CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Graduate transfer point guard
Lew Stallworth recorded his second-career 30-point performance, scoring 37, but it was not enough as The Citadel men's basketball team fell, 103-82, on the road at Western Carolina in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon.
Game Information
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. (Ramsey Center)
Final Score: Western Carolina 103, The Citadel 82
Records: WCU (7-21, 4-11 SoCon), The Citadel (11-14, 3-11 SoCon)
Series: WCU leads, 41-36
KEY PLAYS AND STATS
- The Bulldogs and Catamounts both came out firing from the start as each hit two 3-pointers in the first 1:30 of play.
- Connor Kern gave The Citadel a one-point, 9-8 lead when he hit the Bulldogs' third trey of the game nearly three minutes in.
- With 14:55 to play in the first half, Marcus Thomas converted a put-back layup to give the Cats a 13-12 lead, and Western Carolina never relinquished the lead from there.
- The Catamounts led by as many as eight, 30-22 with 7:50 left in the opening stanza, but the Bulldogs managed to cut into the lead, knotting the score at 37-37 with 4:28 left when Stallworth made a layup.
- From there, Western Carolina retook the lead and went into the locker room at the halftime break with a four-point, 43-39 lead
- The second half belonged entirely to the Catamounts as they came out firing on all cylinders. With 12:39 to go in regulation, Onno Steger made it a 12-point, 59-47 WCU advantage with a 3-pointer.
- The Bulldogs suffered through a drought of over three minutes as the Catamounts went on a 16-0 run to break the game wide open.
- With 5:31 left to play, Stallworth pulled the Bulldogs to within 12, 85-73 of the Cats with an old-fashioned three-point play, but that was as close as The Citadel could muster as Western went on to extend the lead back out to the final 21-point advantage.
- The game was marred by 44 fouls, including 31 in the second half alone.
- Both teams shot over 40.0 percent for the game, with the Catamounts connecting on 57.7 percent (30-of-52) of their attempts from the field compared to 41.8 percent (28-of-67) by the 'Dogs. The Cats hit on 63.3 percent (19-of-30) of their shots from beyond the 3-point arc, while The Citadel connected on just 29.4 percent (10-of-34).
- Seven of the Bulldogs' 10 3-pointers came in the first half alone.
- Stallworth led all players with a career-high 37 points to go along with five assists and five rebounds.
- Zane Najdawi contributed 12 points and three rebounds, while Alex Reed chipped in 11 points off the bench.
NOTABLES
- Stallworth now boasts two career 30-point games. He joins Najdawi and Matt Frierson as the only current Bulldogs to have eclipsed the 30-point mark multiple times in their careers. 18 Bulldogs have scored 30 or more points multiple times in their careers.
- Stallworth's 37 points are tied for the 10th-most points scored in a single game by one Bulldog. Najdawi scored 37 last season against Chattanooga (Jan. 13, 2018).
COMING UP
The Citadel has three home games left in the regular season, beginning with a 7 p.m. tilt with Chattanooga on Thursday, Feb. 21. The Bulldogs will then celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 23 with a 1 p.m. game against Samford.
For more information on The Citadel basketball team, please visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports on Twitter and Instagram.