SALISBURY, N.C. — The Catawba College men's basketball team is set for a two-game homestand this week that begins on Wednesday when Coker comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
One Point Away
- The Catawba Indians' game against Tusculum came down to the final possession as a missed jumper sealed their fate in 76-75 fashion at Pioneer Arena on Saturday
- It was Catawba's first loss after leading at halftime since falling victim to a second-half blitz at Limestone on Jan. 25 of last season
- Five players scored in double figures, led by a remarkable off-the-bench performance by Jashaun Hawkins who posted team highs in points (16) and rebounds (8)
- Catawba has lost by one point twice this year after the season-opening heartbreaker at Lander (69-68); the third was by four, while four of the team's five wins have been by 12 or more points
Importance of Rebounding
- All five of Catawba's wins have occurred when it wins the rebounding battle, while two of its losses were chalked up when the opposition led on the boards
- The squad ranks 19th nationally and third in the South Atlantic Conference with an average rebound margin of 8.8
- Among Division II programs, four of the top five teams in rebound margin have yet to lose a game with a combined record of 41-0; the exception is national leader Rollins whose figure is skewed by blowouts of three non-NCAA institutions
It's Good to Be Home
- The Catawba Indians' 3-0 record, and how they have obtained it, is a prime manifestation of the home court advantage phenomenon
- On paper, Catawba was an underdog in its home opener against USC Aiken after going 0-2 in the series with an NCAA Tournament defeat, but walloped the Pacers by 38 instead
- The blue and white battled Lincoln Memorial for their first SAC contest in friendly confines, trailing at halftime before walking down the Railsplitters to run away with a 77-65 victory
- Last week's non-conference matchup with Chowan took a familiar turn to the LMU game as Catawba came from behind in the last five minutes to overtake the Hawks in a 71-68 win
All-Time Series
- The series is one of Catawba's most victorious as the blue and white lead, 22-5
- The Catawba Indians have performed similarly on home court with a 11-3 advantage, but the last meeting at Goodman Arena was a 93-88 Coker win
- Catawba and Coker met three times last season, including the conference tournament quarterfinal that Catawba won to end the Cobras' season
Scouting the Cobras
- Coker enters the in-league matchup on a seven-game drought after winning the season opener over Ferrum
- Of the Cobras' four SAC losses, three came by within 10 points including Saturday's 86-81 defeat at Mars Hill
- The Cobra offense runs through Isayah Owens as the Limestone transfer is scoring 20.1 points per tilt, good for second in the SAC, with the conference's third-best assists average of 5.1
- Deuce Jackson and Owens rank fourth and sixth in the conference, respectively, in steals per game while averaging over two per contest
Follow Along
- All South Atlantic Conference games are broadcast live on FloCollege
- Live stats will be available on CatawbaAthletics.com
