Dioumassi and Western Carolina take down Mercer in Southern Conference Tournament 77-73

Updated: Mar 8, 2026, 12:47 pm

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- — 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.

Dioumassi shot 8 for 16, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Catamounts (14-15, 10-8 Southern Conference). Tahlan Pettway scored 18 points while shooting 6 for 14 (1 for 7 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line, and added five rebounds and five assists.

Kell finished with 15 points — including 13 in the second half — while adding seven rebounds. The Catamounts extended their winning streak to seven games.

Baraka Okojie finished with 26 points and four assists for the Bears (19-12, 11-7). Mercer also got 18 points from Zaire Williams. Brady Shoulders finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Western Carolina will face No. 1 seed East Tennessee State on Sunday in the semifinals.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.