Giles and Russell score 12 each as Western Carolina beats St. Catharine 65-41

Western Carolina defeats St. Catharine 65-41

CULLOWHEE, N.C. — Brandon Giles and Kendall Russell scored 12 points each to lead Western Carolina to a 65-41 win over St. Catharine College on Saturday night.

Harouna Mutombo added eight points and seven rebounds for the Catamounts in their season opener. Blake Gallagher also had seven rebounds for Western Carolina.

The Catamounts used a 13-0 run in the second half to take a 42-23 lead following a 3-pointer by Giles with 13:56 remaining in the game. The Catamounts led by as many as 24 points, which was their final margin of victory.

Ervin Williams paced the Patriots with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Brandon Johnson added seven points and seven rebounds.

The Catamounts shot 41.8 percent from the field in the game (28-for-67), while St. Catharine shot just 25 percent (11-for-44).