#4 Women's Basketball falls at Wingate

Wingate, N.C. —- The 4th-ranked Catawba College women's basketball team was out-scored 27-14 in the third quarter at Wingate on Wednesday evening, leading to their first loss in South Atlantic Conference action.

TEAM STATS

- Wingate shot 27-of-58 (47 percent) from the field, while Catawba was 20-for-62 (32 percent) from the floor

- The Catawba Indians were 8-for-23 (35 percent) from three-point range, while holding the Bulldogs to 3-of-11 (27 percent) from deep

- WU was 17-for-20 (85 percent) from the free throw line; Catawba went 21-of-26 (81 percent) from the charity stripe

- Wingate out-rebounded the Catawba Indians 42-35, leading to a 9-4 advantage in second-chance points

- The Bulldogs recorded 16 assists to 15 turnovers, while Catawba had 13 assists and 14 turnovers

- WU held advantages in bench points (11-6), fastbreak points (13-5), points off turnovers (16-13) and points in the paint (38-20)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Lyrik Thorne went for a game-high 21 points, six rebounds and six assists

- Sara McIntosh added 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with five rebounds

- Nala Baker was the third Catawba Indian in double figures with 10 points 

- Janiya Downs added six points, seven boards, three assists and three steals

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

- Nala Baker sank a three-pointer in the first five seconds to kickstart a 7-0 Catawba run to open up the game

- The Catawba Indians pushed the lead to 11-2 on McIntosh's layup

- Catawba's lead grew to as much as 20-4 after Thorne's triple at the 2:56 mark

- Wingate broke a three-minute scoreless stretch later with a basket

- Catawba led 23-10 after 10 minutes after a free throw from Saniya Wilson

SECOND QUARTER

- The Bulldogs scored the first five points of the second quarter to cut their deficit to single digits

- Downs' jumper near the seven-minute mark returned the lead to 12 points

- Mazie Helpman's three-pointer stopped a 7-0 Wingate run at the 4:24 mark

- Wingate ended the run on an 11-3 run to cut their deficit to 34-30 at the half

THIRD QUARTER

- After WU got within two, Thorne answered with a three-pointer to give Catawba a 39-34 cushion

- The Bulldogs tied the game for the first time in the game at the midway point at 41

- Thorne and Downs combined for four straight to return the lead to the Catawba Indians

- Wingate again ended the quarter on a run, out-scoring Catawba 12-3 in the final four and a half minutes to take a nine-point lead into the final period

FOURTH QUARTER

- Wingate extended their run with the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take a 16-point lead of their own

- The Catawba Indians scored six straight to cut their deficit to 10 at the midway point of the quarter

- Baker's free throws got the Bulldogs' lead down to single digits with three minutes left

- Wingate pushed their lead the rest of the way, taking the 78-65 final

UP NEXT

- Catawba returns to Goodman Arena on Saturday, hosting SAC unbeaten Lincoln Memorial at 2 p.m.