Greeneville, Tenn. —- The Catawba College women's basketball team picked up its first win of the 2024-25 season on Sunday afternoon, defeating Lees-McRae, 92-65, in their final game in the Jersey Mike's Regional Challenge at Tusculum University.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba was 33-for-69 (48 percent) from the field, while holding Lees-McRae to 20-of-59 (34 percent) from the floor
- The Catawba Indians were 3-for-15 (20 percent) from three-point range; the Bobcats went 3-of-25 (12 percent) from long range
- LMC was 22-for-27 (82 percent) from the free throw line, while Catawba was 23-for-24 (68 percent) at the charity stripe
- Catawba out-rebounded Lees-McRae 48-35, leading to a 21-9 advantage in second-chance points
- The Catawba Indians recorded 20 assists to 18 turnovers, while the Bobcats had 12 assists and 26 turnovers; Catawba enjoyed a 32-18 edge in points off turnovers
- Catawba led in fastbreak points, 25-14 and dominated in the paint (56-28) and off the bench (51-19)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Janiya Foskey went for a career-high 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting with nine rebounds
- Kairah Dixon-Booker recorded a double-double of 12 points and 12 boards
- Natalie Lara Fuertes scored 11 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting with four rebounds, three assists and a Catawba career-high six steals
- Saniya Wilson also added 11 points off the bench on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the foul line with four assists
- Imani Williams was one of five Catawba Indians in double figures with 11 points and five assists, earning her first career start
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
- Lees-McRae jumped out to a 9-2 lead after Nadiya Hairston's three-pointer at the 6:08 mark
- A Lara Fuertes jumper and a pair of Wilson free throws got the Catawba Indians' back within a deficit
- Back-to-back triples from Jada Porter and Lara Fuertes erased a six-point hole for Catawba; Williams' free throw gave the team their first lead with over a minute to go
- The Bobcats responded with five straight free throws; a late Nala Baker free throw made it a 19-16 LMC lead after the opening quarter
SECOND QUARTER
- Catawba sprinted out to a 6-0 lead to start the second quarter behind a pair of jumpers from Sheree Gidney
- Foskey scored the first eight points of a 12-0 Catawba run to break the game open; Williams' pair of free throws made it a 38-24 Catawba lead at the 3:35 mark
- The Bobcats responded with five straight points to cut their deficit to single digits
- Catawba led 40-32 at the halftime break
THIRD QUARTER
- The Catawba Indians also started the third quarter hot, as baskets from Dixon-Booker and Williams pushed their lead to 12
- The teams traded points for much of the third quarter; another layup from Dixon-Booker stretched the Catawba lead to 61-45 at the 2:09 mark
- Catawba led 68-51 heading into the final quarter
FOURTH QUARTER
- And-ones from Dixon-Booker and Wilson helped stir another 12-0 Catawba run; the Catawba Indians led 86-58 at the 4:39 mark
- Foskey's layup with under three minutes to go briefly gave Catawba a 30-point lead, their largest of the game
- LMC scored five of the game's final seven points with the game result in hand
GAME NOTES
- Foskey doubled her previous career high of 10 points
- Catawba career highs for Dixon-Booker, Lara Fuertes and Wilson; Dixon-Booker's first collegiate double-double
- The Catawba Indians improve to 6-4 all-time versus Lees-McRae, including their sixth straight win in the series dating back to the 1993-94 season
- 95th career win for Terence McCutcheon
UP NEXT
- Catawba plays in its home opener this week, hosting Johnson C. Smith on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
