SALISBURY, N.C. — With winter weather approaching the Carolinas, the Catawba College men's basketball team squares off with Carson-Newman in a short-rest Friday showdown at Goodman Arena.
Still Perfect at Goodman
- A close game throughout, Catawba narrowly toppled Newberry in The 'Bury on Wednesday evening that extended the hosts' home winning streak to 7-0
- The blue and white held a brief double-digit lead in the second half, but the Wolves trimmed it to one possession late and threatened in the final minute
- Scoring on fast breaks and capitalizing on turnovers proved vital for Catawba, who led both scoring margins by significant 26-1 and 28-5 gaps, respectively
- Dating back to last season, the Catawba Indians have prevailed in nine straight home games to mark the 15th-longest streak in Division II
SAC Schedule Flips
- Carson-Newman is the first conference opponent to play Catawba for a second time this season, wrapping up the foes' home-and-home series
- Catawba posted an 8-3 record in its first time through the South Atlantic Conference
- Thanks to a UVA Wise loss to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, the blue and white are in sole possession of third place in the league
- The Catawba Indians trail only nationally-ranked Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne, and will get their second crack at both teams on home floor
All-Time Series
- The Catawba Indians hold a 46-31 advantage in the all-time series with Carson-Newman including a sizable 25-10 edge when on home court
- Catawba has gotten the better of C-N in five consecutive meetings, beating the Eagles by double digits each time
- The foes faced off to begin the calendar year on Jan. 3 in Mossy Creek as Catawba used a debilitating 26-2 margin on second-chance scoring to collect an 80-66 victory
- Last season's home win over the Eagles in 91-63 fashion came when the birds stood fifth in the D2SIDA regional poll; that followed the trip to Tennessee when Catawba knocked off 24th-ranked C-N
Scouting the Eagles
- Carson-Newman is 10-7 overall with an uncharacteristic 5-6 conference ledger
- The loss to Catawba began a rough 0-4 stretch that included defeats at the hands of Emory & Henry, #24 Lenoir-Rhyne and Lincoln Memorial; since then, the Eagles have gotten back on track by topping Newberry and Mars Hill
- Jack Browder has continued to power the Eagles as a nationally prominent scorer and rebounder, averaging 23.1 points (fifth in D-II) and 10.2 boards (12th) per game
- C-N averages fewer than 15 fouls per contest – leading the SAC – while posting a league-best 77.5% clip on free throws, giving the Eagles a potential game-changing edge if the charity stripe comes into play late
Follow Along
- All SAC games are broadcast live on FloCollege
- Live stats will be available on CatawbaAthletics.com
