Women’s Basketball falls to second straight ranked foe in Monday matinee

Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College women's basketball team dropped its second straight game to a nationally ranked opponent in Goodman Arena on Monday, falling to 23rd-ranked North Georgia in their final non-conference test of the season.

TEAM STATISTICS

- North Georgia shot 31-for-55 (56 percent) from the field, while Catawba went 28-of-62 (45 percent) from the floor

- The Catawba Indians made a season-high 10 three-pointers on 21 attempts (48 percent), while the Nighthawks shot 8-of-23 (35 percent) from long range

- Catawba was 8-of-9 (89 percent) from the free throw line, while UNG was 15-of-17 (88 percent) at the charity stripe

- North Georgia out-rebounded the Catawba Indians 33-23, but it was Catawba that held the 17-8 edge in second-chance points

- The Nighthawks recorded 14 assists to 23 turnovers, while Catawba was not far behind with 12 assists and 19 turnovers; Catawba held a slim 27-25 edge in points off turnovers

- UNG led in points in the paint (40-28) and fastbreak points (14-8); Catawba had 22 bench points to North Georgia's 10

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Bailee Goodlett scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting with a career-best six assists

- Nala Baker drained three three-pointers to boost her scoring total to 13 points with four rebounds

- Kairah Dixon-Booker dropped 12 points and four rebounds off the bench

- Janiya Foskey and Sydney Gueterman recorded eight points apiece

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

- A 10-0 run helped North Georgia build an early eight-point lead after Emily Trushel's pair of free throws

- The lead grew to 22-9 at the 2:21 mark, forcing Catawba to take an early timeout

- An 8-0 run sparked by three-pointers from Dixon-Booker and Brooklin Ingram helped trim the Catawba deficit to five points; UNG led 25-17 at the break

SECOND QUARTER

- Catawba connected on two early three-pointers in the second quarter, but North Georgia responded, holding a mid-sized lead for much of the period

- The Catawba Indians cut UNG's lead back down to five at the four-minute mark

- The Nighthawks answered back with the half's final seven points, leading 43-31 at the break

THIRD QUARTER

- North Georgia quickly grew its lead to 16 points in the opening minute of the second half

- A personal 7-0 from Goodlett helped cut the Catawba deficit down to single digits near the seven-minute mark

- Gueterman's and-one on either end of the media timeout made it 52-47

- Dixon-Booker's layup capped Catawba's 20-7 run to pull the Catawba Indians all the way back within a single possession

- The Nighthawks responded, returning its lead to eight points with under a minute left

- Saniya Wilson's runner at the buzzer cut North Georgia's lead to 61-57 with 10 minutes left

FOURTH QUARTER

- Wilson followed with another jumper to start the fourth period to get Catawba's deficit down to just two

- Five unanswered points from UNG returned their lead to seven around the eight-minute mark

- North Georgia answered each Catawba basket with one of their own, eventually growing the lead to 13 points at the 2:55 mark

- Caroline Martin's steal and score were the final two points of a game-high 27-point outing; Dixon-Booker's late triple capped the scoring with the Nighthawks pulling away, 85-74

GAME NOTES

- North Georgia takes a lead in the all-time series, 3-2; UNG's first win in two games against Catawba in Salisbury

- Catawba's first time suffering back-to-back home losses since March 2021

- Four of Catawba's five losses this season are to nationally ranked opponents; Catawba's last win over a nationally ranked opponent was in the 2023 national quarterfinal over #8 Cal State Dominguez Hills

- Goodlett's fifth straight game in double figures; the freshman improved her three-point percentage to a SAC-leading 57 percent (13-of-23)

UP NEXT

- Catawba returns to South Atlantic Conference play with the finale of the 2024 calendar year on Wednesday, traveling to Newberry for a 5:30 p.m. tip