Men’s Basketball rallies to score 83-80 win over Limestone

SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College men's basketball team made the most of its second chances and clawed its way to payback in an 83-80 triumph against Limestone on Thursday night at Goodman Arena.

TEAM STATS

- Catawba (15-10, 12-9 SAC) made 50.9% of its field goal attempts, barely topping Limestone (10-15, 7-14) who posted an even 50.0% mark

- The blue and white recorded their best three-point percentage in the last six games with a 45.0% success rate while the Saints were just as effective at 45.5%

- Free throw accuracy wound up being a deciding factor in the contest as Catawba went 18-for-22 (81.8%) against Limestone's 16-for-23 (69.6%)

- Catawba boasted a 34-27 lead in rebounding that bred a sizable 20-9 margin in second-chance scoring

- The foes were level in the turnover count at 10 apiece while Limestone finished with a 4-2 advantage in blocking

INDIVIDUAL STATS

- Kris Robinson sank four three-pointers and went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe en route to a 24-point performance; he is one triple away from tying the program's career record

- Nick Walker had an impressive welcome back to the court with 13 points, four boards, three assists, and two steals to post a team-best plus/minus of +13

- Justin Banks bagged 11 points and eight rebounds as he and Zion McDuffie accounted for the squad's two blocks

- Ibra Athie put up nine points while joining Banks in the eight-board club and registering three dimes, logging the season-best mark a fifth time

- Carson Daniel distributed a team-high five assists in addition to tallying six points and three rebounds, also finishing with a +13 point differential

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

- Limestone burst out of the gate with a 9-0 run in the first three minutes, but Catawba surged back and made it an 11-11 ballgame another three minutes later

- Banks hooked in a second-chance bucket and Chase Daniel drilled a three to pull ahead 16-11, capping a 16-2 rally for the home team

- After the Saints drew even with Trevon Payton and Isayah Owens baskets, the Catawba Indians enjoyed another outburst that bumped the gap to 26-20 on Solomon Tucker's driving slam

- The visitors erased a seven-point deficit late in the half and briefly took the lead via a Greg McKay three-ball, but Banks got a layup to fall and Robinson – fouled on a three-pointer with three seconds left – made three free throws to take a 43-40 edge into the break

Second Half

- Robinson and McKay went triple-for-triple to kick off the period, then did it again two minutes later as Limestone kept within a one-to-two-possession reach

- Sirr Hughes single-handedly put the Saints in front, scoring 11 straight points to crawl back from a four-point hole and take a 61-55 lead

- Catawba chased the Saints down to the doorstep at 64-63, getting pushed back down by six again before Walker, McDuffie and White found the twine to get even

- The Catawba Indians jumped ahead by four points with 1:49 left to play as Hughes was fouled on back-to-back shots, making all five free throw attempts to come one point away twice

- Using every second on the shot clock while holding an 81-80 edge, Catawba got two offensive rebounds and Robinson drew a foul on the last, going 2-for-2 to present Limestone with an opportunity to tie with eight seconds to go

- The Saints drove and set up Hughes from deep, but his shot missed high to put Catawba back in the win column and secure a South Atlantic Conference playoff berth

UP NEXT

Due to the contest being moved back a day, the Catawba Indians have a quicker turnaround than initially planned as they gear up for a road game at Mars Hill on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m.