Hickory, N.C. —- The Catawba College women's basketball team survived a late bid for Lenoir-Rhyne to take the lead in the closing seconds, defeating the Bears 53-52 to earn the season sweep and move LR to the brink of elimination from the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Wednesday night in Hickory.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba was 22-for-54 (41 percent) from the floor, while Lenoir-Rhyne went 19-of-55 (35 percent) from the field
- The Catawba Indians shot 5-for-18 (28 percent) from three-point range; the Bears were 4-of-15 (27 percent) from deep
- LR was 10-for-12 (83 percent) from the free throw line, while Catawba was just 4-of-11 (36 percent) at the charity stripe
- Lenoir-Rhyne out-rebounded Catawba 35-34, but the Catawba Indians recorded all four second-chance points in the contest
- Catawba recorded 12 assists with 20 turnovers, while the Bears had 10 assists and 18 turnovers; LR held a slight 17-15 lead in points off turnovers
- The Catawba Indians led in points in the paint (26-20) and bench points (18-14), while LR led in fastbreak points (14-4)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Janiya Foskey led the way with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks
- Brooklin Ingram chipped in with nine points in 12 minutes off the bench
- Natalie Fuertes Lara got the start and recorded seven points, six boards and three steals
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
- After Catawba scored the first three points of the game, Lenoir-Rhyne went on a 6-0 run to take the lead near the midway point
- Catawba nudged ahead 10-8 at the end of the first period
SECOND QUARTER
- Fuertes Lara's layup made it a 14-8 lead for Catawba early in the second
- Foskey's three-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half capped an 8-0 run, as the visitors wearing white led 30-17 at the break
THIRD QUARTER
- Nala Baker canned a triple out of the second half as the lead grew to 16 points
- A 9-0 LR run brought the Bears' deficit back under single digits
- The Catawba Indians pushed the lead back to 11 points on Foskey's jumper at the 2:19 mark
- Catawba led 45-33 after three periods
FOURTH QUARTER
- Lenoir-Rhyne scored the first six points of the fourth quarter; Fuertes Lara scored Catawba's first points in the final period at the 5:57 mark
- Two LR three-pointers pulled the Bears all the way within two points
- Julie Janus answered right back with a key three-pointer with just over three minutes left
- A Catawba turnover and two missed free throws in the final minute gave LR the ball down one with eight seconds to go
- LR's Blaikely Crooks faked a hand-off, drove right, but her layup was no good as Catawba survived the Bears' comeback to earn the season sweep
GAME NOTES
- Catawba clinches the five seed in next week's SAC Tournament
- The Catawba Indians will be the designated visitor in the 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5
- Lenoir-Rhyne would be eliminated with a loss at home to Newberry on Saturday or if Limestone wins either of its final two games at Emory & Henry and LMU
UP NEXT
- Catawba wraps up the regular season on Saturday, hosting UVA Wise for Senior Day at 2 p.m., honoring Foskey, Fuertes Lara, Jada Porter and Abi Svenson
