![]() The Paladins then took its biggest lead of the game at four points at the 12:29 mark and again with 8:17 showing as the game hovered within a possession much of the second half. Tying the game four times through the first five minutes of the second half, Furman managed its first lead at the 14:09 mark as Foster cashed-in an offensive rebound for a deuce in the paint. Furman closed the first half on a 12-to-2 run that included four made 3-pointers – two by Pegues and two by Smith – to cut the Catamount advantage to two entering the halftime locker room, 42-40. Tied at 25, WCU scored the next nine points to pull ahead 34-25 until back-to-back triples by Jackson handed the Catamounts a half-high 12-point lead 40-28 with just under five minutes to play before the break. The Paladins made nine 3-pointers on 50 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.Īfter trading 3-pointers on their opening possessions, the Catamounts used an 8-0 burst to grab an early 11-3 lead as Robertson scored all eight points in the run with a pair of 3-pointers. Alex Williams added eight points with a team-high tying seven rebounds, matching Foster.īoth teams started Saturday's game strong from the field as the Catamounts shot a sizzling 58.6 percent from the floor in the first half, connecting on 17-of-29 attempts including 8-of-15 (53%) from beyond the 3-point arc. Pegues led all scorers and three Paladins in double figures with a game-high 28 points including six made 3-pointers while Marcus Foster (18 pts) and PJay Smith (12 pts) also finished with double-digit scoring. and Bernard Pelote both chipped in nine points for the Catamounts with Colin Granger (7) and DJ Campbell (6) combining for 13 off the bench as the Catamount reserves outscored Furman's 22-to-15. Woolbright finished the season by scoring in double figures in all 32 of the seasonal games while posting his 27th double-double of the season. The Albany, Ga., product nearly collected a third-consecutive triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds – all on the defensive end – while dishing out nine assists. A focus of Furman's defensive game plan, Woolbright was held in check most of the night until the SoCon's Player of the Year began to take over late. Hot out of the gates in Saturday's first half, graduate transfer Kamar Robertson scored a season-high 17 points including three 3-pointers to pace the Catamounts with Tre Jackson canning three triples to finish with 15. It sucks (to not advance), but we have changed the brand of Western Carolina basketball for sure." "We wanted to come out and play our brand of basketball and I think we did that. It seems like every time we've played those guys it has been a battle," said WCU head coach Justin Gray during his postgame press conference. ![]() It was the second-consecutive season that the two purple-clad SoCon squads needed extra time on the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville court in the postseason classic with WCU falling to 0-6 all-time against the Paladins in the conference tournament after consecutive three-point defeats – 83-80 in 2023 and 79-76 this year. The Catamounts had the only double-digit lead, enjoying a 12-point cushion with Furman taking its best lead of just four points near the midway point of the second half. Saturday's competitive seasonal rubber match saw 16 ties and five lead changes. Western Carolina sees its tournament end with a 22-10 seasonal record, just the second 20-win season in Catamount men's basketball's NCAA Division I history. from the top of the key with the rebound battle essentially running out the final seconds of the clock.įurman (17-15) advances to face top-seeded Samford on Sunday afternoon in the first of two SoCon semifinals with tip-off at 4 p.m. The Catamounts missed their final three shots from the floor including a long 3-point attempt by Russell Jones Jr. But on the ensuing possession, Carter Whitt capitalized on the WCU defense being pulled away by guard JP Pegues as Whitt's driving lay-up put Furman ahead 78-76. 4 seed Western Carolina 79-76 at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville.Īfter sending the game to overtime, Woolbright again scored the game-tying bucket in the extra session with two points in the paint to pull the Catamounts even at 76. However, the Paladins recorded the game's final three points including a go-ahead layup by Carter Whitt and an insurance free throw by Marcus Foster as the fifth-seeded Paladins outlasted No. ![]() – Vonterius Woolbright knotted Saturday's last quarterfinal game at 69 with a driving layup inside the final 30 seconds of regulation to force overtime for a second-straight season against Furman in the Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championship.
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