Salisbury, N.C. ? The No. 24 Lenoir-Rhyne University Women?s Basketball Team (18-6, 11-3) escaped with a 60-58 victory over Catawba College (14-11, 7-7) Saturday afternoon at Goodman Gymnasium.? The Bears, winners of five straight, stayed atop the South Atlantic Conference standings.

Catawba?s Nisha Long (Dallas, N.C.) saw a potential game-winning, three-point shot rim out as time expired.

Senior guard Brittany Mitch (McLean, Va.) led Lenoir-Rhyne with a team-high 16 points while senior guard Jami Safrit (Hickory, N.C.) added 12 points and five rebounds as the Bears limited the Indians to just 37 percent shooting (20-of-54) for the contest.

Catawba, behind Kisha Long?s (Dallas, N.C.) game-high 26 points, rallied from a 12-point, first-half deficit (21-9) to take its first lead of the game at 56-55 with 2:17 left on a pair of free throws by K. Long.

A steal and lay-up by senior guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) at the 1:45 mark of the second half gave L-R the advantage for good (57-56) before Mitch added an insurance three with one minute to play for a 60-56 lead and the Bears were able to hold on from there.

Lenoir-Rhyne, which completed the season sweep of Catawba, returns home to face Wingate on Senior Night Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m.