Giles’ 25 points helps Western Carolina hold off Elon in an 83-81 win in SoCon play

Western Carolina holds off Elon 83-81

CULLOWHEE, N.C. — Brandon Giles scored 25 points and Western Carolina held off Elon in an 83-81 win on Saturday night.

Mike Williams finished with 15 points for the Catamounts (14-3, 4-1 Southern Conference), who have won two in a row. Harouna Mutombo had 11 points, and Kendall Russell and Richie Gordon each had 10.

Western Carolina took a 62-53 lead on Williams’ layup with 11:10 left in the second half. The Phoenix (3-14, 1-5) attempted a rally, cutting the Catamounts’ lead down to one point with 3:08 left on a 3-pointer by Chris Long, who finished with 15 points.

But Elon would never pull ahead of Western Carolina, as the Catamounts took an 82-78 lead on Giles’ three-point play. Giles went 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Drew Spradlin led Elon with 22 points, while T.J. Douglas hit seven 3-pointers to score 21.