Salisbury, N.C. – The Catawba College Men's Basketball team rebounded strongly in their home debut on Saturday night after a loss to Saint Leo in their most recent outing, catching fire in the second half to separate from the visiting Lenoir-Rhyne Bears for an 85-74 win and improving to 3-1 on the season
TEAM STATS
- Both teams finished the night shooting 43.9% from the floor, with Catawba knocking down 29 of 66 attempts while Lenoir-Rhyne converted 25 of 57
- Both teams went 8-26 (30.8%) from deep during the game
- It was another nearly identical story from the free throw line, with Catawba converting three more for a 19-23 final mark and the Bears finishing 16-20
- Catawba won the battle on the glass, grabbing 41 rebounds to Lenoir-Rhyne's 34. Catawba's offense also produced seven more assists, for an 18-11 advantage
- The key difference was second chance points, with Catawba racking up 21 to just six for Lenoir-Rhyne. The home side also found success in the paint, scoring 38 of their 85 points inside and 12 more than Lenoir-Rhyne inside the area
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Javeon Jones paced Catawba with 17 points on the night in a complete performance, nearly finishing with a triple-double as he also secured nine rebounds and eight steals (both game-highs), showcasing his defensive chops throughout the game. Kris Robinson was right behind Jones with 16 points of his own, while DeAngelo Epps (11) and Kaleb Wallace (10) also finished in double figures
- Jones grabbed nine rebounds, with Peyton Gerald grabbing six
- Kaleb Wallace led Catawba in assists, providing four on the night. Jones and O'Mazeon Tinsley served up three each
- Gerald was also active on the defensive end with three blocks
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- After Epps opened the scoring, both teams would trade buckets before Lenoir-Rhyne managed to pull ahead by five at 11-6
- With around four minutes played, Catawba Coach Rob Perron turned to his bench and was rewarded by quality minutes from his reserves. Five points from Montraivis White and a pair of slams from Shad Thomas would bring Catawba level at 15-15. White would finish with eight points, all in the first half
- After not leading since being up 2-0, Catawba found itself back in front with 7:44 to play thanks to a three from Epps, then a pair of steals from Jones led to layups for both himself and for Robinson as the lead grew to 24-19
- Robinson's first three of the night and a make from Jones gave Catawba a ten-point lead with 2:06 to go before the half, 37-27, and though the Bears would pull back within four it would be Thomas and Wallace each making a shot to ensure Catawba was up eight going into the break with a score of 41-33
SECOND HALF
- Catawba opened the second half on an 8-4 run, with Robinson canning his second three of the night and Gerald chipping in with four points as well
- As the Bears pulled to within seven at the 13:50 mark, Catawba answered with a 6-0 run as Epps made his presence felt with a jumper and a slam to up up 55-42
- Robinson would catch fire shortly after, splashing a pair of triples on back-to-back possessions as part of a 10-3 Catawba run to make it 68-53 after Lenoir-Rhyne had again pulled to within seven
- Jones helped keep Catawba ahead down the stretch with several big plays, including two huge jumpers late before he and Wallace were able to ice the game with multiple makes from the free throw line late
UP NEXT
- Catawba continues South Atlantic Conference play at home on Saturday, Dec. 9, welcoming the Mars Hill Lions to Goodman Arena for a 4 p.m. tip
