#17 Women’s Basketball advances to SAC Semis with 83-67 win over Limestone

Salisbury, N.C. —- The 17th-ranked Catawba College women's basketball team out-scored Limestone University 46-32 in the second half to claim a win in the quarterfinal round of the South Atlantic Conference women's basketball tournament at Goodman Gymnasium Wednesday night. The Catawba Indians push their win streak to 10 games to improve to 25-4 overall, while Limestone ends its season at 14-15.

Lyrik Thorne led the way with her third consecutive 20-point game, pouring in 26 points on 9-for-19 shooting with five assists. Janiya Downs added 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Sara McIntosh was the third Catawba Indian in double figures with 12 points and eight boards. Quin Byrd led the way for the Saints with 20 first-half points.

Catawba used its pressure defense to force 17 Limestone turnovers and turn them into 20 points the other way. The Catawba Indians also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, which led them to hold an advantage in the second-chance battle 23-10. 

The teams played evenly in the first quarter, as Catawba jumped out to an 11-5 lead before the Saints rode an 11-2 run to take the lead in the late stages of the period. Jada Porter's three-pointer brought the game to a 16-16 tie after the first 10 minutes. The teams traded a small lead over the length of the second quarter before Thorne's three with 27 seconds remaining gave the home team a 37-35 advantage after the first half.

Catawba began to run away from Limestone early in the third, as the Catawba Indians opened the half on a 13-3 run behind six points from McIntosh. Catawba led 50-38 near the midway point. A quick 7-0 run from Limestone cut their deficit down to five points, but Porter answered with another late-period three-pointer, as Catawba took a 57-49 lead with 10 minutes left.

The Catawba Indians led by as few as six points with nine minutes to go, but another Porter three-pointer capped a 7-0 Catawba run to create a little breathing room, leading 66-53 at the 8:05 mark. Catawba did not relinquish their double-digit lead from that point on, leading by as much as 17 after Thorne's triple with under a minute to go.

Catawba advances to Saturday's SAC Semifinals, where they'll face Lenoir-Rhyne at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. at 2:30 p.m.