Men’s Basketball falls at Bluefield State

Bluefield, W.Va. —- The Catawba College men's basketball dropped a non-conference game at Bluefield State Monday night, 93-87. The Big Blue improve to 7-12 overall, while the Catawba Indians drop to 15-6 on the year.

DeAngelo Epps led the way with 21 points and six rebounds, while Adrian Scarborough was close behind with 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field. Kaleb Wallace, Ray Kowalski and Peyton Gerald rounded out those in double figures with 12, 11 and 10, respectively. Malik Tidwell led Bluefield State with 21 points and five assists.

Catawba was over 50 percent from the field, but struggled from three-point range, going just 4-for-21. Bluefield State, meanwhile, made 11 threes in the upset win. The Catawba Indians dominated the paint, out-scoring Bluefield State 60-36 from inside.

Scarborough scored six points as part of a 10-0 run that turned a tie game into a 17-7 Catawba lead at the 13:31 mark in the first half. The lead got to as much as 12 midway through the opening half when a Gerald jumper gave the Catawba Indians a 26-14 advantage. The Big Blue continued to chip away at the lead, coming within a point at the break, as Catawba led 45-44.

Bluefield State jumped in front for much of the early going in the second half, but a 16-2 Catawba run put the visitors in front 71-61 with eight and a half minutes to go. The Big Blue scored 11 points in less than two minutes to get right back in the game. Scarborough's jumper put the Catawba Indians up at the 2:18 mark, but an 11-2 Big Blue run helped them seal the win.

Catawba returns to South Atlantic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Anderson for a 7:30 p.m. tip.