Gaffney, S.C. —- The 14th-ranked Catawba College women's basketball team utilized a 19-4 run over the last 4:48 to earn a come-from-behind win at Limestone on Wednesday night at the Timken Center in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action. The Catawba Indians return to the top of the SAC standings with the victory.
TEAM STATS
- Limestone shot 22-for-51 (43 percent) from the floor, while Catawba was 23-of-66 (35 percent) from the field
- The Saints were 5-for-15 (33 percent) from three-point range; the Catawba Indians shot 7-of-22 (32 percent) from deep
- LU was 15-for-19 (79 percent) from the free throw line, while Catawba shot 17-for-23 (74 percent) from the charity stripe
- Limestone out-rebounded the Catawba Indians 41-37, but Catawba corralled 19 offensive rebounds to hold a slim 19-18 advantage in second-chance points
- The Saints recorded 15 assists to 21 turnovers, while the Catawba Indians dished out 14 assists to 13 turnovers; Catawba's seven steals led them to an 18-14 edge in points off turnovers
- The Catawba Indians out-scored LU 30-24 in the paint, while Limestone won battles in fastbreak points (6-0) and bench points (15-12)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Lyrik Thorne recorded a team-high 24 points and six assists, including a 9-for-10 performance from the free throw line
- Sara McIntosh added 20 points, her most since a November win at Georgia Southwestern, with seven rebounds
- Janiya Downs pitched in nine points and five rebounds
- Nala Baker scored five points with a key three-pointer that kickstarted the late Catawba run
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
- Kalisha Hill scored the final five points of an 8-0 run, as the Saints took an early 8-2 lead
- Hill made it nine of Limestone's first 14 points with a layup near the 4-minute mark
- McIntosh's three-pointer with a second to go in the quarter tied the game at 18
SECOND QUARTER
- Hill's and-one capped a 7-0 Limestone run to turn a small Catawba lead into a five-point advantage for the Saints at the 7-minute mark
- Natalie Lara Fuertes' triple and Brooklin Ingram's layup helped the Catawba Indians tie the game at 29 at the 3:47 mark
- Hill added to her first-half total with a personal 6-0 run to re-open Limestone's lead
- Saniya Wilson converted the hoop while harmed to trim the Catawba Indian deficit to 35-31 at the half
THIRD QUARTER
- McIntosh and Downs hit back-to-back layups to tie the game early in the second half
- A 5-0 run for the Saints turned a tie game into a 46-41 lead at the 6-minute mark
- Thorne was fouled on a three-pointer and buried all three to tie the game right back at 46
- Limestone scored the next five points to return their lead
- The Saints led 53-49 with 10 minutes remaining
FOURTH QUARTER
- Limestone's Dior Shelton's three-pointer gave the Saints their largest lead of the game at 60-51 at the 4:48 mark
- Catawba's next three baskets were all three-pointers as Baker buried one before two Thorne triples to erase the deficit and tie the game at 60
- Downs' key three-pointer at the 1:01 mark gave the Catawba Indians the lead, 65-63
- Thorne grabbed the offensive rebound on a free throw with 22 seconds left and converted the free throws to make it a four-point Catawba lead
- The Catawba Indians forced the turnover on the defensive end and Thorne's free throws sealed the comeback win
UP NEXT
- Catawba returns to Goodman Arena on Saturday, facing Carson-Newman at 2 p.m. with first place in the conference on the line
