#3 Women’s Basketball suffers setback at perennial power North Georgia

Dahlonega, Ga. —- The 3rd-ranked Catawba College women's basketball team suffered its first setback of the 2023-24 season on Monday evening, falling to perennial Southeast region power North Georgia, 72-57, at Lynn Cottrell Arena.

TEAM STATS

- North Georgia shot 22-for-58 (38 percent) from the field, while holding Catawba to 22-of-61 (36 percent) from the field

- The Catawba Indians were 6-of-22 (27 percent) from three-point range; the Nighthawks shot 5-for-21 (24 percent from deep)

- UNG held a significant advantage at the foul line, knocking down 23 of 29 (79 percent) from the free throw line, while Catawba was just 7-for-8 (88 percent) from the charity stripe

- The Catawba Indians out-rebounded North Georgia 39-37, turning 12 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points

- The Nighthawks recorded 13 assists to 16 turnovers, while forcing Catawba to 24 turnovers on 13 steals; UNG held a 20-6 advantage in points off turnovers

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Lyrik Thorne scored a team-high 16 points with five assists and three steals

- Janiya Downs added 13 points with a team-high three three-pointers along with five boards

- Sara McIntosh was Catawba's third in double figures with 10 points and four rebounds

- Mary Spry chipped in eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field with five rebounds and a block

- Kaira Dixon-Booker grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

- North Georgia jumped out to an early 7-2 lead after Emily Trushel's three-pointer

- Downs responded with a triple of her own to cut the Catawba deficit to a single basket

- A 6-0 spurt for UNG pushed their lead to 15-7 at the 4:13 mark

- The Nighthawks extended their run to 13-2, leading 22-9 with two minutes left in the opening quarter

- The hosts led 26-13 at the end of the first 10 minutes

SECOND QUARTER

- UNG pushed their advantage to 15 points with the opening basket of the second quarter

- A quick 6-0 Catawba run cut their deficit to 28-19 under the six-minute mark

- The Nighthawks responded with three free throws to return their lead to double digits

- Thorne's three-pointer and Ingram's lay-in cut Catawba's deficit all the way down to 34-30 at the 1:21 mark

- Downs nailed another triple in the final minute, as Catawba trailed 36-33 at the half

THIRD QUARTER

- The teams started the half defensively, as neither team scored in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter

- Lexi Pierce broke the drought for UNG before McIntosh answered with a bucket of her own to return the Nighthawk lead to three points

- The deficit got to as low as 38-37 after a pair of McIntosh free throws

- UNG answered with a 7-0 run over the next two and a half minutes

- The Nighthawks restored their double-digit lead, but a pair of Spry free throws late brought the Catawba Indians to within 53-44 with 10 minutes to go

FOURTH QUARTER

- North Georgia scored the first six points, extending their lead to 59-44 after Ansley Hall's layup

- Back-to-back three-pointers from Thorne and Jada Porter brought Catawba back to within single digits at the seven-minute mark

- A three-pointer and layup from Downs cut Catawba's deficit all the way down to 61-55 with 4:22 to go

- The Nighthawks responded with the game's next nine points, restoring their 15-point lead within the last couple minutes of the game

- Hall's free throws cemented the 72-57 final score

UP NEXT

- Catawba returns to Goodman Arena on Saturday, opening up South Atlantic Conference play with another 2022 Southeast regional opponent in Lenoir-Rhyne

- Tip is set for 5:30 p.m.