JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Authority on the offensive glass proved lethal for the Catawba College men's basketball team in a semester-opening 80-66 victory against Carson-Newman on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (8-3, 4-2 SAC) had a rocky day as shooting percentage is concerned, hitting 36.6% of its attempts in comparison to Carson-Newman (8-4, 3-3 SAC) who shot 41.0%; both teams recorded their third-lowest marks of the season
- The Catawba Indians were more efficient from beyond the arc with eight triples on a 30.8% success rate, topping C-N who nailed six treys – one-quarter of their 24 heaves; Catawba remains undefeated at 7-0 when the opponent makes fewer than eight three-pointers
- The blue and white broke out of a slump at the free-throw line with a 12-for-14 (85.7%) record that narrowly bested the Eagles' 10-for-13 (76.9%) performance
- As a result of grabbing 24 offensive boards – eclipsing 20 for the third time in the past two years – Catawba romped in the rebounding sector with a 52-39 advantage on the glass; that bred a decisive 26-2 advantage in second-chance scoring
- Turnovers also hindered the Eagles whose 19-14 difference factored into a 21-12 deficit in points off takeaways
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Jordan Simpson cashed in on an influx of shooting opportunities by racking up 26 points on six three-pointers in addition to his eight rebounds and two steals defensively
- LeVionne Lindsey chipped in 10 points, recording his fifth double-figure affair as a Catawba Indian
- Shawn Long added a career-high nine points in 10 minutes off the bench with pairs of boards and steals
- Carson Daniel and Nick Walker supplied eight points and seven rebounds apiece as the former also turned in a team-best six assists with a point differential of +16
- Justin Banks led the squad in rebounding with nine, pulling down five on offense, and dished out three assists with a couple of blocks
- In just eight minutes of action, Jacob Bryant pickpocketed the Eagles three times as the team leader in swipes
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Catawba Indians capitalized on early Eagle miscues to open the contest with a 7-4 lead, but Carson-Newman scored on its next three possessions and erased the deficit
- Holding a one-point edge at 13-12, Catawba found a spark and ignited an 11-3 run that featured Simpson and Long triples with a three-point play from Walker to cap it
- Rylan Houck buried five points to help C-N trim the Catawba Indian lead to 24-20 midway through the half, but the blue and white caught fire again to the tune of a 15-4 tear over the course of six minutes that elevated the score to 39-24
- The Eagle defense stiffened, allowing a lone Catawba bucket in the final three minutes while allowing the offense to tack on six more points for a 41-30 ledger favoring the guests at halftime
Second Half
- Simpson swished a pair of threes to open the second stanza, but Houck and Jack Browder replied to the first and second, respectively, with triples of their own
- Fueled by Houck and Browder, C-N used an 8-2 swing to move within four points at 52-48 around the 11-minute mark
- Long flushed a jumper and Zion McDuffie put in three points from a hoop-and-harm to restore breathing room, but the Eagles continued knocking on the door and keeping the contest within a few possessions
- The Catawba defense prevented the hosts from coming any closer while the offensive pushed the gap to 10 on four different occasions, using a Simpson dagger from deep in the final seconds to seal the Catawba Indians fifth consecutive win over the Eagles
UP NEXT
Catawba advances to the second of its three-games-in-five-days gauntlet to open January, visiting crosstown rival Livingstone on Monday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
