SALISBURY, N.C. -- Catawba used a strong first half to knock off previously unbeaten and 12th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne 75-58 in a South Atlantic Conference Piedmont Division women's basketball contest on Wednesday night at Goodman Gym. The Catawba Indians improve to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the SAC. The Bears fall to 14-1 and 4-1.

Catawba scored 50 points in the opening half, getting a dozen points each from Janiya Downs and Sara McIntosh. Lyrik Thorne added 11 and Jada Porter nine on a trio of three-pointers. The Lady Indians shot 56% in the half and went 7-of-14 from long range. Catawba also dominated the glass in the opening half, out-rebounding the Bears 25-9.

Lenoir-Rhyne ate into its 50-27 deficit at the half in a third quarter that saw Jalen Gathers connect on four three-pointers. Her first came with the Bears facing a 26-point deficit, the largest of the game. After her fourth in a span of two and half minutes brought the Catawba lead down to 59-43 with 2:58 remaining in the period.

The Bears would close to within a dozen points in the fourth quarter, but Catawba never let L-R within single digits. The Lady Indians hit just six field goals in the second half, but went 25-of-31 at the line amd held the Bears to 29% shooting in the final quarter.

Downs finished with a game-high of 19 points and added 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. McIntosh also posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Thorne chipped in the 13 points and six assists with Porter scoring a dozen.

Gathers finished with 19 points, hitting five from beyond the arc. Azariah Fields and Emily Harman each added 11. Catawba finished with a 41-22 edge on the boards to offset an uncharacteristic minus-eight in turnover margin. The Lady Indians still out-scored L-R by three off turnovers.

Catawba hosts in Wingate in another SAC Divisional match-up on Saturday at Goodman Gym at 2 p.m.