Anderson, S.C. —- Catawba College grad student guard Lyrik Thorne's game-winner with 0.8 seconds remaining lifted the 12th-ranked women's basketball team to a come-from-behind overtime win at South Atlantic Conference contender Anderson on Saturday. Thorne also eclipsed 2,000 career points in the win, becoming the first in program history and the sixth in SAC history to reach the milestone.
TEAM STATS
- Anderson shot 33-for-70 (47 percent); Catawba went 33-of-84 (39 percent) from the field
- The Trojans were 4-for-14 (29 percent) from three-point range, while the Catawba Indians were 4-of-25 (16 percent) from deep
- Catawba was 14-for-21 (67 percent) at the free throw line; AU shot 13-for-21 (62 percent) from the charity stripe
- Anderson out-rebounded the Catawba Indians 49-47, leading to a slim 18-15 edge in second-chance points
- The Trojans recorded 12 assists to 15 turnovers, while Catawba had nine assists to 12 turnovers; both teams recorded 13 points off turnovers
- The Catawba Indians led in points in the paint (52-36) and bench points (13-6), while AU scored eight points in the fastbreak to two for Catawba
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Thorne hit the game-winner with less than a second to go and a late three-pointer to take the lead in regulation for a 21-point, seven-rebound, six-assist performance
- She's the first member of the 2,000-point club in program history and her 2,006 career points now ranks fifth all-time in conference history
- Janiya Downs also scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds
- Sara McIntosh added 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting with a team-high nine rebounds and two steals
- Mary Spry chipped in nine points in a key 15 minutes off the bench, which included overtime when Downs fouled out of the game
- Nala Baker scored eight points and also had two steals
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
- Anderson scored the first five points of the game in the opening minute
- A 10-0 run extended the Trojan lead to 19-4 at the 2-minute mark
- Spry's and-one and Kairah Dixon-Booker's lay-in cut the Catawba deficit to 19-9 at the end of the first quarter
SECOND QUARTER
- Spry's bucket early in the second quarter extended the Catawba Indian run to 7-0, trimming the deficit to single digits
- The lead bounced between eight and 11 points for much of the quarter, unilt Diamond McDowell's layup gave the Trojans a 34-22 lead at the 3:04 mark
- Downs' triple capped a 7-0 Catawba spurt that cut the lead down to five
- Her jumper in the closing second brought the Catawba Indians to 36-33 at the halftime break
THIRD QUARTER
- Jada Porter's three-pointer gave Catawba its first lead of the game, 41-40, at the 6:55 mark in the third quarter
- The Trojans regained their lead near the 3-minute mark on Zamiya Passmore's layup
- Anderson closed the period on a 12-4 run, leading 56-50 after 30 minutes
FOURTH QUARTER
- AU's lead grew to 13 points after a three-pointer at the 6:21 mark
- Thorne and McIntosh combined for seven unanswered points to get the deficit back within a couple possessions
- Catawba trailed 67-63 after Thorne's layup at the 3:25 mark
- Four straight points from Downs brough the Catawba Indians to within a single point with 71 seconds to go
- After the teams swapped free throws, Thorne's triple with 15 seconds to go gave Catawba a late 73-72 lead
- Brittney Stafford was fouled with five seconds left and made one of two, sending the game to overtime
OVERTIME
- Anderson took an early four-point lead with less than three minutes left in overtime
- The Catawba Indian defense strengthened, keeping AU scoreless for 90 seconds, allowing the visitors to tie the game with free throws
- After the Trojans went 1-for-2 on a trip to the foul line, Spry's layup gave Catawba an 80-79 lead with 1:03 remaining
- Stafford and McIntosh traded baskets before Stafford's go-ahead jumper with four seconds left put the Trojans up 83-82
- Thorne took the inbounds pass and converted the layup through the foul for the game-winner with 0.8 seconds left
- Without a timeout, Anderson was unable to reach the basket, as Catawba improved to a 12-2 mark in conference play
UP NEXT
- The Catawba Indians face another huge road test on Wednesday, battling second-place Lenoir-Rhyne at 5:30 p.m.
