Wingate, N.C.—-The 23rd-ranked Catawba College Indians' defense forced the 22nd-ranked Wingate Bulldogs to commit a season-high 25 turnovers and shoot 33 percent from the field Wednesday night, prevailing 79-67 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Catawba improves to 22-4 overall and 19-4 in the SAC, while Wingate drops to 22-4 overall and 20-3 in league play.
 
KEY STATS
 
- Catawba made 45 percent of its shots; Wingate shot 33 percent from the field
- The Bulldogs hit seven-of-16 three-pointers (44 percent), while Catawba went seven-for-24 (29 percent) from deep
- Wingate went 24-for-29 (83 percent) from the free throw line; Catawba was 14-of-17 (82 percent) from the charity stripe
- WU held a 42-34 rebound advantage, but Catawba outscored the Bulldogs in second-chance points 18-9
- The 'Dogs committed a season-high 25 turnovers, 15 of which were steals, which resulted in 28 Catawba points
- Catawba outscored Wingate in the paint 38-20
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Haleigh Brandon posted a double-double with a team-high 17 points and 16 rebounds
- Hannah Clark added 15 point, five assists and three steals
- Bryanna Troutman chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds
- Jaia Wilson had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
- Catawba went on a 10-2 run over two and a half minutes early in the first quarter
- Lyrik Thorne's and-one jumper gave Catawba a 10-3 advantage
- Three unanswered buckets between Brandon and Clark cut the deficit to a single point
- Catawba scored the last five points of the quarter
- Janiya Downs was responsible for the last three points, giving the visitors a 17-11 lead after 10 minutes
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
- Back-to-back three-pointers from Wilson and Brandon tied the game at 17 less than a minute in
- Catawba scored two straight times before a Troutman three-point play brought the deficit back to within a single possession
- The visitors responded with a 7-1 run, leading 28-21 at the midway point
- The 'Dogs responded with a Wilson layup and a three from Clark, but Catawba fought back with seven unanswered points of their own
- Troutman's free throws made it a 40-32 Catawba lead at the break
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
- No team made a field goal for the first three minutes of the second half
- Catawba opened up its lead behind an 8-1 run
- The 52-36 lead with 3:50 to go in the quarter matched the visitors' largest of the game
- Brandon's three-pointer with 2:03 to go were the last points scored by either team in the period, cutting the Catawba advantage to 54-41
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
- The teams combined for 51 points in the final 10 minutes
- A Mikayla Dyson three brought the 'Dogs within 10 less than a minute in
- Catawba responded with an 8-2 run, returning their lead to 16
- A pair of free throws and a layup from Wilson each cut the deficit to 10 points, but Wingate could never pull within single digits
- The Bulldogs' last made field goal was at the 2:56 mark
 
UP NEXT
 
- The Bulldogs make the short trip over to Queens University, looking to claim its first outright SAC title since the 2011-12 season
- Wingate will host a SAC quarterfinal game next Wednesday, March 2, but the opponent has not yet been determined