Faulkner splits the defense. Photo by Ashley Evans, WCU Public Relations.
Tuesday night, Nov. 12, was a particularly cold one in the Whee, with temperatures that felt as low as 14º F. But inside the Ramsey Center, Western’s shooting was anything but.
The Western Carolina Catamounts rode Matt Halvorsen’s hot hand on their way to a 90-64 win over the North Carolina A&T Aggies. Halvorsen had 17 PTS, going 5-8 from three point range and 6-9 from the field in almost 28 minutes of action.
Halvorsen’s backcourt partner Mason Faulkner also paved the way with a triple-double: 13 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST. This was the first triple double in school history, according to available records. Faulkner’s rebounding was particularly impressive, often times towering over opponents and teammates alike with his incredible athleticism ala Russell Westbrook. The junior has been stellar to start the year, and will certainly be a focal point of this offense going forward.
Carlos Dotson added 14 PTS, 7 REB, and 2 AST in just under 23 minutes of play. Dotson has been a steady source of interior offense for the Catamounts, and his prowess down low shined once again. I noticed tonight that he loves the left block and spinning towards the baseline, to the point where defenders would entice him to take the middle and he’d still spin baseline. This is a classic case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and things have been clicking for Dotson.
After the game, Head Coach Prosser spoke on his mindset regarding the eight-man rotations he’s been running to start the season.
“There’s a lot that goes into playing time. It’s a precious thing, especially at the Division I level. Sometimes it can be based on match-ups, sometimes on production in practice and body of work over time. … Certainly, there will be times where throughout the course of practice you can earn more playing time. What we’ve been doing seems to be working pretty well, at least for the last couple,” Prosser said.
The Aggies were led by Ronald Jackson, who had 10 PTS and 5 REB.
The Catamounts will look to extend their winning streak to three games on Friday, Nov. 15, against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in downtown Tallahassee. The game tips-off at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
