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Western Carolinian Volume 69 Number 12

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  • AN WCU starts out sluggish, loses to Cha by Andy Gambill Wenewsmagazine On Thursday night a sluggish and tired Catamount team could not keep up with Chattanooga. After allowing the Southern Conference North Division leader Chattanooga Mocs to jet out to an 11-0 lead that the WCU men could never really overcome, the Catamounts lost 75-66. Chattanooga, led by post players Chris Brown and Charles Anderson, controlled much of the game and finished with a 51-32 advantage on the boards. The Catamounts were able to make a couple of runs during the game to regain the lead but would always tire out afterwards and lose the lead. The WCU offense was stagnant for much of the first half shooting 31% from the field, 25% from three-point range and only hitting 4 of 8 free throw attempts. If not for the slow start, the Catamount men might have been able to spring an upset on the division leading Mocs. Chattanooga received excellent performances by many players in the game. Senior forward Brown finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while center Anderson finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Mocs. The Mocs also received strong performances by starting senior forward Mindaugas Katelynas and bench player Ricky Hood. Katelynas finished the night with 9 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals, while Hood helped set the defensive tone for the Mocs with two steals off the bench. The Catamount men may have lost even worse had it not been for freshman Negus McKenna. After falling behind 11-0, McKennafinally sparked the Catamount offense with two three pointers. McKenna finished the night by playing 29 minutes off the bench and finishing with 14 points, while hitting 4 three-pointers. The Cats also had strong performances by Rans Brempong, David Berghoefer, Trey Hopkins and Lunzaya Nlandu. Senior Brempong was especially impressive in the game. Brempong tied his own school record for blocks in a single game with 7 blocks. The all-time Southern Conference leader in blocked shots, Brempong also pulled down five rebounds for the Cats. The Cats also received yet another great offensive performance by junior center Berghoefer. Berghoefer finished the night with 21 points (9-15 shooting) and 7 rebounds. Freshman Hopkins continued what has been a fantastic debut season for the Catamounts by scoring 14 points and dishing out 5 assists. The last performer for the Cats who deserves mention is senior Nlandu. Niandu, who has _ started much of the season, handled coming off the bench very well and provided the Catamounts with tough defense by garnering 3 steals. After falling behind 32-25 in the first half, the Catamount men displayed a lot more energy in opening up the second half. Chattanooga started off the second half with a zone defense trying to disrupt the offensive flow of the Cats, but the Cats WCnewsmagazine were still able to get the ball inside. After a Brempong block, the Cats found Berghoefer inside for a reverse lay- up to start the scoring in the second half. The Cats could not stop Chattanooga inside or on the boards, though, and fell behind 40-31. But after a timeout at 15:33, the Catamount men were able to claw their way back into the game. After Chattanooga player Alphonso Pugh hit two free throws to make the game 42- 31, the Cats went on a 14-3 run to tie the game up at 45-45. The Catamounts started the run with the precocious play of freshman Hopkins. Hopkins pulled up from NBA range and nailed a three-pointer that ignited the Catamounts. The Catamount men then used a trapping half-court defense to force a turnover and found fellow freshman Eric Wilson for a three-pointer. After another turnover by the Mocs, the Catamount men found Nlandu underneath the basket. Nlandu powered his way through a defender and found the basket to cut the lead to three points. McKenna followed up a Nlandu miss on the next trip down the court to cut the lead to one point, but Chattanooga finally answered back this time by running bench player A.J. Mastin off a screen for an open three-pointer to extend the lead back to four points. The Cats went back to their bread and butter, though, and threw the ball inside to Berghoefer. Berghoefer drove to the basket on the next play and launched a mini-floater to cut the lead to two. Then Berghoefer connected on a lay-up off a sweet dish by Hopkins to tie the game. The Catamounts had exhausted themselves in climbing out of the hole, though, and after a Chattanooga timeout at 11:40 the Cats allowed the Mocs to regain the lead with a 10-3 run. The Mocs used Brown and Pugh inside to regain the lead during the 10-3 run, often finding Brown and Pugh for an easy bucket after a Western turnover. The Cats showed signs of life, though, after a timeout at 6:51. After allowing the Mocs two baskets coming out of the timeout, the Cats went to work. The Cats ran Hopkins and McKenna off screens to hit two three-pointers and cut the lead to 54-59 at the 4:00 minute mark. The Cats would never get any closer after that point, though, and eventually fell 75-66 to the division leading Mocs. The Catamount men will travel for their next game as they play Appalachian State in Boone on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Chattanooga will also travel for their next game as they play at Creighton on Saturday, Feb. 19 as part of ESPNs Bracket Buster Saturday. " Photos by WCU OPI 29
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