Catawba’s Indians turned on the steam in the second half and grabbed a 69-61 victory over Wingate’s
Bulldogs in an early-season basketball showdown in the South Atlantic Conference here at
Goodman Gym Wednesday night.It was the first loss for the Wingate after seven straight win. The victory was the fourth against three losses for
Catawba.
It was the first conference
game for the Indians, ranked second in a preseason SAC poll, and the Bulldogs, selected first in the same ratings.
Catawba trailed by five points at half but took charge in the last half to take the key
victory.
The Redskins made 58.3 percent
of their shots in the last half and outscored the Bulldogs, 45-32, to settle the issue. And they can thank
Nedzad Gusic and Terrence Hamilton for providing the main punch.
Catawba trailed by 36-34 after
five minutes had elapsed in the last half, but then Gusic guided the Indians out front by scoring eight
straight points. He fired in back-to-back 3-pointers and dropped two free throws to give
the Indians a 42-36 cushion. The Indians stayed out front for the rest of the game.
And when Wingate closed the gap to
four at 53-49, Jamie Bryan pumped
in a 3-pointer and then Hamilton stood out. He scoredseven straight points in pacing
Catawba to a 63-54
advantage with 1:48 left to play. He also had a key steal and rebound during the surge
which sealed the win.
``It was a good win for us, getting
that first conference victory,’’ said Coach Jim Baker of the Indians. ``I think
for most part we did a very good job defensively. Our offense bogged down right before the
half. We had a 24-20 lead but they went on a 9-0 roll to go ahead by 29-24 at halftime.’’
Baker pointed out ``Gusic gave
us a big lift. He got on a roll and hit some key 3-point goals in the last half. Hamilton came on with some big
plays.’’
Wingate had a 23-21 edge in
field goals but Catawba managed a 6-5 margin in 3-pointers. The Indians made 21 of 29 at the foul line when
the Bulldogs, who trailed virtually all of the way in the last half, fouled to stop the Indians.
Gusic paced the Indians with
21 points. he made five of 11 from the field, including four of nine from 3-point land, and added seven of 10
at the foul line.
Hamilton and Tony Davenport
followed with 12 apiece.
Marcus Thompson led Wingate with 18 points and 10
rebounds. He made eight
of 14 from the field and added two at the foul line.
``This win will help our
confidence,’’ added Baker. ``Wingate is a very hard team to play. It is very
deliberate. They try to out-execute you. I am happy that we pulled out the
win.’’
Both teams were erratic in the
field half. Wingate made 10 of 29 field goal attempts and Catawba hit only seven field goals in 21 shots in
the opening half.
Catawba scored only five field goals
in the first 13 minutes but managed a 17-10 lead. It added only two field goals for the
rest of the half.
But the Indians found the
range in the last half. The doubled their field goal production with 14 on 24 attempts in the last half, making
58.3 percent.
Gusic’s long-range bombing put
the Indians ahead after six minutes into the second half.
A field goal by Davenport put
the Indians out front by 45-38 with 11:48 to go in the game. Catawba stretched its lead to 52-43 with 9:13
remaining.
Hamilton shoved Catawba out front by
10 at 61-51 with 2:27 left, and the Indians were on their way to their biggest
early-season win. Catawba returns to the court Saturday, meeting Allen at Goodman Gym. |
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