GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — The Catawba College men's basketball team saw five players score in double figures, but fell short in a 76-75 result at Tusculum on Saturday night at Pioneer Arena.

TEAM STATS
- Catawba (5-3, 1-2 SAC) finished with a 40.3% shooting percentage, one that declined as time wore on, while Tusculum (5-5, 2-3 SAC) sank 48.2% of its heaves
- Despite doubling its three-pointer output from the last two games combined, Catawba struggled with efficiency as it posted a 25.8% mark compared to the Pioneers' 42.9%
- At the charity stripe, the Catawba Indians kept their .750-or-better streak alive with a 77.3% performance, topping the Pioneers who logged a 65.0% clip
- Catawba narrowly lost the rebounding battle 38-36, but committed one fewer turnover for a final count of 16-15
- The Pioneers took better advantage of takeaways, parlaying their 10-8 lead in steals to a 22-13 margin in points off turnovers

INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Jashaun Hawkins neared a double-double with team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds, drawing six fouls en route to a 10-for-11 night at the free-throw line
- Nick Walker supplied 14 points with six rebounds, split evenly between offensive and defensive, and finished as one of a quartet with two steals
- Chase Daniel and Ibra Athie netted 13 points apiece as Daniel led the team with five assists including a couple of swipes
- Finishing at a +11 point differential, Carson Daniel added 10 points, three dimes and two steals

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The blue and white opened proceedings in control, taking the first lead and sustaining it at 10-5 with six minutes gone
- A seven-point swing gave the Pioneers their first lead, but eight points in just over a minute from Hawkins put Catawba back ahead twice
- Closely separated for the ensuing minutes, the squads traded punches with Athie nailing a jumper to go up by three before TU flipped the momentum for an 8-2 stint to lead by a trio
- Catawba regained its footing as halftime commenced with the blue and white possessing a 40-39 edge over the hosts

Second Half
- Although the Catawba Indians kept attacking opportunities to strengthen their lead, the Pioneers continued to provide responses
- Down 49-47 early in the frame, Tusculum cooked up an 8-2 run for a five-point advantage — its largest of the night
- LeVionne Lindsey and Justin Banks chipped in two-point baskets that TU quickly equalized, but a Chase Daniel triple with nine minutes to go cut the margin to two
- Instead of surrendering the lead, the Pioneers only bolstered it, eventually drumming it up to 68-61 inside the six-minute mark
- The Catawba Indians walked the hosts down to the tune of a 12-4 run capped by a Chase Daniel three-ball with 2:07 to go
- TJ Printup and Walker exchanged buckets in the paint prior to Bryce Jackson's layup that Catawba failed to answer, resulting in a 76-75 final tally favoring the Pioneers

UP NEXT
The squad returns back to Salisbury for a two-game homestand to close 2025, beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 17, against Coker at 7:30 p.m.