Mars Hill, N.C. —- The 17th-ranked Catawba College women's basketball pulled away at Mars Hill on Saturday afternoon, helping the program clinch its third consecutive 20-win season and pulling within a win of at least a share of the South Atlantic Conference regular season title.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba shot 26-for-58 (45 percent) from the field, while limiting Mars Hill to 26-of-67 (39 percent) from the field
- The Catawba Indians were 9-of-20 (45 percent) from three-point range; the Lions were 8-for-20 (40 percent) from downtown
- MHU was 13-of-18 (72 percent) from the free throw line, while Catawba went 22-for-36 (61 percent)
- The Catawba Indians out-rebounded Mars Hill 46-37, but the Lions held the 16-9 edge in second-chance points
- MHU recorded 15 assists to 11 turnovers; Catawba had 14 assists to 15 turnovers
- Mars Hill led in points in the paint (32-28), but the Catawba Indians edged the hosts in bench points (26-23)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Janiya Downs recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals
- Nala Baker chipped in 16 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting
- Jada Porter drained four three-pointers for 13 points
- Sara McIntosh was the fourth Catawba Indian in double figures with 11 and seven boards
- Lyrik Thorne scored nine points on seven shot attempts along with five rebounds
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
- Porter's triple gave Catawba an early 6-2 lead
- A quick five points from Mars Hill in response turned the lead in their favor
- The Catawba Indians answered with a 7-0 run of their own, capped by Downs' free throws to lead 13-7
- Five made three-pointers in the first quarter helped Catawba to a 24-14 lead after the opening 10 minutes
SECOND QUARTER
- Two triples from Porter helped the Catawba Indians push the lead to 36-18 at the 5:30 mark of the second quarter
- A 6-0 run helped the Lions cut their deficit to 12 points at the 2:18 mark
- Baker's layup topped off a 49-point first half for Catawba, leading by 14 at the halftime break
THIRD QUARTER
- MHU canned two three-pointers out of the halftime locker room to cut their deficit to eight points just over a minute into the third
- The Catawba lead got to as small as four points at the 6:38 mark
- Downs connected on a layup with 58 seconds left in the period to give the Catawba Indians some breathing room at 61-52
- Baker answered a Lions' three-pointer to keep the margin at nine – 64-55 – at the end of three quarters
FOURTH QUARTER
- The Catawba lead dwindled to four points again at the 6:48 mark after Naja Ngongba's free throws
- The lead returned to nine points after Baker's layup at the midway point
- McIntosh's and-one pushed the lead back to double digits with less than two minutes to play
- Mars Hill cut their deficit to eight points again, but Catawba salted the game away at the foul line to wrap up road action this regular season
UP NEXT
- Catawba looks to claim at least a share of the SAC title on its home floor on Wednesday, hosting Newberry at Goodman Arena at 5:30 p.m.
