Staff report

HICKORY — Catawba’s men’s basketball team shot 65 percent on Wednesday — and lost.

The Indians fell 99-97 to rival Lenoir-Rhyne in a South Atlantic Conference game that thrilled most of the 543 fans in Shuford Arena.

It’s hard to lose when you shoot 65 percent, but L-R (12-12, 7-9) put together its best offensive game of the season, shooting 61 percent from the floor and making 13 3-pointers. Cooper Fowler, a 6-foot-11 center, led the Bears with 17 points.

Catawba also shot well on free throws (81 percent) and was a solid 40 percent on 3-pointers.

Catawba led by five with 2:11 left, but things didn’t go well from there for the Indians (14-5, 11-4).

Javeon Jones scored the last points for the Indians, making a jumper with 35 seconds left for a 97-96 lead.

Tim Steele scored in the lane for L-R with 18 seconds left to put the Bears ahead 98-97.

Nas Tyson then stole the ball for the Bears and made one of two free throws with nine seconds left for a 99-97 lead.

Then the Indians didn’t get a shot off before time expired.

O’Mazeon Tinsley scored 22 for Catawba. Jones had 15 points and six rebounds, and there weren’t a lot of rebounds.

The strangest thing about the night was that L-R did not score for almost six minutes at the start of the game. Catawba went ahead 7-0, but L-R stayed hot the rest of the way.

Catawba     45    52   — 97

L-Rhyne     45     54   — 99

CATAWBA — Tinsley 22, Jones 15, White 12, Wallace 11, Epps 10, Banks 9, Thomas 6, Robinson 4, McDuffie 4, Mitchell 4.