Staff report
Catawba’s men’s basketball team survived a furious second-half spree by Northern Kentucky on Sunday and stayed unbeaten in a battle of D-II teams ranked in the national top 25.
Catawba (6-0) won 86-81 at Wingate’s Cuddy Arena behind 20 points by Antonio Houston, 18 by Dominick Reid and 17 by Rob Fields.
The Northern Kentucky Norse, who entered the weekend 4-0 and ranked fifth, lost to Wingate Saturday by 10 and headed home 4-2.
Catawba, ranked 23rd, led by 16 at halftime and held a 20-point lead early in the second half after a pair of Donzell Williams dunks, but Northern Kentucky had a furious run to erase Catawba’s lead. The Norse ran off 18 straight points and outscored the Indians 26-4 in one stretch to go ahead.
Reid scored nine straight Catawba points with the game hanging in the balance, including a 3-pointer with 3:49 remaining that gave the Indians the lead for good at 75-72. Reid hit another 3-pointer for an 80-72 lead with 2:23 left.With Catawba leading by three points with seven seconds left, Isaac Rose hit two free throws to ice the victory.
N. KENTUCKY (81) ó Duncan 20, Malone 14, Maguire 12, Williams 11, Bibbins 8, Finnell 7, Rack 4, Jacobs 2, Gagai 2.
CATAWBA (86) ó Houston 20, Reid 18, Fields 17, Burns 12, Williams 8, Rose 7, Rutherford 4, Magnusson, Shoemaker.
N. Kentucky 35 46 ó 81
Catawba 51 35 ó 86