Staff report

SALISBURY — Catawba women’s basketball player Jada Porter produced a spectacular effort that was the equivalent of a baseball pitcher throwing a perfect game.

Porter enjoyed a flawless shooting night — including 6-for-6 from downtown — as Catawba beat South Atlantic Conference rival Wingate, 85-74 on Wednesday at Goodman Arena.

Porter has averaged 5.3 points per game for her career, so her onslaught could not have been anticipated by the Bulldogs —or by the Indians. She also went 4-for-4 from the foul line in a 22-point effort that made the difference for Catawba.

On the other hand, Lyrik Thorne has had so many brilliant games for the Indians, nothing she does is surprising, and she was at her best. She was on target — 10-for-13 — for an efficient 23 points. She made two 3-pointers and handed out eight assists.

Eighth-ranked Catawba (13-2, 8-1) shot 52 percent and controlled the game from the outset. The Indians did everything right except shoot 12-for-22 on free throws.

The Bulldogs (11-7, 6-4) shot only 35 percent from the field, but free throws kept them reasonably close. The Bulldogs marched to the foul line a whopping 35 times and converted 30 free ones.

Catawba’s only SAC loss was at Wingate, so the Indians were more than ready to play. They made an 8-0 statement right away, stretched the lead to 21-9, and owned a 47-30 lead by halftime.

Wingate chopped into the lead some in the fourth quarter, but Catawba wasn’t in serious danger and won for the 28th straight time on its home floor.

Janiya Downs didn’t have a stellar shooting night but contributed nine points and 10 rebounds. Sara McIntosh had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Emily Hege scored 25 for the Bulldogs, including 11-for-13 from the foul line, but she was 0-for-5 on 3-pointers and 7-for-20 from the floor, so Catawba had to be satisfied with the defensive effort that was made to contain one of the SAC’s top players. Hege had 11 rebounds.

Catawba will travel to UVA Wise on Saturday.

Wingate    18   12    22   23    — 75

Catawba    24   23    21  16    — 84

WINGATE — Hege 25, Sullivan 13, Wilson 12, Clark 10, Anderson 6, Beale 5, Breedlove 4.

CATAWBA — Thorne 23, Porter 22, McIntosh 11, Downs 9, Baker 7, S. Wilson 4, Spry 2, Foskey 2, Dixon-Booker 2, Ingram 2.