Saturday Showdown: Men’s Basketball Wraps Up Homestand Against Samford

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men’s basketball concludes its season-long trio of home games on Saturday afternoon as the Catamounts host the defending Southern Conference tournament champion, Samford. The clash with the Bulldogs is slated for a 3 p.m. tip-off at Ingles Court inside the Ramsey Center.

Saturday’s matchup will celebrate Youth Basketball Day for WCU, allowing all youth athletes to enter FREE into the Ramsey Center while wearing their team jersey or T-shirt, courtesy of First Citizens Bank. The event will also showcase a halftime “Diaper Derby,” sponsored by New Generations Family Birthing Center at Harris Regional Hospital. Young children will race across the court during halftime to win prizes.

Tickets for the league contest on Saturday afternoon can be purchased in advance by calling (828) 227-2401 or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.

The encounter between the Catamounts and Bulldogs will be broadcasted on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live audio streaming from the Catamount Sports Network and live statistics are available at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also tune into the game locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC, “The River” in Sylva (www.wrgc.com). 

For the second consecutive game, Western Carolina is up against a conference opponent that concluded the nonconference phase with double-digit victories. The Catamounts kicked off the SoCon schedule versus Furman, who boasted a record 12 nonconference wins prior to their visit to Cullowhee, while Samford arrives with 10 victories before the New Year.

Matchup: Samford (11-3, 1-0 SoCon) vs Western Carolina (4-8, 0-1 SoCon)

Date: Saturday, Jan. 4

Time: 3 p.m.

Venue: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)  

Live Stats:  Sidearm Stats

Live Video: ESPN+ (subscription required)

Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network

Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC “The River” (wrgc.com)

Twitter: @CatamountMBB 

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW 

About Western Carolina:

Senior Bernard Pelote achieved his second double-double of the season, yet cross-town opponent Furman surged out to a strong lead, sinking 11 3-pointers to overcome Western Carolina 90-61 in the SoCon season opener for both teams last Wednesday at Ingles Court inside the Ramsey Center.

Pelote fought to finish with a team-high 17 points, netting seven field goals, including two from beyond the arc, while securing a team-best 12 rebounds. He was among four players in the conference to record a double-double during Wednesday’s opening day of league play.

Junior Brandon Morgan, who returned to the starting five, contributed to the offensive effort with a season-high 14 points on an effective 6-of-9 shooting with two 3-pointers. Additionally, he delivered a team-leading four assists and was one of six Catamounts to block a shot.

The Catamount reserves have made significant contributions to the score throughout the beginning of the 2024-25 season, averaging 26.3 points per game, which places them fourth in the SoCon.

Junior Ice Emery recorded his second game with double-digit points as a substitute with an 11-point performance on Wednesday against Furman. He has accumulated 38 points across three games off the bench this season. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Kell has secured a team-leading 45 points over eight contests as a reserve, with Morgan closely behind at 44. The Catamounts have had a reserve player reach double figures on nine occasions, topped by Emery’s 24 against Truett McConnell.

Western Carolina holds the top position in the

SoCon with 40.1 rebounds per game throughout the initial 12 contests, spearheaded by Pelote with 7.9 per game – the second-best rate in the SoCon after his double-double performance on Wednesday. He dominates the conference with 6.25 defensive rebounds per game, accumulating the second-highest total in the league with 75 defensive boards. Kell ranks sixth in the conference, averaging 2.1 offensive rebounds per game while leading the team with 25 offensive boards. Close behind Kell are Pelote and junior Vernon Collins, each contributing 20 offensive boards.

Transfer guard Cord Stansberry ranks second in the SoCon with an impressive 93.5% (29-of-31) free throw conversion rate. Collins leads the Catamounts with 13 blocks, tying for fourth in the conference as he averages slightly over a block per game, placing him fifth in rejections across the league. His field goal percentage is also noteworthy, sitting fifth in the league at 60.4% (29-of-48), while Chase McKey stands seventh in the SoCon with a shooting accuracy of 60% (18-of-30).

