Salisbury, N.C. – The Catawba College men's basketball team matched their most points scored in a game since 2008 over the Coker Cobras in Goodman Arena on Saturday afternoon, taking a 115-108 victory as six players scored in double figures to improve to 15-5 on the season and 12-4 in South Atlantic Conference play.
TEAM STATS
- Coker was more efficient from the floor, converting 36-61 attempts, but Catawba connected on two more shots, 38-73. The key difference was behind the arc, where Catawba canned 12-24 attempts (50.0%) while Coker attempted just 14 three-pointers and hit only five of them in the game
- Coker converted more free throws, going 31-40, though Catawba wasn't far behind with a 27-37 night at the line
- Another key difference in Catawba's favor was rebounding, as the home side outrebounded the Cobras 45-25. Catawba players also tallied more assists, 19-10
- Catawba dominated in second-chance points, 19-5, and got seven more points from their bench, 41-34
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- DeAngelo Epps led all Catawba players on the night with a season-high 25 points, coming on an efficient performance that saw him go 8-15 from the floor and 8-8 at the line. Kris Robinson was lights out, scoring 18 points on 6-7 from beyond the arc
- Kaleb Wallace (16), Javeon Jones (11), Shad Thomas (10), and O'Mazeon Tinsley (10) also reached double figures for Catawba
- Jones assisted seven Catawba makes, followed by Wallace with six
- Epps pulled down 10 boards for a double-double, the only Catawba player with double-digit rebounds. Justin Banks secured nine in what was a team effort
- Defensively, Wallace was a force with three blocked shots and three steals, while Jones led Catawba with four steals of his own
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- Catawba came out firing with the first five points, as Tinsley set the tone by splashing a three as the first bucket. Andre Leavell answered back with Coker's first seven points to give the Cobras a 7-6 lead, the start of what would prove to be a massive night for the Coker guard
- Thomas chipped in his first five points to keep Catawba close at 12-11 before converting a pair of free throws with 14:53 to go and sparking a 12-0 Catawba run to make it 22-12 around two minutes later. The run punctuated by five straight from Epps before Coker could answer
- Leavell and Demar Anderson did just that for Coker, pulling them to within two points at 24-26 with 9:01 to go before Robinson connected on a pair of threes to give Catawba a six-point lead a minute later
- Both teams proceded to trade several rounds of free throws, keeping the game close. Catawba was able to find space again starting with 6:17 to go before the half, with a 7-2 run led by Wallace and Robinson able to put Catawba up five, 45-40, with 4:04 to go
- That run turned into a 21-10 Catawba stretch to end the first half, spurred by a pair of triples from Robinson, four points from Epps, and a quick three from Banks before the break
- The first half would end with Epps and Leavell dueling with 17 points each, with Robinson's 15 a key factor for Catawba as they entered the break up by a score of 60-48
SECOND HALF
- Catawba was able to keep their lead at least 10 points through makes from four different players before Leavell and Abdullah Hayden were able to make it 61-68 with 16:42 to go. Four quick points from Banks in :15 seconds put Catawba back up by 10 with 15:08 left, 72-62
- Threes from Jones and Wallace kept Catawba ahead as Coker converted multiple opportunities at the line through Leavell and Anderson, and a 7-0 run capped off by a Montraivis White three and slam from Banks looked to put game away with Catawba up 90-76 with 9:26 to go
- The Cobras refused to go away, however. Hayden caught fire to fuel a 14-4 run that pulled Coker to within two with 5:49 to go, only down 92-94
- A huge triple from Tinsley gave Catawba a 99-93 lead with 4:47 left, and a 6-3 run capped off by another clutch three, this time from Robinson, made it 105-97 with just over three minutes to go
- Coker's duo of Hayden and Leavell threatened to spoil the night late, as the duo combined to pull the Cobras to within four points before free throws from Epps and Banks iced the game
- Catawba would survive massive nights from both Leavell (35 points) and Abdullah (30 points), never trailing after an Epps jumper at the 15:25 mark in the fist half on the way to the win
UP NEXT
- Catawba continues SAC play at home on Wednesday, welcoming the Limestone Saints to Goodman Arena. Tip-off is currently set for 7:30 p.m.
