CULLOWHEE, NC - Head Coach Bill Brown wanted the student-athletes on his Wittenberg men's basketball team to savor the experience of playing on the home floor of an NCAA Division I scholarship program. He also wanted to get a good look at his charges against a quality foe to prepare for the 2013 season.
He got both at Western Carolina. Coached by former Tiger head man Larry Hunter, the Catamounts put together a big run late in the first half and maintained a significant advantage the rest of the way en route to a 77-55 victory. The game counts as the regular season opener for WCU, while it counts as the Tigers' second and final exhibition game of the 2013 preseason.
Fifteen different players saw at least five minutes of action for Wittenberg, which will open the regular season with games on back-to-back nights at Wheaton (Ill.) Nov. 15 and 16. For Western Carolina, the victory marked the start of a stretch of 10 games in 22 days, culminating in a game at Wright State in nearby Fairborn, Ohio, on Nov. 30.
Wittenberg trailed just 20-18 with 8:12 remaining in the first half when the Catamounts broke loose. Western Carolina allowed the Tigers to score just seven more points the rest of the half to stretch the lead to 45-25 by intermission.
Over the final 20 minutes, the Tigers managed to whittle the lead down to 12 before Western Carolina pulled away. The Catamounts shot 52 percent in the second half.
Wittenberg showed tremendous balance in the game, as no player reached double figures on offense. Senior point guard Steven Newell (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) led the way with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the three-point arc, while sophomore forward Alex Fultz (Cincinnati, Ohio/Glen Este) and junior wing Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) added eight points apiece.
Collins and senior post Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) each dished out a team-high three assists, while Masin topped both teams with eight rebounds, including three at the offensive end.
Wittenberg shot 39 percent from the field in the game, and the Tigers might have kept things closer if they had hit their free throws. Wittenberg made just 5-of-13 shots from the charity stripe.