SALISBURY, N.C. — After forcing a South Atlantic Conference-high 15 turnovers in the first half, the Catawba College men's basketball team continued to flaunt shutdown defense paired with timely offense in a 72-56 win over Wingate at Goodman Arena on Wednesday night.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (17-6, 12-5 SAC) shot 45.6% from the field, enhanced by a 55.2% second-half clip; Wingate (11-12, 6-11 SAC) posted a 38.6% shooting percentage
- From beyond the three-point line, Catawba swished 8-of-21 (38.1%) and restricted Wingate to a 4-for-15 (26.7%) success rate
- The Catawba Indians had a 12-for-18 (66.7%) day on free throws – improving to 10-0 when making less than 70% – as the Bulldogs had a strong 18-for-23 (78.3%) performance
- The blue and white suffered their largest loss in the rebounding category in over a year, surrendering 33 boards and gathering 26
- Despite the losing margin on the glass, the Catawba Indian defense forced a season-high 26 turnovers while committing less than half that (12); 28 of the hosts' points came off takeaways
- Catawba improved to 11-2 when tallying double-digit steals this season, racking up a season-high 17 swipes against the Bulldogs' nine
- The Catawba Indians made an effort to spread the love on offense with nine players burying more than one shot from the floor, while only three 'Dogs made multiple field goals
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- All 11 of Catawba's active players scored in the contest, led by Chase Daniel with 13 points while also chipping in four assists and two steals with a team-best score differential of +17
- Jordan Simpson collected 11 points with a pair of steals and no turnovers
- Ibra Athie and Carson Daniel turned in nine and eight points, respectively, with both players stripping the 'Dogs thrice and Daniel dishing out a team-high five assists
- Zion McDuffie made his presence felt in the paint, tallying seven points and five rebounds as well as two takeaways
- Six different Catawba Indians registered one block apiece
NOTES
- Chase Daniel has made 16 consecutive free throws dating back to Jan. 21
- The Catawba Indians' home win streak stretches to 14, marking the eighth-longest run in Division II; Catawba is one of 13 teams left with unblemished records at home in 2025-26 (one of 50 across all NCAA divisions)
- Catawba allowed Wingate to record the SAC's second-fewest first-half points (20), field goals (6) and field goal attempts (20) so far this season; however, Catawba also recorded its season low in points at the half (26)
- Looking into March, Catawba has officially clinched a SAC Tournament berth, able to finish no worse than seventh with five games remaining on the schedule
- Only four of Catawba's opposing head coaches have more career wins than Rob Perron (228); he will finish the regular season 6-0 against them
POSTGAME COMMENTS
UP NEXT
The Catawba Indians pay a visit to Emory & Henry on Saturday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
