Catawba rallies past Mars Hill with fourth quarter push
The Mars Hill women’s basketball team (1-2, 1-2 SAC) was defeated by Catawba (3-0, 3-0 SAC) by a score of 78-69 to close out 2020 at home Saturday afternoon.
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill women's basketball team (1-2, 1-2 SAC) was defeated by Catawba (3-0, 3-0 SAC) by a score of 78-69 to close out 2020 at home Saturday afternoon.
Catawba's dominant fourth quarter proved to be the difference as they outscored Mars Hill 26-19. The Indians entered the final frame up by two before a 7-0 run pushed a nine-point advantage. A layup by Sara McIntosh with 5:10 bumped the Catawba lead to 13 with just over five minutes to play.
The third quarter saw the Lions close late to narrow the deficit to two as De'Ja Marshall led the squad with 10 of their 16 points in the frame. Marshall also pulled down seven rebounds.
The teams traded three-pointers to open the contest, but a Mars Hill 7-2 run put the Lions up by four as Selby Baughman had five points during the run. Catawba responded with a 7-0 run of their own to go up 13-10, but a three-pointer from Drew McMillan knotted the game with 3:34 remaining in the first stanza. It was a catalyst for an 8-0 run.
Tied at 26 with 4:36 remaining in the half, the Indians went on an 11-0 run to build the first double-digit lead of the day. Mercedes Wampler had four points in the run. Mars Hill battled back late in the half to trim the deficit to four.
Marshall led all players with 11 points and nine rebounds in the half. Kyla Daniels added seven while Baughman closed the half out with five points. Lyrik Thorne had nine points to lead the Indians as Janiya Downs added eight and Shemya Stanback scored six and pulled down six rebounds.
Downs led the Indians with 13 points while Stanback and Thorne each chipped in 11 on the day. Marshall led all players with her third straight double-double, scoring 24 and collecting 18 rebounds to match her season and career-high. Gabby Gianikos netted 12 while Kyla Daniels added 10.
The Lions take to the road on January 6 when they face UVA Wise. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
