CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Vonterius Woolbright hit a jumper in the lane with 4.6 seconds left that helped push Western Carolina past McNeese State, 76-74 on Saturday afternoon on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Woolbright was one of four players in double figures on Saturday, led by Russell Jones Jr, who had 19 for WCU.
“We fed off the energy from the Cat Cage tonight, especially in the game’s late stages,” commented head coach Justin Gray. “Everyone got to see a good high-level mid-major basketball game tonight. Give credit to McNeese State. They played hard and made shots, and that’s a team that has a chance to be playing in March.”
Jones Jr. led the Catamounts with 19 points, connecting on 7-of-13 field goals and making five three-pointers. Tre Jackson did all his work from beyond the arc, making five threes in the contest. Woolbright filled the stat sheet again on Saturday with 14 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists as the Albany, Ga. native was an efficient 6-of-10 from the field. DJ Campbell added 11 points and seven rebounds, along with four helpers for WCU.
Shahada Wells led the Cowboys with a game-high 37 points, connecting on 14-of-24 field goals and four threes. Wells also added seven rebounds and three steals for the visitors. Antavion Collum had 10 points as he made a pair of threes. Christian Shumate had eight rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, to lead the Cowboys.
“It was a good team win as we took care of the basketball, and different guys contributed throughout this one. Our guys found a way to win and a few huge plays late from DJ Campbell and Vonterius Woolbright as well as the stops late,” added Gray.
Western Carolina (4-0) raced out to the early 6-2 lead in the opening two minutes behind threes from Jackson and Jones Jr. McNeese State (4-1) answered that run with eight of the following 10 points that allowed the Cowboys to sneak in front by two, 10-8, with the Catamounts answering with a 5-2 spurt to make it 13-12 with 14:48 to go in the half.
The game remained tight as the Cowboys evened the score at 16 before a 7-4 run from WCU made it 23-20 with 8:28 to play in the opening stanza. The hosts were able to extend the advantage on McNeese State over the next three minutes on the heels of a 9-3 run that made it 32-23 with 5:43 to play in the half.
McNeese battled back with eight of the following 12 points to cut the margin to five, and after each team traded a late bucket, the half ended with WCU leading 38-33.
Following a three-point play from Charles Lampten in the early portion of the second half, the Cowboys went on a 7-2 run that cut it to a 43-40 lead for WCU with 16:52 to play. The Catamounts quickly raced it back to a nine-point lead on three from Jackson and Jones Jr. before seven unanswered from the Cowboys made it 49-47 with 13:35 to go in the second half.
The two teams continued to trade blows over the next several minutes, with the margin hanging around 3-5 points before a 6-2 run from WCU made it 62-55 with 7:52 to play in the contest.
McNeese State went on a 7-2 run that cut the deficit two, 64-62, with 6:13 to play, but WCU answered the Cowboys with four straight from Campbell that pushed the lead back to six, 68-62, as the game went down the stretch. The Cowboys evened the score at 71 with a 9-2 burst as the game went under four minutes.
Campbell connected on a three-pointer with just under two minutes to play before the guests pieced together a three-point play on back-to-back possessions.
“It was a tough game for us, but we stayed to the plan and continued to fight until the end and not let stops or mistakes take away from us finding a way to win,” commented Vonterius Woolbright.
Woolbright finished the contest with his running jumper in the lane that gave WCU a 76-74 lead. The Catamounts withstood a final chance from the Cowboys to improve to 4-0 on the season.
“They were doubling me coming off of the screens, so I had to distribute to my teammates and try to do whatever it takes to win the game,” added Woolbright.
Both teams posted identical field goal percentages on Saturday, connecting on 29-of-56 field goals (51.8%). WCU made 11 threes compared to seven for the Cowboys. The Catamounts were efficient at the foul line, going 7-of-10 compared to 9-of-18 at the stripe for the guests. The stat sheet continued to remain tight as both teams had 30 rebounds.
Western Carolina distributed 16 assists compared to five from the Cowboys. The guests had a tight lead on points in the paint with a 40-36 advantage. Both teams did a good job taking care of the basketball, with McNeese turning it over five times and nine turnovers for the Catamounts.
The Catamounts return to the hardwood on Sunday, Nov. 26, as WCU welcomes in North Alabama for a 4 p.m. tip at Ingles Court in the Ramsey Center. The matchup against the Lions will be shown on ESPN+, with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men’s basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).