Western Carolina Catamounts vs. Mercer Bears

Mar 7, 2026

FINAL

Box Score

	1	2	T
WCU	36	41	77
MER	35	38	73

Game Recap

Dioumassi and Western Carolina take down Mercer in Southern Conference Tournament 77-73. Tidjiane Dioumassi led Western Carolina with 21 points and Marcus Kell sealed the victory with a free throw with 30 seconds left as the Catamounts took down Mercer 77-73 on Saturday in the Southern Conference Tournament.

Player Stats

WESTERN CAROLINA	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
12Samuel Dada	25	3-7	0-0	0-0	14	0	0	0	1	3	6
23Marcus Kell	28	5-14	2-6	3-3	7	0	1	1	1	2	15
8Tahlan Pettway	37	6-14	1-7	5-5	5	5	1	0	3	2	18
22Tidjiane Dioumassi	34	8-16	4-6	1-2	3	3	1	0	1	4	21
0Cord Stansberry	34	3-12	1-8	6-10	4	1	1	0	0	1	13
21Tayeshaun Smith	12	1-1	0-0	0-0	5	0	0	1	2	1	2
7Abdulai Fanta Kabba	15	1-2	0-0	0-0	7	0	0	1	2	2	2
4Justin Johnson	6	0-2	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	1	1	0
3Julien Soumaoro	9	0-1	0-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	1	0
TOTAL	-	27-6939.1%	8-2828.6%	15-2075.0%	49	10	4	3	12	17	77

MERCER	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
26Armani Mighty	33	3-7	0-0	0-2	8	1	1	0	1	0	6
11Brady Shoulders	34	5-11	1-4	0-0	6	2	3	1	0	3	11
3Quinton Perkins II	29	3-7	2-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	3	8
6Baraka Okojie	36	9-21	2-5	6-8	1	4	1	0	1	3	26
1Zaire Williams	36	5-10	3-7	5-9	2	3	0	0	1	1	18
8Bendji Pierre	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
2Connor Serven	18	2-4	0-0	0-0	5	0	1	1	1	2	4
5Kyle Cuffe Jr.	12	0-3	0-2	0-0	2	0	1	0	1	2	0

