#17 Women’s Basketball grinds out NCAA Tournament First Round win over UNC Pembroke

Salisbury, N.C. —- The 17th-ranked and top-seeded Catawba College women's basketball team held 8th-seed UNC Pembroke to 33 percent from the field and 14 percent from three-point range to grind out a 58-48 win in the First Round of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Southeast Regional in Goodman Arena.

TEAM STATS

- UNC Pembroke was 17-for-51 (33 percent) from the field, while Catawba went 17-of-56 (30 percent) from the floor

- The Catawba Indians was 6-for-30 (20 percent) from three-point range, while limiting the Braves to 3-for-21 (14 percent) from deep

- UNCP was 11-for-12 (92 percent) from the free throw line; Catawba went 18-for-27 (67 percent) at the charity stripe

- Catawba out-rebounded Pembroke 44-37, leading to an 8-4 advantage in second-chance points

- UNCP recorded nine assists to 19 turnovers, while the Catawba Indians had eight assists to 15 turnovers; Catawba led 13-9 in points off turnovers

- Catawba led in points in the paint (22-14) and bench points (19-14)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Nala Baker tied a team-high with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench

- Janiya Downs also scored 13 points with six boards

- Lyrik Thorne was Catawba's third in double figures with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals

- Sara McIntosh chipped in seven points, seven rebounds and four assists

- Janiya Doskey scored six points with four rebounds

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

- Catawba raced out to an 8-0 lead after Downs' layup near the 7-minute mark

- UNC Pembroke cut their deficit to three points after Courtney Smith's made three-pointer

- The Catawba Indians responded with six unanswered points to lead 16-7 with a minute to go

- Alcenia Purnell's late layup made it 16-9 Catawba after 10 minutes

SECOND QUARTER

- Catawba scored the first 11 points of the second quarter to take a commanding 27-9 lead after Saniya Wilson's layup beyond the midway point of the quarter

- The Braves scored their first points of the second quarter at the 3:22 mark

- Catawba held a double-digit advantage the rest of the first half, leading 32-17 at the break

THIRD QUARTER

- UNC Pembroke broke out of the second half on a 9-0 run to cut their deficit all the way down to six in the opening three minutes to force a Catawba timeout

- The Catawba lead shrunk to as little as five points before Baker responded with a three-pointer to give the Catawba Indians some breathing room

- Catawba scored the quarter's final six points in a defensive frame, leading 41-30 with 10 minutes to go

FOURTH QUARTER

- The Braves again trimmed the Catawba advantage to seven points at the 4:30 mark

- Thorne and Baker drilled back-to-back three-pointers to return their lead to 54-41 in the final two minutes

- A late Pembroke jumper got them within single digits yet again, but it proved to be too late, as a Baker free throw was the game's final point, as Catawba advanced to the regional semis

UP NEXT

- Catawba moves on to the Second Round tomorrow, facing 11th-ranked and 5th-seed Georgia Southwestern in a rematch of last year's Southeast Regional title game; tip is set for 7:30 p.m.