ASHEVILLE, N. C. — It took an extra session, but Western Carolina was able to sweep its way into the semifinals of the Southern Conference tournament with a 67-61 victory over East Tennessee State at the U.S. Cellular Center.
The Catamounts (15-16) will face top-seeded Wofford, which routed UNC Greensboro 70-52, today at 4:30 p.m.
James Sinclair had 30 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and six steals for Western Carolina, winning the all-conference guard battle over ETSU’s Jalen Riley.
Riley finished with eight points.
“Personally, there is really no rivalry,” Sinclair said. “It’s just this time of year. I want to guard the best player and do anything for my team. If it means guarding Riley and holding him to eight points along with my teammates, then that’s what it takes.”
He had 21 of his points in the first half, helping the Catamounts to a 35-27 halftime lead. The Bucs kept rallying in the second half, and after Riley hit a 3-pointer, followed by a Lester Wilson hook shot in the lane, the teams were tied at 56 and heading to overtime.
The Catamounts never trailed in the final period, taking the lead on a drive by Sinclair followed by one by Justin Browning, in improving to 15-16 on the year.
Mike Brown added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Catamounts. Wilson led three Bucs in double figures with 17 points. Devin Harris had 11 rebounds for ETSU (16-14).
* Wofford 70, UNCG 52: Wofford coach Mike Young admitted he’s “always nervous” about the first game of the conference tournament. His Terriers quickly calmed his nerves.
The top seed in the conference tournament built a 10-point halftime lead, withstood a mini-run by the Spartans and advanced to the semifinals with the 18-point win. Wofford (26-6) shot 50 percent from the field while limiting the Spartans to 35 percent for the game.
Spencer Collins led four Terriers in double figures with 21 points. Conference player of the year Karl Cochran had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Forward Lee Skinner said the Terriers didn’t really worry when UNCG made its run in the second half.
“The first thing I tell my teammates is that we were fine,” the senior forward said. “Every team has players that can put the ball in the hole. Every team is going to try to make a run. Greensboro did, and the first thing I told our guys was that we were fine and we needed stops. We got some stops and broke it back open. There’s never a doubt in our minds. We just have to lock in and stay together.”
Kayel Locke led the Spartans (11-22) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Diante Baldwin was the only other Spartan scoring in double figures, with 13 points.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.