Western Carolina Game Information
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel basketball team opens Southern Conference (SoCon) play and closes the curtain on the 2017 portion of the season on Saturday, Dec. 30 with a 1 p.m. game against Western Carolina.

The game, which is sponsored by Val Pack and Ashley Furniture, is being billed as First Responders Day where emergency personnel will be admitted to the game for $5 with a valid ID. First responders may purchase as many as four tickets at the discounted rate and those tickets must be purchased in person at the ticket office on the day of the game. The hope is that those who will be working hard on New Year's Eve will be able to enjoy some rest and relaxation while taking in the fun and family-friendly atmosphere of the basketball game.

The afternoon contest will also feature free Mountain Dew and Diet Mountain Dew products given out to the first 300 fans through the doors while supplies last. The Mountain Dew and Diet Mountain Dew will come in handy for fans in regards to the halftime entertainment, a countdown to 2018.

Heading into Saturday's SoCon opener against Western Carolina, the Bulldogs are in the top-10 in the nation in five statistical categories. The Citadel is third in the nation in steals per game with 11.6 per contest and fourth in turnovers forced, averaging 20.58 turnovers forced per outing. The Bulldogs are also sixth in both three-point field goals made per game (11.8) and total steals (139) and are also eighth in NCAA Division I with a +5.7 turnover margin.

The Bulldogs are in the top-20 in the nation in three other categories, including 11th in three-point field goals attempted (410), 15th in points per game (87.3) and 17th in total three-pointers made (141).

The Citadel and Western Carolina have met 72 times heading into Saturday's game with the Bulldogs holding a slight 37-35 advantage over the Catamounts in the series that dates back to the 1977-78 season. In Charleston, the Bulldogs hold a 20-12 record over WCU, but the last win at home for the Bulldogs came on Jan. 22, 2011. The Catamounts boasted an eight-game winning streak from Feb. 16, 2011 to Feb. 28, 2015. The Bulldogs won the last meeting between the two, 78-72 on March 3, 2017, in the first round of the 2017 SoCon Championships.

Western Carolina enters SoCon play with a 4-8 record with wins over Hiwassee, Alabama A&M, Appalachian State and UNC Asheville. The Catamounts ended the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 72-61 loss at home to High Point after defeating Big South Conference favorite UNC Asheville 76-72 two days earlier. The Catamounts are 0-6 in true road games this season and are 2-1 in neutral site contests.

Western Carolina enters the weekend averaging 66.8 points per game while allowing opponents to score an average of 80.8 points per outing. In true road games, the Catamounts have allowed opponents to average 89.5 points per game, including two 100-point performances by North Carolina and Cincinnati, while averaging just 61.5 points per game. Western Carolina is currently shooting 39.3% (284-of-722) from the field while foes have connected on 49.1% (336-of-685) of their attempts from the field. From three-point range, the Catamounts have hit 98 treys, equaling the number the opposition has converted. Western Carolina has forced 185 turnovers on the year, but has been losing the battle under the basket as opponents have corralled in 39.5 boards per game compared to 33.0 per contest by the Catamounts.

Three players enter SoCon play averaging 10.0 points per game or more led by Deriece Parks' 11.3 points per game off 40.0% (48-of-120) shooting, including a team-leading 29 three-pointers. Behind Parks is Matt Halvorsen with 10.1 points per game and Mike Amius with 10.0. Amius has hit on 50.0% (42-of-84) of his attempts from the field while Halvorsen is second on the team with 28 made three-pointers. Marc Gosselin leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per contest to compliment 8.0 points per game. The quartet of Parks, Halvorsen, Amius and Gosselin have started the majority of the Catamounts' games with Devin Peterson having started eight of the 11 contests he has played in.

The Bulldogs will open the 2018 portion of the season with a road trip to two of the top teams in the conference. The trek will begin on Thursday, Jan. 4 at Furman and will end on Saturday, Jan. 6 at Wofford. The Paladins (9-4) are tied with ETSU and UNCG for tops in the league heading into SoCon play while the Terriers (8-4), who knocked off nationally-ranked North Carolina before the holiday break, are currently fourth.


For more information on The Citadel basketball team, follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports or visit CitadelSports.com.