Hickory, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Basketball team held off a late 17-2 run from No. 14 Catawba to upset the Indians 69-61 Wednesday night inside the Shu. Brandi Hudson scored a game-high 21 points to help the Bears beat their first ranked opponent since beating No. 20 Carson-Newman on December 5, 2018. 

GAME INFORMATION:
Final:  Lenoir-Rhyne 69, No. 14 Catawba 61
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (8-12, 7-11 SAC) I No. 14 Catawba (17-4, 14-4 SAC)  
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Shuford Gym

STATS AND INFO:

• The Bears snapped a four-game losing streak against the Indians as the teams split the season series. 
• The Indians came into the game No. 9 in all nation in turnover margin at +7.5. Catawba forces 21.6 turnovers a game while committing just 14.1.
• Hudson is third in the SAC in shooting pct. Hudson is shooting 53.3% from the floor this season, and has been even better in conference play, shooting 56.5% from the floor.
• The Bears were 0-8 against ranked opponents since the win at No. 20 Carson-Newman in 2018 including losing twice to a ranked Catawba team during that stretch. 

FIRST HALF:

• After the Bears jumped out to a 11-5 lead, the Indians scored the last eight points of the quarter to take a 13-11 lead after ten minutes.
• With 8:17 left in the half and tied at 18. The Bears went on a 10-0 run in just seventy seconds. A Harman three followed by a Hudson fast break layup and then a Hanna McClung three sparked the run, and then Harman finished the run with two free throws to give the Bears a 28-18 lead with 7:07 left. 
• The teams played even the rest of the way as the Bears took a 37-27 lead into the break. 
• Catawba had eleven offensive rebounds in the first half leading to eight second chance points.
• Harman lead the Bears with nine in the first half followed by eight by McClung and Blaikely Crooks. 

SECOND HALF:

• A Crooks dime to Hudson at the buzzer to end the third quarter gave the Bears their biggest lead of the game at 54-38. 
• The Bears had a 56-40 lead with 8:18 left when Catawba went on 17-2 run to cut the lead to one with 1:38 remaining.
• Crooks found Hudson again to extend the lead to three, and then Harman sealed it with a steal, layup and free throw to open a six-point lead with 58 seconds left. The Bears then went on to hit six of seven from the line to come away with a 69-61 win.

ABOUT THE BEARS:

• Crooks had a career-high six assists on the night. The sophomore also added eight points and four rebounds. 
• Hudson finished with 21 points, with 16 coming in the second half. She shot 8-12 from the floor on the evening.
• Harman had 14 points, 7 rebounds and added a pair of blocks and steals on the evening.

NOTABLE INDIANS:

• Taisha DeShazo lead the Indians with 16 points while hitting 3-6 from long range.
• Sara McIntosh (11) and Shemya Stanback (10) were also in double digits for Catawba.
• Lyrik Thorne added six points, six assists and three steals in her 27 minutes of action. 

UP NEXT:  Bears will travel to Anderson on Saturday. Tip-off is schedule for 2 p.m.