CHARLESTON, S.C – The Citadel basketball team erased a nine-point halftime deficit to force overtime before falling in the extra session as the Western Carolina University Catamounts won 80-78 on Saturday afternoon.

Brody Fox led the Bulldogs with 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, including tying the game at the free-throw line with seven seconds remaining. Christian Moore set a new career highs in both points (18) and rebounds (eight).

Cam Glover and Paxton Davidson added 16 and 12 respectively while Sola Adebisi had 10 and eight boards.

First Half:

• A WCU 3-pointer gave it a 15-10 lead about halfway through the opening stanza.
• Back-to-back triples by Glover and another from Davidson led to a Bulldogs 9-0 run that put them ahead 22-20 at the 5:37 mark.
• WCU answered with the next five points to retake the lead before an Adebisi make from beyond the arc cut the margin back to two, 27-25, with 2:27 to go until halftime.
• The Catamounts once again responded this time with a 9-2 spurt, to hold a 36-27 edge at the intermission.

Second Half:

• A pair of 3-pointers in the first 70 seconds of the half by Adebisi and Davidson pulled The Citadel within three before another long ball by the former trimmed the margin to one, 40-39.
• The Catamounts countered with a 13-2 run to open up a 53-41 differential at the 13:27 mark.
• This time The Citadel responded with an 11-0 run, including going 5-of-5 from the line to make it a one-point affair, 53-52, midway through the second half.
• WCU quickly nudged the lead back to six, 58-52, but The Citadel kept it within two possessions before Moore's three-ball put the Bulldogs ahead 66-65 with 4:28 to go.
• The teams traded the lead once each before a WCU free throw knotted the contest at 70-70 with 1:35 remaining
• Fox was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe with 32 seconds on the clock but The Citadel fouled on its' next defensive possession and WCU would make both to go up one, 72-71 with 14 seconds remaining,
• Once again, Fox was fouled and made the back end of the pair, tying the game at 72-72 with seven seconds left before the Catamounts missed a jumper at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime:

• A pair of free throws by Glover followed by a Davidson bucket put The Citadel ahead 76-72 a minute and a half into the extra session.
• Second chance opportunities got WCU on the board before a 3-pointer pulled it within one, 78-77, with 2:10 to go.
• The Catamounts took the lead on a jumper on their next trip down the court (1:24), while the Bulldogs missed a shot on their ensuing possession,
• WCU kept the door open with a turnover but another miss from the floor by The Citadel forced them to foul with seven seconds left.
• The Catamounts made 1-of-2 from the line to go up two, 80-78, giving the Bulldogs an attempt as time expired that didn't go as WCU escaped with the road win.

Up Next:

The Citadel closes out the first half of conference play on Wednesday, January 29 at Mercer.