Cobras Fall In SAC Quarterfinals To Catawba

ROCK HILL, SC. - Coker fell Wednesday evening in the SAC quarterfinals to Catawba 80-75. The Cobras were led by Max Hurray who poured in a team best 16 points, as Logan Murray dished out 5 assists. 

BY THE NUMBERS:
Score: Catawba 90, Coker 85
Records: Coker 19-10 (15-9) | Catawba 18-11 (14-10)
Location: Rock Hill, SC. | Rock Hill Sports and Events Center

TOP PERFORMERS:
Max Hurray: 16pts, 2stl
Logan Murray: 12 pts, 5ast, 5reb

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Catawba got on the board first Wednesday night, holding an early 4-0 lead before Glenn Bynum Jr. got the Cobras going with a layup. Jonah Vaysbakh then made a driving runner of his own, and Landon Butler added his name to the scoring column to tie the game early at six. 

Bynum Jr. went on a 5-0 run of his own at the 12 minute mark, helping Coker take a 14-8 lead, but Catawba quickly responded and brought the game to within one. The two teams seemingly went on runs all night, as neither team was ever able to fully pull away. Catawba threatened to do so right before the half ended though. They held a five point lead with a little over a minute left. Coker had other plans however, as Logan Murray quickly drained a three pointer, and after a missed three pointer by Catawba, Max Hurray buried a layup of his own with seven seconds remaining evening the score at 39. 

At the break, Coker shot 38.7 percent from the field, and 33.3 percent from behind the line. The Cobras forced the Catawba Indians into double digit turnovers. 

In the second half, both teams came out and played lock down defense. Neither team was able to score until Catawba broke through at the 17:13 mark. Coker got on the board a minute later when Jamie Muldowney drained a three pointer. From there, the two teams settled in. 

Catawba took a five point lead with 13 minutes remaining, and threatend once more to pull away, but it was an Xavier Harris and-one that helped Coker stay afloat. After trading baskets for the next few minutes, Coker eventually saw their season begin to get near a close. With four minutes remaining, the Cobras found themselves trailing by nine.

Ian Blue and Logan Murray quickly made back to back baskets and cut the lead down, and after fouling, Coker found themselves trailing by two with a minute left. After Catawba split a free throw chance, Coker had a chance to tie it with 42 seconds remaining. The Cobras three point attempt went halfway down, before eventually rimming out, to help Catawba hold on, taking down Coker 90-85. 

UP NEXT:
Coker's regular season has come to an end with a final record of 19-10 (15-9). The Cobras now turn their attention to Selection Sunday to see if their name will be called. Coker was 8th in this weeks regional poll, as they take the top 8 to the national tournament. 

#GoCobras