WCU has faced significant challenges at the outset of the 2024-25 season, the first under seasoned head coach Tim Craft. According to the NET strength of schedule (SOS) metrics, the Catamounts hold the top position in the SoCon with the 37th most formidable schedule. They are among four teams in the conference that have confronted multiple quadrant one opponents, specifically Marquette and Tennessee. UNCG, Samford, and Chattanooga also join WCU in facing a tough non-conference itinerary with several quadrant one adversaries.

Scouting the Opposition:

Samford enters Saturday’s clash with an 11-3 record, having utilized 18 3-pointers in an 86-56 win against The Citadel in their league opener at home. The Bulldogs come into the weekend having secured victories in seven of their last eight contests, the only setback being a road loss to Big 12 rival Arizona. Samford has encountered a pair of Power-Four conference defeats against quadrant one opponent Michigan State, along with the previously mentioned Wildcats.

The Bulldogs are undefeated at home this season, boasting an 8-0 record, while securing just three wins out of six road games as they head towards Cullowhee.

Senior guard Trey Fort – a transfer from Mississippi State – leads the Bulldogs with 15 points per game, ranking eighth in the SoCon. Having played for his fifth program since 2020, Fort surpassed 20 points in three games, including a season-high 27, knocking down seven threes against Alabama A&M. Fort ranks second in the SoCon and is among the top 20 nationally with 45 successful three-pointers, shooting at a 43.3% clip from beyond the arc, second-best in the conference. Junior forward Jaden Brownell – a native of Utah who transferred from Illinois-Chicago – is averaging 14.1 points per game, achieving the second-highest shooting percentage in the league at 58.8% field goals in the 2024-25 season, with a season-high 24 against North Alabama.

Senior forward Collin Holloway, a three-time transfer most recently from Tulane, is averaging 10.9 points per game, shooting 45.5% (51-of-112) from the field while securing a team-high 4.7 rebounds per game. Holloway achieved a double-double in a victory against North Dakota State, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Graduate student guard Rylan Jones completes the list of double-figure scorers for the Bulldogs with 10.8 points per game and seven games of double-digit scoring, having made 44.0% (33-of-75) of his three-point attempts. Jones, who is Samford’s sole returning starter among nine returning lettermen from last season, also leads the team with 83 assists.

Samford tops the SoCon in making a league-high 170 three-pointers and boasts a conference-leading 445 field goals, standing second in the league with a 47.8% shooting percentage. With Jones leading the charge with his 83 assists, Samford ranks first in the conference with 264 assists and has recorded a league-best 151 steals. The Bulldogs are scoring the highest average in the league at 88.8 points per game, with six games exceeding 97 points scored this season. Samford ranks within the top 10 nationally for scoring and is among the leaders in the country for three-pointers made per game.

Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Bucky McMillan, Samford was predicted to defend their title as SoCon Tournament Champions in the 10-team preseason survey led by Holloway and Jones, both of whom were selected for the league’s 10-player Preseason All-League team. The Bulldogs concluded the 2023-24 season with a 29-6 record, including a 15-3 mark in league play, before suffering a narrow loss to Kansas in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Series History:

Samford and Western Carolina are clashing for the 33rd time between the two institutions, with the Bulldogs possessing an 18-14 edge in the all-time series. Currently, Samford is riding a seven-game winning streak. Last season, Samford achieved a close four-point victory in Cullowhee, while the 2024 home contest featured a national broadcast on CBS Sports Network. WCU maintains an 11-5 record in the historical meetings held in Cullowhee, with their last win in the series being a commanding 109-78 victory during the 2019-20 season. 

Up Next for Western Carolina:

The Catamounts will embark on their first road trip of the 2025 calendar year, traveling to Spartanburg to face Wofford on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The tip-off between the Catamounts and Terriers is scheduled for 7 p.m. This game will air on ESPN+ (paid subscription necessary), with live audio coverage available via the Catamount Sports Network on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC “The River” in Sylva, as well as live streaming through CatamountSports.com. Live statistics will also be accessible on CatamountSports.com.

Stay informed about everything connected to Catamount men’s basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media channels on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).