Box Score (PDF)

CULLOWHEE, N.C. –The Citadel men's basketball team fell to Western Carolina 100-95 in a wild back-and-forth affair on Thursday evening that saw 21 lead changes and eight ties.
 
Preston Parks opened the scoring for the Bulldogs (9-12, 2-6 SoCon) with a three-pointer, giving the 'Dogs an early 3-2 lead. The freshman, making his first start of the season, drained his second trey of the game with 13:55 left to put The Citadel up 12-8. On the next possession, Ezekiel Balogun hit a three ball of his own to make it a seven-point game.
 
From 9:39 to 7:38 The Citadel went on a 12-2 run including two three-pointers by Parks, to push its lead to 14, the largest lead they would have all game. Western Carolina (6-13, 1-5 SoCon) countered with a run of its own, also going on a 12-2 spurt from 7:22 to 4:45 to close the gap to five points. Zane Najdawi ended the run with a layup, making it 31-24 Bulldogs but then Elijah Pughsley caught fire for the Catamounts, hitting four three-pointers and scoring all 18 of his first half points during the last seven minutes of the frame.
 
After hitting a three-pointer, WCU took its first lead since the 19:36 mark with 1:55 left in the half but Leandro Allende responded for the 'Dogs with a deep ball to give a one-point advantage back to The Citadel. The Citadel led for 18:06 in the first half but a 30-13 run in the last seven minutes by Western Carolina allowed them to take a 43-42 lead into halftime.
 
With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Allende drained back-to-back three-pointers to give the Bulldogs their first lead since the 54 second mark in the first half. Another three ball by the freshman one minute later pushed the gap to four but WCU hit back-to-back treys to take a 73-71 lead with 7:31 remaining in the game.
 
With 1:26 left, Warren Sledge hit two free throws to pull the Bulldogs within four and then a Catamount turnover led to Najdawi converting a three-point play and cutting the gap to one. But Western Carolina responded with a big shot of its own with less than 30 seconds to go, hitting a deep three ball to take a four-point advantage. The Citadel never got closer than three points following the trey as the Catamounts closed out the 100-95 win. The last five minutes of action saw five lead changes with each team matching big shot after big shot.
 
The Citadel was led by Parks who poured in 28 points for his eighth 20-point game of the season. The Greenville, South Carolina, native made a career-high eight three-pointers in the contest and handed out three assists. Najdawi also had a stellar performance for the 'Dogs, recording his sixth double-double of the year with 23 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. Allende rounded out the double-digit scorers with a career-high 23 points, shooting four-of-nine from beyond the arc.
 
The Bulldogs continue their road swing Saturday with a 5 p.m. contest at UNCG. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with live stats available at CitadelSports.com.
 
For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops or visit CitadelSports.com.