scored in the final 1:53 of the half as the Spartans carried a 30-25 lead going into the break.
Hollifield and Taj Hunter connected on consecutive buckets for the Catamounts out of the halftime locker room, tying it at 30-all early in the third. The two teams traded buckets before UNCG connected on three straight 3-pointers to pull out to a seven-point lead. The Spartans added onto that lead with seven unanswered, eventually taking a 52-42 advantage into the fourth quarter.
UNCG's lead stretched to as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter before the Catamounts started chipping away at the deficit. Pack connected on a 3-pointer to make it a 12-point game late, but Leyla Minor drained two free throws as the Spartans took the 68-54 decision.
By the Numbers:
UNCG's offense was supplemented by a strong performance from beyond the arc as the Spartans went 12-of-31 from 3-point range. WCU connected on three of its nine 3-pointers in the matchup.
WCU won the turnover battle with UNCG, committing 12 to UNCG's 17. The Catamounts scored 13 points off those turnovers while the Spartans netted 12 points.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts turn their attention to the 2026 Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, next weekend in Asheville, N.C. WCU opens tournament action at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, facing the top-seeded Chattanooga Mocs in the first of two Education Day games on the four-game opening day of tournament play.
