SALISBURY, N.C. — Through seven games at Goodman Arena this season, the Catawba College men's basketball team remains undefeated following its intense 82-79 South Atlantic Conference victory against Newberry on Wednesday night.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (13-4, 8-3 SAC) again had to overcome a shooting deficit to beat Newberry (8-9, 4-7 SAC) as the Wolves led in efficiency 53.1%-49.2%
- The foes registered very similar ledgers from three-point range as Catawba went 6-for-19 (31.6%) while the Wolves shot 6-for-20 (30.0%)
- Free throw volumes were also quite alike with neither team gaining a significant edge at the stripe; the blue and white hit 18-of-30 (60.0%) against Newberry's 21-for-32 (65.6%)
- Newberry won the rebounding battle 33-30, marking a season low for the Catawba Indians and going down as the first time Catawba has been outrebounded in a win this year
- The Catawba Indians took extremely good care of the rock with just six turnovers, while the Wolves tallied 15 – of which 10 were connected to Catawba steals
- The hosts romped to large margins in points off turnovers (28-5) and fast breaks (26-1), but were limited to a 9-6 edge in second-chance scoring
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Jordan Simpson led a five-guy group of double-digit scorers with 14 points, netting all four of his field goals from beyond the arc
- Chase Daniel rejoined the starting lineup and supplied 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals
- Ibra Athie logged a strong defensive performance, tacking on team-high totals of six rebounds and three steals to an 11-point affair
- LeVionne Lindsey came off the bench to also register 11 points while dishing out a trio of dimes; Lindsey finished with a remarkable plus/minus of +15
- Carson Daniel cracked double figures with 10 points in addition to four assists, giving both Daniel twins a share of the team lead in helpers
- Solomon Tucker got creative on the stat sheet with five points, five rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one assist for a net-positive night
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- After a Simpson steal and Athie score on the opening possession, Newberry kicked off a 7-0 tear before upping the gap to eight with six minutes gone
- Catawba hawked the Wolves down over the ensuing moments, outdoing the visitors 12-3 to obtain a 17-16 lead off a Carson Daniel three-point bullseye
- Shawn Long gave Catawba its largest lead of three points with a put-back score soon after, but the Wolves remained in striking distance
- As the half wound down, a faint hint of separation began to emerge as the Catawba Indians sustained a two-bucket lead for the final 3:34 as the hosts took a 39-35 advantage into the break
Second Half
- The Wolves erased the deficit in the opening minute as Kayzzin McDowell hit a three and Malakhi Stremlow a two, but Catawba chalked up a 12-2 burst that violently swung momentum to the home team and created a nine-point buffer
- Stremlow and Drake Downs kept Newberry in the matchup, trimming the gap to five on multiple occasions before the Catawba Indians capitalized on a turnover and increased their lead to 10 with eight minutes to go
- Following a strip-and-score from Athie that pushed the ledger to 72-61, the Wolves pulled within four using a 7-0 run; the gap became one-possession wide with 20 seconds remaining on a successful and-one conversion by Downs
- Chase Daniel drew a foul on the inbound pass, making one free throw to leave a narrow window for Newberry, who ending up missing two three-pointers and fouling Simpson on the second rebound
- Simpson went 2-for-2 at the line, then Downs drained a shot from just across halfcourt to cut the gap in half at the buzzer for an 82-79 final score
UP NEXT
The Catawba Indians next test comes in just two days as they host Carson-Newman on Friday, Jan. 22, for a 4 p.m. tipoff. The matchup was previously scheduled for Saturday, but was moved up due to forecasted winter weather.
