SALISBURY, N.C. --- In the NCAA Division II National Showcase Game broadcast by ESPN3, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball Team went to Catawba and came away with a big 91-85 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Bears are heating up at the right time, winning five of six since the calendar flipped to 2020.
Inside the Matchup:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 91, Catawba 85
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (9-6, 5-5 SAC), Catawba (11-6, 6-4 SAC)
Location: Goodman Gym I Salisbury, N.C.
Stats of the Game:
- After a slow start that saw Catawba jump out to a 12-5 advantage, the Bears came back to take a 19-18 lead with 10:05 left in the first half. LR was able to get Catawba into foul trouble and marched to the free throw line 21 times in the first 20 minutes.
- The Bears finished the opening half 17-for-21 from the charity stripe with R.J. Gunn and Darius Simmons combining to go 14-for-14. At the break, the Bears trailed by one at 45-44.
- LR set the tone for the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 52-45 advantage that they would never give back. Consecutive three's from Mason Hawks and Simmons followed a Cooper Fowler layup which forced a Catawba timeout.
- A 3-point field goal by Gunn with 9:04 to play put LR up 11 but Devin Cooper scored 11 of Catawba's next 13 points to cut the lead to 77-75.
- Cooper would score 24 of his 37 points in the second half but couldn't get Catawba closer than two points. LR would go 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the last minute to seal the victory.
- Simmons tied a Lenoir-Rhyne record by going a perfect 13-for-13 from the line and finished with a team-high 27 points. Simmons went 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-4 from long range to go with three rebounds and two assists.
- Hawks had 23 on the day and was 8-of-11 from the floor while Gunn went for 21 points and eight boards.
Coaches Take
"Awesome victory," said
Everick Sullivan after the win. "I'm really proud of the team and my staff. (Assistant Coaches) Zach, Blake and Billy did an awesome job getting a game plan together. We knew it would be a difficult game, this is one of the top teams in the SAC. I thought our guys went in with the right mentality, they were focused and not anxious. They knew if they went in and didn't worry about the outcome in general but focused on winning the moments within the game, we'd be in the position to pull it out. That's exactly what happened."
Beyond the Box Score:
- Catawba was whistled for 16 fouls in the first half.
- This was the 208th all-time meeting between LR and Catawba and was a rematch of last season's SAC Tournament Championship game. The Bears hold the all-time series 114-94.
- This is the sixth game this season that LR has allowed an opposing player to score at least 24 points. Coincidentally, the Bears are 4-2 in those games.
- LR shot 57.1 percent from the field which is a season-high.
- LR has gone consecutive seasons with a win over a ranked opponent. Last year, the Bears beat Queens twice with the Royals being ranked inside the top 10 both times.
Up Next: The Bears wrap up their three-game road trip with a matchup at Mars Hill on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