TOTAL	-	27-6442.2%	8-2138.1%	11-1957.9%	26	10	8	2	5	14	73

Play-by-Play

Scores OnlyExpand All

1st halfWCUMER

(20:00) Start game.
(19:58) Jump Ball won by Western Carolina.
(19:58) Jump Ball lost by Mercer.
(19:47) Cord Stansberry misses 26-foot three point jumper.
(19:43) Quinton Perkins II Defensive Rebound.
(19:43) Foul on Tidjiane Dioumassi.
+2 (19:28) Baraka Okojie makes driving layup.
02
(19:02) Samuel Dada misses layup.
(19:00) Western Carolina Offensive Rebound.
(18:53) Tahlan Pettway misses 28-foot three point jumper.
(18:48) Baraka Okojie Defensive Rebound.
(18:43) Baraka Okojie misses 17-foot step back jumpshot.
(18:39) Marcus Kell Defensive Rebound.
(18:24) Tahlan Pettway bad pass turnover.
(18:24) Brady Shoulders Steal.
+3 (18:18) Zaire Williams makes 26-foot three point jumper (Brady Shoulders assists).
05
(17:58) Marcus Kell misses 23-foot three point jumper.
(17:53) Samuel Dada Offensive Rebound.
+3 (17:51) Tidjiane Dioumassi makes 26-foot three point jumper (Tahlan Pettway assists).
35
+3 (17:26) Baraka Okojie makes 25-foot three point jumper (Armani Mighty assists).
38
(17:03) Marcus Kell misses driving layup.
(17:01) Brady Shoulders Defensive Rebound.
+2 (16:53) Quinton Perkins II makes driving layup.
310
(16:35) Tahlan Pettway misses driving layup.
(16:31) Samuel Dada Offensive Rebound.
+2 (16:31) Samuel Dada makes 0-foot tip in layup.
510
(16:13) Baraka Okojie misses 17-foot jumper.
(16:10) Mercer Offensive Rebound.
(16:03) Zaire Williams misses 25-foot three point jumper.
(15:58) Brady Shoulders Offensive Rebound.
+2 (15:57) Brady Shoulders makes layup.
512
(15:42) Cord Stansberry misses 29-foot three point jumper.
(15:38) Zaire Williams Defensive Rebound.
+2 (15:36) Baraka Okojie makes layup.
514
(15:02) team shot clock turnover .
+2 (14:39) Baraka Okojie makes 16-foot jumper.
516
(14:15) Justin Johnson misses 12-foot jumper.
(14:10) Armani Mighty Defensive Rebound.
(13:56) Kyle Cuffe Jr. misses 28-foot three point jumper.
(13:53) Kyle Cuffe Jr. Offensive Rebound.
+2 (13:47) Zaire Williams makes layup (Baraka Okojie assists).
518
(13:32) Tidjiane Dioumassi misses driving layup.
(13:28) Tayeshaun Smith Offensive Rebound.
+2 (13:28) Tayeshaun Smith makes 0-foot tip in layup.
718
(13:07) Kyle Cuffe Jr. bad pass turnover.
+2 (12:49) Tidjiane Dioumassi makes layup.
918
(12:19) Kyle Cuffe Jr. misses 29-foot three point jumper.
(12:15) Justin Johnson Defensive Rebound.
(12:00) Julien Soumaoro misses 26-foot three point jumper.
(11:57) Brady Shoulders Defensive Rebound.
(11:51) Baraka Okojie bad pass turnover.
(11:51) Marcus Kell Steal.
(11:34) Tidjiane Dioumassi bad pass turnover.
(11:34) Brady Shoulders Steal.
+2 (11:30) Brady Shoulders makes driving layup.
920
(11:10) Marcus Kell misses 26-foot three point jumper.
(11:05) Julien Soumaoro Offensive Rebound.
(11:05) Julien Soumaoro bad pass turnover.
(11:05) Brady Shoulders Steal.
+2 (11:01) Brady Shoulders makes driving layup.
922
(10:51) Samuel Dada bad pass turnover.
(10:51) Armani Mighty Steal.
(10:32) Baraka Okojie misses 28-foot three point jumper.
(10:28) Armani Mighty Offensive Rebound.
+2 (10:27) Armani Mighty makes layup.
924
(10:02) Cord Stansberry misses 13-foot floating jump shot.
(9:57) Samuel Dada Offensive Rebound.
(9:56) Samuel Dada misses layup.
(9:52) Marcus Kell Offensive Rebound.
(9:52) Marcus Kell misses tip in layup.
(9:50) Samuel Dada Offensive Rebound.
+2 (9:50) Samuel Dada makes layup.
1124
+2 (9:39) Armani Mighty makes 0-foot dunk (Baraka Okojie assists).
1126
(9:29) Tahlan Pettway misses 26-foot three point jumper.
(9:22) Abdulai Fanta Kabba Offensive Rebound.
(9:22) Abdulai Fanta Kabba misses tip in layup.
(9:17) Bendji Pierre Defensive Rebound.
+2 (9:07) Brady Shoulders makes driving layup.
1128
+2 (8:58) Tidjiane Dioumassi makes 17-foot pullup jump shot.
1328
