Trey Sumler. Photo: Doug Powell
Trey Sumler scored 18 points for Western Carolina, but their second half comeback was not enough as the Catamounts fell to Furman 58-55 on Saturday in Cullowhee, N.C.
Harouna Mutombo added 11 points and Brandon Boggs had 9 points for the Catamounts who fell to 8-10, 3-3 in SoCon on the season.
The Paladins (8-9, 2-4 SoCon) were led by Brandon Sebirumbi with 19 points, Jordan Loyd with 10, and Bryson Barnes with 9.
The Paladins took a 32-19 lead into the locker room, only to see it get erased by the Catamounts in the second half. Western Carolina tied the game up with a running layup by Sumler with 4.5 seconds remaining, but Charlie Reddick drilled his only three of the night with 1.8 seconds left to give Furman the victory. The Catamount’s sluggish first half proved to be too much to overcome.
The Catamounts committed 29 personal fouls in the game compared to the Paladins 19. Furman controlled the paint in the matchup with a 22-12 advantage over WCU.
Western Carolina returns home Tuesday to face Toccoa Falls in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
