Five score in double figures as Men’s Basketball pushes win streak to eight

Hickory, N.C. —- The Catawba College men's basketball team had five players score in double figures Wednesday night, earning a 74-60 road victory at Lenoir-Rhyne, pushing their winning streak to eight games. The streak is the longest for the team since winning the first eight games of the 2008-09 campaign. The Indians improve to 14-4 overall and 8-1 in the SAC, while the Bears drop to 8-10 overall and 3-7 in the league.

Javeon Jones led the way with 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals. Kris Robinson and Kaleb Wallace added 13 points apiece, while Peyton Gerald chipped in 11 points and Dre Nelson was the fifth to score in double figures with 10 points and eight boards.

Nas Tyson had a game-high 15 points for Lenoir-Rhyne; TJ Nesmith hit four three-pointers. 

Catawba piled up 19 assists on 27 made field goals, while limiting the Bears to just 3-for-20 from three-point range. The Indians once again capitalized off their defense, scoring 25 points off Bear turnovers.

The two teams played tight for the first 18 minutes before Robinson's personal 6-0 run turned a one-possession game into a 32-23 lead in the final two minutes of the first half. The Indians led by 10 at the halftime break.

Lenoir-Rhyne scored the opening basket of the second half, but Catawba continued its hot stretch with a 10-2 run to take a 44-28 lead at the 14:08 mark following a Wallace three. CC pushed the lead to 21 points five minutes later, but a 21-9 LR run cut the deficit to single digits with two minutes to go. For the next two minutes, Catawba's defense held the Bears scoreless to stifle the run.

The Indians hit the road on Saturday, visiting Lincoln Memorial in a matchup of the top two teams in the SAC standings. Tip is set for 4 p.m.