WINGATE, N.C. — A three-games-in-five-days gauntlet comes to a close on Wednesday night for the Catawba College men's basketball team with a trip to Wingate as they take on the Bulldogs in South Atlantic Conference play at Cuddy Arena.
2-0 in 2026
- The Catawba Indians are off and running in the 2026 section of their schedule, boasting an unbeaten start through two road games against Carson-Newman and Livingstone
- Last Saturday, Catawba shot back from break with an 80-66 win over the Eagles in the Volunteer State, marking the program's fifth consecutive victory against C-N
- Catawba dominated the boards with 24 offensive rebounds, leading to a 52-39 advantage in rebounding with a 26-2 thumping in second-chance points
- Monday's visit to Livingstone went swimmingly with Catawba returning to the north side of Salisbury with an 87-63 victory, anchored by a second-chance margin of 31-12 and a fast-break scoring difference of 26-8
Streaking Simpson
- Recent heroics by Jordan Simpson gave the senior guard SAC WePlayed Sports Player of the Week honors as announced by the league on Monday
- The first-year Catawba Indian became the first representative on the SAC weekly awards release since early in the 2023-24 season, snapping a 35-week streak without an honoree
- Simpson has seen an uptick in minutes and shooting volume, beginning with the semester finale against Emory & Henry which kicked off an active three-game streak of 20+ points
- In the last three contests, the Orangeburg, S.C., product has averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game with a perfect 5-for-5 clip on free throws and 13 three-pointers
Rookies on the Rise
- Freshman guard Jacob Bryant has firmly planted himself into the reserve rotation after collecting nine points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 18 minutes against Livingstone; all of those stats are career highs
- Shawn Long is getting similarly involved on the perimeter, shining in the Carson-Newman win with nine points, two rebounds and two steals in a productive 11 minutes
- Bryant and Long came to Catawba following postgraduate seasons at Middle Georgia Prep and Quality Education Academy, respectively
Miss Two, Make Three
- Catawba traded up from two to three points on four different occasions against Livingstone thanks to its strength in the offensive rebounding sphere
- Simpson buried two second-chance three-pointers in the first half, helping the Catawba Indians gain command of the contest early
- Both of Jashaun Hawkins' triples came in the last four minutes of the tilt following offensive boards and assists from Jalen Hilliard and Bryant
Scouting the Bulldogs
- The Wingate Bulldogs enter the rivalry game at 7-5, going 2-4 in conference action with a loss to seventh-ranked Anderson on Saturday
- A promising 4-1 start has leveled out as Wingate has reached league play, but the Bulldogs remain potent on home court with a 2-1 record at Cuddy Arena
- Jordan Miller ranks second in the SAC for steals (28) and assists (69), one spot ahead of Chase Daniel and Carson Daniel, respectively
- Corbin Pack leads a five-man pack of 'Dogs averaging double-figure points with 12.4 while his 10-for-10 ledger at the free-throw line paces the SAC in most free throws made without a miss
Follow Along
- All South Atlantic Conference games are broadcast live on FloCollege
- Live stats will be available on wingatebulldogs.com
