Men’s Basketball racks up rebounds, completes sweep of Tusculum

SALISBURY, N.C. – Behind Nick Walker's second double-double in eight days, the Catawba College men's basketball team cruised to a 66-55 victory over South Atlantic Conference foe Tusculum on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Arena.

TEAM STATS

- The Catawba Indians (13-8, 10-7 SAC) logged a 39.3% shooting percentage, leading Tusculum's (4-17, 4-13 SAC) efficiency mark of 34.9%

- From beyond the arc, Catawba mustered a 4-for-15 (26.7%) clip while holding the Pioneers to buckets on three of their 23 attempts (13.0%)

- While Tusculum was more efficient with a 72.7% free-throw percentage, the hosts reached the charity stripe more often, boasting a 14-8 edge in made heaves

- Catawba tied its season high in rebounds while leading Tusculum by a hefty 52-33 margin

- The Pioneers earned ample opportunities from Catawba turnovers as they won the turnover battle 20-14, collecting 15 steals while surrendering nine

INDIVIDUAL STATS

- Walker topped the lineup with 19 points and three blocks, adding 10 rebounds to lock up his fourth double-double of the season

- Kris Robinson tallied 10 points and pulled down six boards as Zion McDuffie chipped in nine points on a 4-for-5 day from the field

- Ibra Athie ruled over the paint with 12 rebounds – nine defensive – while tacking on six points and a pair of assists

- In a breakout performance, Carson Daniel dished out a career-high six assists and drained his only three-pointer; Chase Daniel had three helpers, making the Daniel twins account for nine of Catawba's 14 assists

- Caleb Jones pickpocketed the Pioneers three times, coming one steal shy of his season high, and recorded four rebounds

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

- Catawba won the tip and Robinson swished a three 15 seconds into the contest, but Akeem Odusipe returned fire with a pair of fast-break buckets

- Benefitting from a 9-0 run, the Catawba Indians rolled out to an eight-point advantage by the first media timeout

- Tusculum shrunk the deficit to four before Catawba steadily reinforced its lead, bumping it to 28-16 after Carson Daniel and Robinson found paydirt from deep

- The visitors chipped away using a quick 6-2 burst with 1:27 left in the half, but a scoring drought afflicted both teams as the score remained 30-23 at the break

Second Half

- The Pioneers rattled in layups to keep pace with Catawba coming out of the locker room, facing a firm resistance of free throws

- A five-point minute from Walker widened the margin to 49-35 as Tusculum called timeout, hoping to slow the Catawba Indians' momentum

- Bryce Jackson and Odusipe tempered Catawba's ability to pull away until the Pioneers' shooting turned cold, going scoreless for 2:24 while the hosts upgraded its advantage to 19

- Catawba strapped up on defense and crashed the offensive boards to deny Tusculum of comeback opportunities, 

UP NEXT

The blue and white are back on the court on Saturday, Feb. 8, aiming to even the series with Anderson at Goodman Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.