EMORY, Va. – The Catawba College Men's Basketball Team (19-6, 14-2 SAC) defeated Emory & Henry College (14-11, 6-10 SAC) in a South Atlantic Conference duel on Saturday evening. The Catawba Indians had seven players score in double-figures, as they took the win by a 88-79 final. E&H honored its two seniors, Kevin Grau Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.) and Malcolm Morgan (Concord, N.C.) prior to tipoff.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Catawba 88, Emory & Henry 79
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (14-11, 6-10 SAC); Catawba (19-6, 14-2 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Wasps came out ready to play on Senior Day and a three-pointer from Grau Rodriguez gave E&H the early 12-6 lead with 16:33 on the clock. The teams traded baskets and Catawba pushed ahead for the first time at 17-14. The opening stanza was a hard-fought battle that saw the squads trade leads multiple times. Sophomore forward Jake Moynihan (Muncie, Ind.) gave the Wasps the lead once more at 38-37, but Catawba would answer and take the 41-40 lead into the half.
- The second half was just as closely-played as the first, with both teams jockeying for the lead. Catawba opened up a four-point advantage, but sophomore guard Jacob Morgan (Huntersville, N.C.) buried a three to trim the deficit back to 52-51 with 13:22 to play. A 7-0 run by the visitors saw them increase their lead to 59-51 at the 12-minute mark. The Catawba Indians maintained the gap through the middle stages of the half, but a pair of made free throws from Rodriguez with 4:36 left tied things up at 69-69. Catawba grew its margin to as many as six, but the Wasps would not go away and a big three from sophomore forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) made it 81-79 with just 42 ticks remaining. The Catawba Indians showed why they are at the top of the Piedmont Division in the SAC, as they settled down to score the final seven points of the game and take the 88-79 decision.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Brown led the offense with 16 points, nine boards and two blocks while sophomore guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) added 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.
- Moynihan finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and an assist. Rodriguez contributed ten points, four assists and three rebounds.
Catawba Individual Leaders
- Adrian Scarborough was the co-leading scorer for the visitors with 14 points and seven rebounds while Jerome Bivins also had 14 points and two rebounds off the bench.
- DeAngelo Epps added ten points, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal in the win for Catawba.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 48.4 percent (30-for-62) from the field while Catawba made 31-of-68 (45.6%) of their shots. The Wasps knocked down just six shots (31.6%) from the three-point arc, compared to eight (33.3%) for the Catawba Indians.
- Catawba outrebounded the Wasps by a narrow 39-38 margin, but E&H held the 46-38 advantage on points in the paint.
- The Catawba Indians capitalized on 22 E&H turnovers, converting them into 22 points. The home team forced 16 miscues and translated those mistakes into 15 points.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry wraps up its home schedule on Monday with a showdown against border rival King (Tenn.) University. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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