Men’s Basketball falls short at Anderson despite McDuffie’s big night

ANDERSON, S.C. – The Catawba College men's basketball team saw its second-half lead slip away in a 76-71 loss to Anderson on Wednesday night, snapping an eight-game winning streak against the Trojans.

TEAM STATS

- Catawba (2-2, 0-1 SAC) hit 37.9 percent of shots from the floor with four three-pointers on 17 tries, while Anderson (4-0, 1-0 SAC) connected on 57.8 percent of field goals featuring six threes on as many attempts

- The Trojans batted away nine Catawba shots in the South Atlantic Conference opener, holding the blue and white without a block

- The Catawba Indians handled the ball better as they committed 13 turnovers, compared to Anderson's 26 miscues

- In rebounding, Anderson maintained a 38-32 edge in the final tally but Catawba finished with a considerable 13-6 advantage on the offensive boards

INDIVIDUAL STATS

- A career night for Zion McDuffie featured 21 points – shooting 7-for-13 (.538) while going 2-for-2 from long range – with five rebounds, two steals, and one assist 

- Justin Banks also had a double-figure scoring performance as the junior forward collected 10 points in addition to a pair of offensive rebounds

- O'Mazeon Tinsley dished out a team-high five assists in a seven-point affair

- Caleb Jones led the steals category with four as Montraivis White added three interceptions

- Swishing a three with two boards and an assist, Chase Daniel came off the bench to become Catawba's most impactful player at a +11 plus-minus

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

- Ibra Athie gave Catawba four points in the early going as the conference foes traded buckets and fouls

- After the under-12 media timeout, Anderson gashed the visitors with six points in the paint to take a brief 17-12 lead

- Catawba came roaring back when Daniel sank a three between two-point baskets by McDuffie and Athie

- Fast-break tallies and free-throw line success allowed Catawba to create a healthy gap as Banks' jumper with seconds in the half chalked up a 37-29 margin at the break

Second Half

- Sam Perez recorded a three and a swipe coming out of halftime as Cole Middleton drilled a pair of shots to help Anderson narrow the deficit to 42-40

- McDuffie's steal-and-slam plus a jumper from White followed by an Anderson offensive foul drawn by Daniel swung the momentum back to Catawba

- The Trojans received lay-ins from Middleton and Austin Webb as well as a 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe for AJ Wright Jr. to tie it up, but Kris Robinson responded with a three-ball

- Alternating buckets from Wright and Banks set up a 7-0 run for Anderson that was interrupted by back-to-back McDuffie treys

- With 1:20 to go, McDuffie brought his second-half total to 14 points with successful fast-break score to cut the gap to one

- Webb nailed a three on the ensuing possession and hit two free throws to provide insurance, sealing a 76-71 victory for the Trojans

UP NEXT

Catawba hits the road again on Saturday, Nov. 23 to square off with 24th-ranked Carson-Newman at 4:30 p.m.