ANCHORAGE ? Freshman guard Greg Avery came off the bench with game-highs of 17 points and six rebounds Friday to power Western Carolina to a 76-62 win over Louisiana Tech in the consolation semifinals of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.
The Catamounts (2-2) also got big performances from junior swingman Brandon Giles, who had 15 points and four boards, and junior forward Jake Robinson, who tallied 11 points.
Junior point guard Brigham Waginger kept the WCU offense flowing smoothly with eight points and seven assists.
The Bulldogs (2-3) kept things close through most of the first half, leading 23-22 before WCU ended the period with a 7-0 run.
The Southern Conference school would continue its momentum into the second 20 minutes, extending its lead to double digits for good, 53-43, on a pair of Robinson free throws with 11:02 remaining. WCU's largest advantage came just four minutes later at 68-45.
Center Kenneth Cooper led Louisiana Tech, of the Western Athletic Conference, with 13 points and five rebounds, while star guard Kyle Gibson managed 10 points on 3-of-3 three-point shooting.
The Catamounts advance to Saturday's 2 p.m. game against Northern Illinois for 4th place, while the Bulldogs will face host Alaska Anchorage at noon in the 7th-place contest.
