This story was co-written with Chris Lang.
Forward, Farasia Hodge, looks for an open player in the game against the Furman Paladins on Thursday Natalie Ballard
The Western Carolina Catamounts hosted the Furman University Paladins on Feb. 6, at the Ramsey Center with both men’s and women’s team losing.
The women Catamounts lost 53 to 28, shooting 17.3 percent. The women’s game began at 5 p.m. with the Catamounts starting out leading the first quarter 12-10. Furman came back strong starting halftime with 25 points over Western’s 17. In the second half, the Catamounts fell behind 20 points after scoring four points in the third quarter. The fourth quarter ended with the only scores coming from free throws.
“It was probably one of our worst games of the season. Furman did a great job at with their scouting report. We could never get into a groove,” coach Stephanie McCormick said.
This is the second time WCU has played Furman. The Cats lost 55-65 on Jan. 12, at Furman. This makes the Lady Catamounts 0-8 in the Southern Conference. The WCU women’s team will play at home against Wofford on Saturday, Feb. 9.
Former WCU Defensive back, Kieon Crossen, returns to WCU after his Patriots Super Bowl win. Photo by Natalie Ballard
At the beginning of the men’s game, Patriots’ defensive player, Keion Crossen, returned home to WCU. Keion is the fifth Western Carolina University football player to play in the Superbowl. Keion was welcomed by a crowd of almost 3,000 students and alumni.
Guard, Kameron Gibson, attempts a layup at the game against Furman Thursday. Photo by Natalie Ballard
The men started off with a slow start making only one of 15 shots, helping Furman jump out to an early 16-3 lead. Near the end of the first half, Western trailed 26-13. After a halftime performance by Purple Thunder, the Catamounts came back strong, but it wasn’t enough. The Paladins took home the win, 64-45.
“Got to move on from that game. Have a great practice Friday and go in fresh Saturday, play hard and trust the coaches gameplan,” forward Carlos Dotson said.
At the beginning of the season, the Catamounts lost 90-88 in double overtime on Dec. 1. This puts WCU 3-9 in the Southern Conference. The men’s team is at Wofford Saturday, February, 9.
