SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College women's basketball team welcomed Gardner-Webb to Goodman Arena for an exhibition matchup on Thursday evening. The Runnin' Bulldogs won 84-72, but the Catawba Indians came away with many positive takeaways.
Wingate transfer guard,
Bree Hughes, led all scorers with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field. Another former Bulldog,
Brayla Harris, recorded eight points, two steals and a block. Returners
Sheree Gidney,
Julie Janus and
Kaelyn Allen were productive. Gidney scored 14 points, Janus posted five assists, and Allen shot 3-for-5 from three-point range. Freshman guard
Kenzie Board was plus 10 in 12 minutes of action.
Catawba's tenacious full-court press forced 20 Gardner-Webb (1-0) turnovers. The blue and white showed its depth, scoring 31 points off the bench. The Catawba Indians were able to push the pace, tallying 20 fast-break points.
Harris floated in the game's first bucket and
Brooklin Ingram swished a wing three on the ensuing possession for a 5-0 blue and white burst to start the game.
Gardner-Webb responded with a 9-2 run to engage in a back-and-forth battle that persisted for the rest of the period as the Runnin' Bulldogs made a corner three to take the contest's first two-possession lead with 11 seconds to go, closing the first quarter with a 22-18 edge.
GWU went on a 9-0 run to create a double-digit lead. Hughes waltzed through the lane and laid in a bucket, slimming the gap to 35-25. Catawba pulled within nine on a Hughes strike from downtown inside the last minute, but the 'Dogs retorted with a three-point play conversion. GWU sought a buzzer-beating three-pointer when
Saniya Wilson swatted it out of bounds as time expired.
After increasing the lead to 18 midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs were met with resistance but failed to relinquish footing. The Catawba Indians found a spark and ignited, breaking off a 17-2 run that featured threes by Allen and Gidney before another by Allen at the horn, as Catawba erupted for 29 points in the frame to make it a one-point game heading into the fourth stanza.
A made free throw by Janus tied it at 64-all, but GWU roared back to the tune of a 20-8 run to win the contest 84-72.
The Catawba Indians' regular season will tip off on Tuesday, November 10th, at 5:30 p.m. when Augusta comes to Goodman Arena.
The Catawba Women's Basketball team will also host the Southeast Region Crossover on November 13th and 14th, hosting regional foes Lees-McRae and No. 23 Columbus State.
