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Catawba pulled away in the final quarter to post a 78-69 win over host Mars Hill in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Chambers Gym. The victory keeps the Catawba undefeated at 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 1-2 and 1-2.

For the second straight game, Catawba found its shooting touch in the final 10 minutes. The Lady Indians, leading 52-50 entering the final quarter, canned 10-of-16 shots (62.5%) in taking over.

A three-pointer by Janiya Downs started a 9-1 run to open the quarter to push Catawba’s lead to 61-51. From there, the Lady Indians led by double digits until the final minute. The biggest lead of 15 points at 76-61 came after a Shemya Stanback layup with 1:54 remaining.

Downs led Catawba with 13 points. Stanback and Lyrik Thorne each had 11. Emily Phillips knocked down eight points with Talia Barnes grabbing seven rebounds. De’La Marshall led Mars Hill with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Gabby Gianikos added a dozen, going 10-of-12 at the line.

The game was tight for most of the game, seeing eight ties and 13 lead changes. Mars Hill took an 18-16 lead after a quarter, but Catawba led 38-34 at the break.

The hot shooting at the end of the game got Catawba to just over 40% for the game. Mars Hill hit 36% for the game, but was only 3-of-11 (27.3%) in the final quarter. The Lady Indians led 44-38 on the glass and committed one fewer turnover. Catawba’s depth was a key, outscoring Mars Hill 43-13 off the bench.

Catawba is scheduled to return from the holiday break with a game at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, January 2nd.