MARS HILL, N.C. – After grabbing an offensive board with two seconds left, Justin Banks tossed in a fadeaway jumper as the final horn sounded to help the Catawba College men's basketball prevail over Mars Hill, 87-85, on Saturday afternoon at Stanford Arena. Kris Robinson broke the program record for career three-pointers during the contest, sinking two bullseyes to reach 267 in his four years.
TEAM STATS
- The Lions (7-18, 5-18 SAC) shot the ball well at 56.9% from the field, leading Catawba (16-10, 13-9 SAC) who posted a 45.7% shooting percentage
- Mars Hill went 8-for-18 (44.4%) on three-pointers while the Catawba Indians posted a 3-for-14 (21.4%) clip from long range, instead focusing on scoring in the paint where they led 56-46
- Although the Lions went an efficient 11-for-13 (84.6%) at the free-throw line, the blue and white visited more often in a 20-for-27 (74.1%) day
- Catawba hammered MHU on the boards by a 48-19 margin featuring 29 offensive rebounds, the highest tally in head coach Rob Perron's tenure and since at least before the 2010-11 season
- The visitors committed fewer turnovers (15-13), but the Lions exploited Catawba's errors to lead 26-13 on points off turnovers
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Nick Walker topped the scoring with 21 points while chipping in six rebounds, two steals and Catawba's one block
- Two players recorded double-double performances for the first time this season
- Banks was extremely efficient, putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action
- Ibra Athie notched 10 points and 15 boards with a team-high three steals; without defensive rebounds, the Cincinnati, Ohio product would still have a double-double thanks to his 10 offensive grabs
- Robinson collected nine points and made two three-pointers, tying the record on the first and breaking it on the second
- Chase Daniel dished out three assists with a pair of steals, drilling a three-pointer in his lone field goal attempt and going 2-for-2 at the line for five points
UP NEXT
Catawba faces No. 18 Lenoir-Rhyne in its final regular-season road game on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
