CHARLESTON, S.C. – James Sinclair scored a game-high 17 points and led four Western Carolina players in double figures as the Catamounts completed a 67-54 victory over The Citadel on Senior Day at McAlister Field House.
 
Sinclair, who was an effective 8-of-15 from the floor, also snagged a game-high seven rebounds for WCU who improved to 14-16 overall and 8-9 in the Southern Conference. He was joined in scoring by the trio Mike Brown (13 points), Justin Browning (13) and Torrion Brummitt (10).
 
Entering the second half with a nine-point, Western Carolina countered a series of 3-pointers by Ashton Moore and Jake Wright with four points by Browning and three from Rhett Harrelson to extend its lead to 47-31 at the 14:11 mark.
 
Over the next 9:39 the Bulldogs amped up their defensive pressure and used four points by Moore and three from Horgan to narrow the deficit to 56-45.
 
Brown came to the rescue for the Catamounts with five points during a 13-4 stretch as WCU pushed the lead to 63-49 with just under two minutes remaining.
 
The Dogs final five points came from the senior tandem of P.J. Horgan and Marshall Harris III, who converted a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer, respectively.
 
Wright led the Dogs in scoring for the third time this season as he closed with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor. It marked the 10^th time this season that Wright hit at least five treys as he joins Austin Dahn and Zach Urbanus as the only freshmen in program history to knock down 70 3-pointers.
 
Moore closed out his last game at McAlister by scoring 13 points and dishing out eight assists, while Brian White (13 points) topped the double-digit plateau for the sixth straight contest.
 
White was also instrumental on the glass with seven rebounds (four offensive), joined by Horgan who snagged five (three offensive) to go along with seven points in his final McAlister affair.
 
Western Carolina posted best offensive performance of the season in league play by virtue of hitting 27-of-46 (58.7%) from the floor. The Catamounts used their size in the middle to create a 34-6 advantage in points in the paint.
 
WCU was solid at the free throw line, knocking down 10-of-13 (76.9%), and finished with a 29-25 advantage in total rebounds.
 
The Catamounts streaked out to an early 10-4 lead, following a layup by Sinclair, but the Dogs used scores by White and Moore to spark a 6-2 run and draw within two.
 
Western Carolina responded by scoring 16 of the next 20 points, highlighted by 3-pointers from Devin Peterson and Sinclair, to open up a 26-14 advantage.
 
Six points from Wright and three by White allowed The Citadel to pull within nine, 34-25, to close out the first half.
 
The Citadel now turns its attention to the Southern Conference Tournament which begins on March 6 in Asheville, N.C.