(8:31) Quinton Perkins II misses 17-foot jumper.
(8:28) Cord Stansberry Defensive Rebound.
(8:25) Tayeshaun Smith out of bounds bad pass turnover.
(8:07) Zaire Williams bad pass turnover.
(8:07) Tidjiane Dioumassi Steal.
+2 (8:03) Cord Stansberry makes driving layup (Tidjiane Dioumassi assists).
1528
(7:52) Quinton Perkins II misses 27-foot three point jumper.
(7:49) Tidjiane Dioumassi Defensive Rebound.
+2 (7:43) Tahlan Pettway makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Tidjiane Dioumassi assists).
1728
(7:24) Bendji Pierre misses 16-foot jumper.
(7:21) Samuel Dada Defensive Rebound.
+2 (7:06) Tahlan Pettway makes 14-foot jumper.
1928
(6:50) Foul on Tidjiane Dioumassi.
+1 (6:50) Baraka Okojie makes free throw 1 of 2.
1929
(6:50) Baraka Okojie misses free throw 2 of 2.
(6:49) Samuel Dada Defensive Rebound.
(6:29) Cord Stansberry misses layup.
(6:26) Tidjiane Dioumassi Offensive Rebound.
(6:25) Tidjiane Dioumassi misses layup.
(6:25) Tayeshaun Smith Offensive Rebound.
(6:25) Connor Serven Block.
+3 (6:16) Tidjiane Dioumassi makes 26-foot three point jumper.
2229
(5:52) Armani Mighty misses layup.
(5:49) Samuel Dada Defensive Rebound.
(5:42) Foul on Brady Shoulders.
(5:42) Cord Stansberry misses free throw 1 of 2.
(5:42) Western Carolina Deadball Team Rebound.
+1 (5:42) Cord Stansberry makes free throw 2 of 2.
2329
(5:23) Connor Serven bad pass turnover.
(5:23) Tahlan Pettway Steal.
+2 (5:14) Tahlan Pettway makes driving layup.
2529
+2 (5:05) Baraka Okojie makes 16-foot jumper.
2531
+2 (4:51) Tidjiane Dioumassi makes 13-foot turnaround jump shot.
2731
(4:34) Foul on Tayeshaun Smith.
+1 (4:34) Baraka Okojie makes free throw 1 of 2.
2732
+1 (4:34) Baraka Okojie makes free throw 2 of 2.
2733
(4:29) Tahlan Pettway bad pass turnover.
(4:29) Kyle Cuffe Jr. Steal.
(4:25) Kyle Cuffe Jr. misses layup.
(4:25) Tayeshaun Smith Block.
(4:20) Brady Shoulders Offensive Rebound.
(4:20) Brady Shoulders misses layup.
(4:16) Abdulai Fanta Kabba Defensive Rebound.
(4:06) Tidjiane Dioumassi misses driving layup.
(4:02) Abdulai Fanta Kabba Offensive Rebound.
+2 (4:02) Abdulai Fanta Kabba makes 0-foot tip in layup.
2933
(3:40) Baraka Okojie misses 14-foot turnaround jump shot.
(3:35) Abdulai Fanta Kabba Defensive Rebound.
+3 (3:32) Tidjiane Dioumassi makes 27-foot three point jumper (Cord Stansberry assists).
3233
+2 (3:06) Baraka Okojie makes 13-foot jumper.
3235
(2:49) Tahlan Pettway misses 27-foot three point jumper.
(2:45) Connor Serven Defensive Rebound.
(2:35) Connor Serven misses layup.
(2:35) Abdulai Fanta Kabba Block.
(2:31) Abdulai Fanta Kabba Defensive Rebound.
(2:09) Tahlan Pettway misses 27-foot three point jumper.
(2:06) Tayeshaun Smith Offensive Rebound.
(2:06) Foul on Baraka Okojie.
(2:01) Tidjiane Dioumassi misses 16-foot jumper.
(1:57) Armani Mighty Defensive Rebound.
(1:50) Baraka Okojie misses layup.
(1:47) Marcus Kell Defensive Rebound.
+2 (1:23) Marcus Kell makes layup (Tahlan Pettway assists).
3435
(1:00) Armani Mighty misses layup.
(0:55) Marcus Kell Defensive Rebound.
(0:51) Tidjiane Dioumassi misses 31-foot three point jumper.
(0:46) Samuel Dada Offensive Rebound.
(0:43) Marcus Kell misses 29-foot three point jumper.
(0:40) Tidjiane Dioumassi Offensive Rebound.
+2 (0:36) Tahlan Pettway makes 17-foot jumper (Tidjiane Dioumassi assists).
3635
(0:00) Baraka Okojie misses 18-foot jumper.
(0:00) Mercer Deadball Team Rebound.

2nd half

Team Stats

WCU

MER

77Points73

27-69(39.1%)Field Goal(%)27-64(42.2%)

8-28(28.6%)3-Point(%)8-21(38.1%)

15-20(75.0%)Free Throw(%)11-19(57.9%)

53(25)Rebounds(Offensive)29(11)

10Assists10

4Steals8

3Blocks2

14Turnovers5

17(0)Fouls(Technical)14(0)

5Largest Lead17

Game Details

Saturday, March 7, 2026 · 8:30 PM

Hawkins Arena · Macon, GA

attendance: 4,768 (136.2%)

tv: ESPN+

spread: MER -1.5

over/under: 154.5