CULLOWHEE, N.C. — The Citadel (9–17, 6–7 SoCon) fell 87–49 at Western Carolina (9–15, 5–8 SoCon) on Wednesday night inside the Ramsey Center.
Sola Adebisi led the Bulldogs with 10 points, finishing 3-of-6 from the field with two three-pointers.
Cassius Bonjasky provided a lift off the bench with seven points, including a three-pointer.
Western Carolina seized control in the opening half, hitting eight three-pointers and shooting 21-of-30 from the floor to take a 52–25 lead at the break.
The Citadel finished the night shooting 28.8 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three-point range, while going 13-of-14 at the free-throw line. Western Carolina shot 55.7 percent overall and 48.1 percent from beyond the arc, and held a 42–26 edge on the glass.
Western Carolina was led by Julien Soumaoro with 15 points, while Tahlan Pettway and Tidjiane Dioumassi added 12 apiece.
The Citadel head coach
Ed Conroy addressed the media following Wednesday's game. "We've got to do a better job closing out on shooters," Conroy said. "They went 13-of-27 from three, and when a team gets that comfortable in its own building, it's hard to recover." When asked about the upcoming stretch and returning home, Conroy added, "We've played well at home this year. We're looking forward to getting back to McAlister and having our fans behind us for this final stretch."
The Citadel returns home next week to open its final three-game homestand, beginning Saturday, Feb. 14, against Mercer at 1 p.m. inside McAlister Field House. The homestand continues Thursday, Feb. 19, versus Samford at 7 p.m., before concluding Saturday, Feb. 21, against Chattanooga at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.
KEY NOTES
- The Citadel went 13-of-14 at the free-throw line.
- Bonjasky made the most of his minutes, finishing 3-of-3 from the field.The Citadel scored 25 bench points.
- Kingsbury recorded five rebounds, marking his seventh game in the last eight with at least four rebounds.
- Five different Bulldogs recorded at least one steal.
