MORROW, Ga. — The Catawba College men's basketball team walloped 16th-ranked Columbus State, 97-72, on Saturday evening at The Loch. The 25-point margin of victory is Catawba's largest-ever against a ranked opponent.
TEAM STATS
- The Catawba Indians (2-1) fell just shy of .500 from the field with a 49.2% shooting percentage, compared to the less efficient 38.7% mark by Columbus State (1-2)
- Catawba was lethal from downtown, going 14-for-26 (53.8%) as its defense around the arc limited the Cougars to a 31.6% success rate
- At the free-throw line, Catawba posted a strong 21-for-25 (84.0%) day as it was a mediocre outing from CSU who went 18-for-27 (66.7%)
- Although the Cougars had fewer turnovers (10-8), the blue and white held a 6-5 lead in steals and outscored Columbus State 14-11 in points off turnovers
- Catawba's depth largely contributed to the squad's offensive barrage with a 41-17 advantage over the Cougars in bench scoring
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Justin Banks topped all Catawba Indian scorers with 19 points while adding three blocks and three assists
- LeVionne Lindsey posted a 5-for-5 clip at the charity stripe in another 15-point night with five rebounds and five assists
- Ibra Athie registered a career-high 15 rebounds for the third time in blue and white, chipping in 11 points for a double-double
- Carson Daniel tallied eight assists for the second straight game, his career high, in addition to scoring seven points with two steals and four boards
- Jashaun Hawkins drained four three-pointers for a 12-point effort in 18 minutes of reserve action
- Jacob Bryant made his collegiate debut, sinking his first shot – a three-pointer – with a rebound and an assist in five minutes
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Catawba Indians shot out to a 12-4 lead in the opening three minutes, but CSU chased them down with a 17-5 run that created a 21-17 Cougar edge at the under-12 media break
- Hawkins hit a triple before Shawn Long netted five points in 39 seconds, then Hawkins swished another in a swift turn of the tide midway through the period to make it 28-24 Catawba
- After fortifying a multi-possession gap, Catawba's lead shrunk to three when Jydon Hall drained a three-ball; the blue and white responded with an 8-0 swing
- The lead reached a high-water mark of 11 inside the final minute ahead of a free throw flurry, moving the score to 48-39 at halftime
Second Half
- Banks opened the second stanza with a steal and slam, which Lee Langstaff II replied to with a swipe and stuff of his own
- Lindsey put up an eight-point burst to restore the Catawba Indians' double-digit lead three minutes into the frame
- A few possessions later, Catawba kicked off a 14-3 run – including five points each from Banks and Athie – to essentially put the contest out of reach at 72-52 with 10 minutes to go
- The foes traded triples around the final media timeout at the 3:00 mark, but Catawba had the last words as Bryant and Jordan Simpson dropped buckets from downtown
- Solomon Tucker slammed down a feed from Bryant to cap a run of eight straight Catawba points, hitting the 25-point peak shortly before the final buzzer that put a bow on the 97-72 result
UP NEXT
Catawba returns to action tomorrow (Nov. 22) at 3:30 p.m. against Clayton State.
