Wingate, N.C. – The Catawba College Men's Basketball team battled into overtime but was ultimately unable to overcome the Wingate Bulldogs and a 34-point effort from Donell Nixon at Cuddy Arena on Wednesday, falling to 7-2 on the season and 5-1 in the SAC.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba made four more shots than Wingate, 30-80 to 26-59, but the Bulldogs were more efficient as they converted at a 44.1% clip to Catawba's 37.5% mark
- Three-point shooting was close, with Wingate just having the advantage with a 9-21 night to Catawba's 8-23 effort
- The Bulldogs took full advantage from the free throw line, cashing in 32-40 attempts while Catawba went 22-26
- It was all Catawba on the glass, as they outrebounded Wingate 52-37. The major difference came offensively, with Catawba dominating in offensive boards by a margin of 21-6
- 15 of Catawba's makes were assisted, with the number for Wingate being 13
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- DeAngelo Epps led Catawba with 20 points, just edging out Javeon Jones' tally of 19 as the two led the way on the offense in the second half and into overtime
- Justin Banks led all players in rebounds with 13, six more than Dre Nelson and Wingate's Kendall Taylor
- Jones tied for the overall lead in assists, with both him and Wingate's Nixon each dishing out six. Montraivis White finished the night with three
- Banks led all players with four blocks, the only player in the game with more than one. Jones was also active on the defensive end, leading all players in steals with five
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- It was a contested start to the game, with the first few minutes seeing a barrage of missed shots and turnovers before the shots really began to fall. Justin Mitchell scored five straight to spark Catawba's offense and make it 7-7 before three-pointers from Kris Robinson and Kaleb Wallace pushed Catawba ahead 15-9
- Started by DeAngelo Epps' free throws at the 15:42 mark and buoyed by the three pointers from Robinson and Wallace, Catawba would surge on a 14-6 run to reach the halfway point of the half up 21-13. Wallace, along with Shad Thomas and Banks, all chipped in during a 6-2 stretch to cap off the run
- Wingate's Aaron Hall kept the Bulldogs in it, scoring seven straight points before assisting a Corbin Pack triple to pull the home side within two points at the 7:18 mark, 21-23
- While Catawba would try to pull away through Epps and Nelson, Wingate kept pace from the free throw line. Jordan Miller and Nixon converted five of six straight attempts, and then Nixon would assist a triple from Corbin Pack that gave Wingate it's first lead of the game, 31-30 with 2:51 to go before the break
- Catawba had an answer though, as Banks wasted no time putting the visitors back on top before Wallace canned another three to increase the lead to four. However, Catawba would find themselves heading into the half up two, 36-34
SECOND HALF
- A 5-0 Catawba run opened the second half, featuring a Justin Mitchell putback and a Jones triple. Wingate would answer with two straight buckets, but a 6-0 Catawba run led by Epps would force the Bulldogs to call timeout with the score 47-38 at the 16:52 mark
- Out of the timeout, five points from Corbin Pack spurred an 11-2 Wingate run, with a three from Jaden Lingo tying the game at 49-49 with 14:30 to go
- A Nixon three put Wingate ahead again, 52-50, before Thomas and Banks had their way inside for Catawba en route to a quick 6-0 Catawba run
- Another three from Nixon made it a one point game, 56-55, at the 9:41 mark. The Bulldogs would regain the lead, 60-58, with 7:04 to go thanks to a pair of free throws from Taylor Bell
- Robinson would put Catawba up two with a triple less than a minute later, and while the visitors threatened to pull away after going up 67-63 thanks to four straight free throws it would be Pack canning a three to again bring Wingate to within one, 67-66 with 3:20 to go
- Epps had four points as he dueled with Nixon and Vontrez Roberts late, though Wingate would take the a 72-71 lead at the 1:06 mark. Jones would give Catawba four clutch points of his own to make it 75-72 with just :20 seconds left, only for Nixon to make his biggest shot of the night with :11 seconds left to tie the game up at 75-75 and send it into overtime
OVERTIME
- Jones' hot run continued into the extra period, scoring Catawba's first six points to match buckets from Nixon and Tyrese Barbour. Nixon's massive night would continue, as he converted an and-one with 2:13 to go for an 84-81 Wingate lead
- Jones and Epps each got the line and converted all four makes, but Nixon had another four points of his own to keep the Bulldogs ahead. He would convert another pair of free throws to make it 91-87 with :09 seconds to go
- Robinson gave Catawba life with a clutch triple, bringing them to within one with :04 left, however the visiting side could only watch as Nixon brought his tally to 34 points with another pair of free throws to ice the game, 93-90
UP NEXT
- Catawba continues South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday, January 13th, as they return home to Goodman Arena to host the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters. Tip-off is currently scheduled for 4 p.m.
