Men’s Basketball leverages 20-pieces from Walker & Robinson to rally past Newberry

SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College men's basketball team surrendered just 10 rebounds in the second half to recover from a small deficit and defeat Newberry, 90-83, on Wednesday night to even the conference series.

TEAM STATS

- After enduring a tough start in field goal shooting, Catawba (12-8, 9-7 SAC) corrected course in the second frame to lead the final count over Newberry (8-12, 5-9 SAC), 52.3%-44.8%

- The blue and white attempted their second-fewest number of three-pointers, but made the most of their opportunities with a 40.0% success rate versus Newberry's 31.8%

- The visitors got to the charity stripe slightly more often and took advantage with 24 points on free throws, shooting 88.9% as the Catawba Indians netted 75.0% of their tosses

- The hosts showcased their prowess in the paint with a 34-31 lead in rebounding (20-10 in the second half) and a 54-36 separation in paint scoring

- Catawba recorded a season-high seven blocks while getting its shots swatted four times

INDIVIDUAL STATS

- Nick Walker paced Catawba in scoring for the fourth straight contest with 27 points, remaining uber efficient in a 13-for-18 (.722) night, and notched seven boards

- Kris Robinson poured in 21 points including eight free throws on 10 attempts and was one of seven players with a block — the stop was the first of his Catawba career

- Ibra Athie enjoyed a solid day featuring 13 points as well as team highs of seven rebounds and three steals, a category in which he split the top spot with Justin Banks

- Montraivis White tied his career-best assists mark with eight dimes during an eight-point, two-steal showing

- Jashaun Hawkins buried his lone three-pointer attempt and both of his free throws, chalking up nine points

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

- Catawba stormed out to a 10-4 lead in less than five minutes with Walker supplying every point; Devario Sheppard was the only scorer for the Wolves

- James Lovorn sank a triple to make it a one-possession game, but Catawba retaliated using a three-ball by Robinson and two Walker buckets

- Behind 24-14, Newberry went on a 10-0 run in just over two minutes to even the score

- Drew Robinson and Malakhi Stremlow each splashed a three-pointer down the stretch to overtake Catawba and enter the locker room ahead 39-37

Second Half

- Three-point plays by Robinson and Stremlow to open the stanza as Lovorn followed up with a long-range dart, lifting the Newberry lead to 53-45

- After going blow-for-blow with the Wolves in the first 10 minutes, Catawba slipped ahead using a Robinson bullseye from downtown before the lead changed four more times in quick succession

- Robinson struck again with 5:37 to go, snapping the streak of losing leads to take a 77-73 advantage

- Walker's jumper inside the two-minute mark wound up being the dagger, forcing Newberry to foul as Catawba's free throws and defensive effort kept the Wolves away in the 90-83 victory

UP NEXT

Catawba turns its attention to a rematch with Tusculum on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Goodman Arena. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.