Catamounts Drain NCAA DI Record 3-pointers in Home-Opening Win

Eight Catamounts scored in double figures, and Western Carolina drained an NCAA single-game record 29 3-pointers on Wednesday night, cruising to a 136-68 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg in the 2026-27 home opener on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.

Junior Travelle Bryson led WCU with a team-best 20 points, and freshman Fola Sodipo picked up his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the winning effort.

Western Carolina (2-1) set the NCAA Division I record with 29 3-pointers, matching the NCAA single-game benchmark with nine different players hitting a three. WCU used a late first-half spurt and held the Dragons to just 27 first-half points to create the separation needed as the Catamounts earned their eighth straight home-opening win dating back to 2019-20. 

Bryson came off the bench to shoot 8-of-11, including 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point line in the team's best performance. He added seven rebounds and six of the team’s 33 assists. Sodipo added 16 points, going 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from range, along with a team-best 11 boards and five assists. 

Sophomore transfer Jaeden Roberts finished with 17 points, including a team-best 5-of-10 from range. Freshman Jacob Zhu scored a career-best 13 points with three 3-pointers, adding six assists to tie for the team-best mark. Senior transfers Isaiah Manning and Malachi Brown both had 12 points, with Brown making four threes.  In his collegiate debut, freshman Jose Martins also added a dozen points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while junior transfer Jaxon Prunty rounded out the eight double-figure scorers with 10 points. 

Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) had five players play on Wednesday in what was an exhibition game. Donovan Peterson led the Dragons with a game-high 27 points, while Mohamed Diaby and Raheem Bradley finished with 14 points apiece. 

VUL used a strong shooting start to take an early 10-8 lead at the 17:07 mark of the first half before WCU flexed its muscles. The Catamounts responded with a decisive 37-9 run over the next 11 minutes to grab a lead they would not relinquish. 

Western Carolina closed the first half on a 27-2 run, going 10-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-10 from beyond the arc to take a commanding 75-27 halftime lead. The 27 points allowed marks the fewest to a WCU opponent since holding The Citadel to 25 in the first half and 24 in the second half last season in an 87-49 victory.

The Catamounts opened the second half with an 11-2 spurt followed by an 18-0 burst in the middle stages of the second half, swelling the lead to 118-48. During that 18-0 run, Sodipo sank the SoCon record-setting 25th 3-pointer. 

At the 4:34 mark of the second half, Martins buried his fourth and final three to tie the NCAA DI record before junior Drew Hollifield connected on the record-breaking triple at the 3:09 mark to give WCU the single-game NCAA DI record.

WCU cruised to the 136-68 victory to open the 2026-27 home slate.  

Martins was one of several Catamounts to make their debuts on Wednesday, joined by sophomore transfers Cross Arias and Jake Baker, along with sophomore Titian DeRosa, who all made their Purple & Gold debuts throughout the action.   

By The Numbers - Record-Breaking Night:

• With 29 made 3-pointers, the Catamounts broke three records on Wednesday night, shattering the school benchmark of 20, the Southern Conference previous record of 24, and the NCAA Division I record of 28, previously  held by Troy (Dec. 10, 1994);

• Nine different Catamounts made a 3-pointer, tying the NCAA single-game record for most different players to score a three. The milestone has been hit three times, most recently by Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan back on Dec. 13, 2008.

• The 136 points scored marks the second-most points in a game by a Western Carolina squad, falling just shy of the 141 scored against Toccoa Falls (Jan. 17, 2012) … The 136 points are the eighth-most scored in a SoCon game. It’s the most in a game since Nov. 14, 2018, when The Citadel had 137 against Johnson.

• The 56 3-point attempts mark the highest 3-point attempt total in school history for a Catamount team.

• WCU dished out 33 helpers, matching the program-record for assists set a season ago, also against Virginia University of Lynchburg. 

• WCU pulled down 62 rebounds, tying for the 6th-most in school history.

• In an NCAA DI game in 2026, Wednesday's total was the second-most points scored, most threes made, tied for fifth-most assists, and tied for sixth-most field goals made in a single game this season. 

Up Next for Western Carolina:The Catamounts close their two-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 14, hosting Lipscomb at 7 p.m. in the back end of a volleyball/men’s basketball doubleheader on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Saturday evening’s game is presented by El Patron, with FREE pizza for Western Carolina students, courtesy of Depot Pizza.

Catamount Athletics, in support of the WCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), will also hold two "Teddy Bear Toss" events on Saturday in the Ramsey Center, beginning with the volleyball match at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring plush stuffed animals to the game to benefit The Christmas Connection of Jackson County, with each plush representing a special $5 ticket to the basketball game.

Saturday's action with the Bisons will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.