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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel will close out its two-game road jaunt with an early tipoff at Western Carolina on Monday afternoon, taking the court against the Catamounts at Noon in Cullowhee, N.C.
Monday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ from inside the Ramsey Activity Center. The game will also be carried on the radio locally on 102.1FM and 1450AM with Luke Mauro, the Voice of the Bulldogs, on the radio call.
In its most recent game, The Citadel (9-5, 2-5 SoCon) shot better than 50 percent from the floor for the fourth time this season but could not overcome a 62-point second half against Southern Conference leader ETSU on Saturday evening, falling 112-84 inside Freedom Hall. The Bulldogs knocked down 11 three-pointers, including three apiece from
Kaiden Rice and
Fletcher Abee, but a 26-for-30 mark from the free throw line for the Bucs made up much of the difference in the contest.
Hayden Brown led the team with 21 points and eight rebounds, narrowly missing another double-double. Rice finished with 16 points and Abee added 13, and freshman
Brent Davis poured in nine points off the bench for the 'Dogs.
Stephen Clark enjoyed one of his best games as a Bulldog at ETSU, producing a stat line of six points, five rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Clark's six assists were a career-best mark for the sophomore.
Brown's was named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List last week, the award presented annually to the top mid-major player in college basketball. The Greer, S.C., native, who leads the SoCon in both scoring (21.0) and rebounding (10.2), was one of five SoCon players on the 40-member watch list; Brown has also played his way onto the list after not being included on the initial preseason list.
The Citadel hit the boards hard against Wofford on Wednesday, coming down with 44 total rebounds for its highest total against a SoCon opponent since Feb. 25, 2018. Eight of those rebounds came off the offensive glass, continuing a strong run in that category for the 'Dogs; The Citadel has averaged 9.8 offensive rebounds per game over its last six outings, with at least seven pulled down in each contest.
After a cold stretch from three-point range against UNCG and Mercer, The Citadel bounced back in a big way against Wofford and ETSU, knocking down 25 of its 53 chances (47.2 percent) from beyond the arc over the last two games. As a team, The Citadel connects on nearly two more three-pointers per game (13.1) than any other team in the country.
Western Carolina (7-9, 0-7 SoCon) is the only team in the SoCon still seeking its first victory in conference play this season. The Catamounts have come close, with four of their seven losses coming by single digits, including their most recent game against Furman on Saturday that saw the Paladins come away with a 75-69 win.
The Catamounts enter Monday's game with four players averaging double figures in Mason Faulkner (15.8), Matt Halvorsen (14.3), Xavier Cork (13.5) and Cory Hightower (13.3). Halvorsen, Cork and Tyler Harris have started all 16 games for Western Carolina, and Hightower is the team's leading rebounder at a 6.3 per game clip.
Faulkner has dished out a team-best 66 assists but also owns a team-high 45 turnovers. As a team, the Catamounts shoot just 34 percent from three-point range, the third-lowest mark among SoCon squads.
Longtime SoCon rivals dating back to the 1977-78 campaign, Monday's meeting will mark the 80th all-time between the Bulldogs and the Catamounts. Western Carolina owns a 43-36 advantage in the series and has won nine of the last 10, including six straight since the most recent win by The Citadel on March 3, 2017, in the SoCon Tournament. In Cullowhee, Western Carolina holds a 24-14 edge across 38 outings against the 'Dogs.
The Citadel will kick off its three-game homestand on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. as UNCG makes the trip to McAlister Field House. The Spartans claimed the first meeting this season in Greensboro, 87-73, back on Jan. 18. The Bulldogs have dropped 14 straight games in the series against UNCG and will be seeking their first win since an 85-83 overtime victory on Jan. 5, 2015.
