Thorne and Porter combine for 45 as #8 Women’s Basketball regains SAC lead with win over Wingate

Salisbury, N.C. —- The 8th-ranked Catawba College women's basketball team regained their lead atop the South Atlantic Conference on Wednesday night, avenging their loss two weeks ago at Wingate with an 84-75 win over the Bulldogs in Goodman Arena. With the victory, The Catawba Indians extended their nation-leading home win streak to 28 games.

TEAM STATS

- Catawba shot 31-for-60 (52 percent) from the field; Wingate was 21-of-60 (35 percent) on the night

- The Catawba Indians drained 10 of 20 (50 percent) three-point field goal attempts, while limiting the Bulldogs to 3-for-15 (20 percent) from deep

- WU dominated at the foul line, going 30-for-35 (86 percent, while Catawba struggled, going 12-of-22 (55 percent)

- Catawba out-rebounded the Bulldogs 40-35, but Wingate held the slight 12-10 edge in second-chance points

- The Catawba Indians recorded 16 assists to 12 turnovers, while WU had nine assists to 10 turnovers; Wingate held a slight 16-15 edge in points off turnovers

- Catawba out-scored the Bulldogs 38-32 in the paint; Wingate held advantages in fastbreak points (19-6) and bench points (19-12)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Lyrik Thorne recorded her seventh consecutive game of 20 points or more, logging another team-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting with eight assists, five rebounds and two steals

- Jada Porter went off, tying a career-high with 22 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the foul line

- Sara McIntosh was the third Catawba Indian in double figures, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds

- Janiya Downs added nine points, a team-high 10 boards and four assists

- Nala Baker chipped in seven points before fouling out of the contest

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

- Catawba scored the game's first eight points, with Thorne's triple capping the run in the opening two minutes

- Thorne's jumper pushed the Catawba lead to 21-9 at the 3:22 mark

- Wingate answered with a 9-0 run to cut their deficit to just three points with 44 seconds left in the quarter

- Saniya Wilson's three-pointer gave the Catawba Indians a 24-18 lead after 10 minutes

SECOND QUARTER

- Porter and Thorne combined for three three-pointers to start the second quarter, extending the Catawba run to 14-0 to force a Bulldog timeout near the seven-minute mark with the Catawba Indians leading 35-18

- A quick four unanswered from Wingate cut the visitors' deficit to 43-30 at the 2:33 mark

- McIntosh's late jumper returned the lead to 17 for Catawba, holding a 47-30 advantage at the break

THIRD QUARTER

- The teams traded buckets for much of the third quarter, as the lead for Catawba never left the 14-19 range until a Lauren Sullivan three-pointer trimmed the Catawba Indian lead to 60-48 at the 2:35 mark

- Porter answered right back with back-to-back three-pointers, returning the lead right back to 66-48 in less than 80 seconds

- The teams shot free throws in the final minute of the period, with Catawba enjoying a 68-52 lead with 10 minutes to go

FOURTH QUARTER

- The Bulldogs scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, with back-to-back Emily Hege baskets cutting their deficit to 68-60 at the 6:29 mark

- Thorne's pair of jumpers kickstarted a 7-0 Catawba Indian run to quiet the comeback, taking a 15-point lead with three and a half minutes to go

- WU quickly returned the deficit to 75-65 to force a Catawba timeout at the 2:34 mark

- Hege's and-one brought Wingate within eight with 90 seconds to go, but the game never got closer than that, as the Catawba Indians held on for their 28th consecutive home victory

UP NEXT

- Catawba takes its three-game win streak on the road to UVA Wise on Saturday; tip with the Cavaliers is set for 2 p.m.