SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College men's basketball team pounced on Mars Hill early, got pushed back to square one, then finally buried the Lions in an 83-74 South Atlantic Conference win at Goodman Arena on Saturday.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (8-5, 6-4 SAC) shot 47.1 percent from the field, strikingly similar to the 47.3 percent figure compiled by Mars Hill (4-8, 2-8 SAC)
- The programs each hit five three-pointers, but the blue and white led the efficiency stat as Mars Hill attempted 20 treys (25.0 percent) compared to Catawba's 15 (33.3 percent)
- Missed opportunities at the free-throw line kept the Catawba Indians from putting Mars Hill away, logging a season-low 51.9 success rate against the Lions' 77.3 percent
- The hosts exploited a 28-16 advantage in the turnover battle with a 37-17 pounding in points off takeaways; those extra possessions offset Mars Hill's efficiency
- The Lions went nine reserves deep into its bench, but they combined for just seven points while Catawba's seven men off the bench amassed 35 points
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Nick Walker had a productive night on both ends, topping the lineup with 16 points and nine rebounds while getting a hand on two Lion shots
- Mirroring Walker's 6-for-10 clip from the floor, Ibra Athie tallied 14 points and eight boards in addition to dishing out three assists and pocketing three steals
- Jashaun Hawkins poured in 13 points, all in the first half, to record his best scoring output against a SAC opponent
- Solomon Tucker swiped away a team-high four steals while adding four points and a swat
- O'Mazeon Tinsley had Catawba's best point differential at +12 as the senior came off the bench to notch seven points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Two Kris Robinson darts from long range and a pull-up jumper from Montraivis White produced eight points in the first four Catawba possessions; Mars Hill tied it, but Robinson drilled another three ahead of the initial media break
- Kadyn Dawkins and Chase McWhite drained a couple from downtown as Kory Davis floated in a bucket while Catawba's offense fell silent for three minutes, giving MHU a brief 16-14 edge
- The blue and white went on an 11-4 run powered exclusively by points off turnovers and extended the gap to double digits on Walker's second-chance layup with 4:31 left in the half
- Hawkins sank his second trey of the day and went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to polish off his 13-point period, putting a bow on a solid 43-27 start for the Catawba Indians
Second Half
- White tacked on a pair of early baskets to fight against Davis' seven points to usher in the new half as the Gastonia, N.C. native passed the baton to Daniel Mayfield who nabbed four points in less than a minute
- The hosts regained their footing thanks to a couple of steals by Tucker and quick offense, reaching the high-water mark of an 18-point lead
- However, the feel-good vibes felt by Catawba were slowly and painfully dashed as Mars Hill romped to a 20-1 run capped by an and-one conversion by Davis with eight minutes to play
- Athie halted the momentum using an eight-point swing followed by additional Tinsley and Zion McDuffie buckets to flip the favor toward Catawba by six at the final media timeout
- Walker got a lay to go and McDuffie threw down an angry slam just before the Lions began to foul throughout the last two minutes
- The Catawba Indians went 8-for-13 at the line during the final two minutes and employed a stingy defensive effort to fend off the visitors, starting the calendar year with a victory on home court
UP NEXT
Catawba makes the short trip south to Wingate on Wednesday, Jan. 8 for a 7:30 p.m. tip against the rival Bulldogs.
