2026 SoCon Men's Basketball Championship Bracket

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Tahlan Pettway scored a game high 23 points to lead the Western Carolina Catamounts to an 86-67 victory over the Furman men's basketball team in the regular season finale, Saturday evening inside the Ramsey Center.

Furman concludes the regular season 19-12 overall and 10-8 in the SoCon. With the win, Western Carolina improves to 14-15 on the year and 10-8 versus league opponents.

Cooper Bowser led the Paladin offense with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting while Eddrin Bronson came off the bench to post 16. Alex Wilkins poured in 14 points and Asa Thomas led the team with seven rebounds.

Pettway was one of five Catamounts to finish in double figures with his 23 points. Samuel Dada contributed a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Trailing 37-30 at halftime, Furman opened the second half on a 9-5 run and cut its deficit down to 42-39 just over four minutes in after Bronson's 3-point play. Bronson later answered a Western Carolina triple with a 3-pointer of his own to keep the Paladins within five, 47-42, at the 14:15 mark. Furman would keep it a three-possession contest over the next seven minutes with Charles Johnston making it a 56-50 ballgame with 10:15 to go following his dunk.

The Catamounts outscored the Paladins 21-14 over the game's final 7:18 and built their lead out to 86-63 with just under two minutes remaining.

Furman opened the game on a 10-2 run and led by as many as nine, 14-5, at the 13:40 mark on Bowser's dunk. Western Carolina would even the score at 16-16 when the Paladins answered with a 10-4 run, covering a stretch of almost four minutes, to go back in front, 26-20, on Thomas' three-pointer. The Catamounts closed out the half on a 17-4 run to lead 37-30 at the break.

Furman posted a 54.7 percent (29-of-53) shooting mark from the field and led 46-40 in points in the paint and 23-12 in bench points.

The Paladins have already secured a first-round bye in the 2026 Ingles SoCon Men's Basketball Championship, which is set for March 6-9 at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville in Asheville, N.C. Furman will be the No. 6 seed and face Samford in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 7, at 6:00 p.m.

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