Western Carolina Catamounts vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Box Score on Nov 11, 2023

Southern Conference preseason Player of the Year Vonterius Woolbright produced 22 points and 11 rebounds as Western Carolina held off a late Notre Dame rally to earn a 71-61 nonconference victory Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.

After Notre Dame trimmed a 17-point deficit to 3 with 3:45 to play, Woolbright sank six straight free throws to preserve Western Carolina's first win over a Power 6 conference opponent since a 69-64 defeat of DePaul on Nov. 16, 2010.

Senior guard Russell Jones Jr. added 20 points and 3 steals while DJ Campbell contributed 12 points for the Catamounts (2-0), who held the lead for all but 27 seconds.

Freshman forward Carey Booth delivered 20 points to pace Notre Dame (1-1) while rookie guard Markus Burton added 17 points and Northwestern transfer Julian Roper II contributed 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.

Notre Dame took a 3-2 lead on Matt Zona's 3-pointer 90 seconds into the game, but Western Carolina answered with 3-pointers by Jones on its next two possessions to set the tone for the game.

The Catamounts took their first double-figure lead on backup center Colin Granger's jumper that made it 23-12 with 9:24 left in the half. That's when Irish freshmen Booth, Burton and Logan Imes sparked a rally that pulled Notre Dame within 27-25 on Booth's 3-point play at the 4:58 mark.

Western Carolina responded with 11 points in a row -- triggered by Woolbright's own conventional 3-point play -- to build a 42-29 halftime advantage.

The Catamounts pushed their lead to 17 points at the outset of the second half before the Irish made their move. Burton and Roper buried back-to-back 3-pointers to slash the lead to 47-39 and force Western Carolina to call a timeout with 15:05 to go.

Once again, Western Carolina shrugged off the run. Jones started a 9-2 spree with a 3-pointer and capped it with a driving layup that gave the Catamounts a 55-39 margin with 12:37 left.

That sparked another Notre Dame comeback as the Irish reeled off 12 consecutive points, capped by Booth's 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 55-51 with 6:08 to go. Booth drilled 3-pointers on Notre Dame's next two possessions, too, to bring the hosts within 60-57 at the 4:48 mark.

But the Irish could get no closer as they managed just 4 points on their final nine possessions to suffer their first loss in the coach Micah Shrewsberry era.

--Field Level Media