Staff report

BANNER ELK — On a cold shooting night, Catawba’s women’s basketball team rode sophomore post player Talia Barnes to a 66-59 win at Lees-McRae.

Barnes scored 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. She got to the foul line frequently, shooting 13-for-19 from the stripe. She made two big ones in the fourth quarter to give Catawba the lead for good.

“Just a big night for Talia,” Catawba head coach Terrence Baxter said. “She was a woman. She carried us. She gave us everything we needed.”

Catawba (2-2) won despite shooting 30.8 percent from the field and 2-for-12 from the 3-point line and missing 19 of 51 free throws.

“We did a good job of attacking and getting to the foul line, but we’d like to make more once we get there,” Baxter said.

Lees-McRae (2-2) was able to slow down a fast-paced Catawba team that had a quick turnaround, hitting the road after playing Saturday night.

“We weren’t able to push the ball the way we did Saturday,” Baxter said. “We had to grind it out. Their point guard was very good, but we were able to get her in foul trouble and we pressed them whenever she wasn’t in there.”

Catawba out-rebounded the Bobcats, 58-41, and had a 20-12 edge in offensive rebounds.

Catawba trailed after the first quarter, but held Lees-McRae to seven points in the second quarter to get even at halftime, 30-30.

The third quarter was a standoff. Anna Gardner made a big 3-pointer and two free throws with the game see-sawing.

Catawba maintained slim leads most of the fourth quarter.

Shemya Stanback, usually the smallest person on the floor, chased down eight rebounds.

Markia Stacey scored 17 for the Bobcats.

 

CATAWBA (66) — Barnes 21, DeShazo 8, Hallman 8, Webb 6, Stanback 6, Gardner 6, Bruce 5, Garris 4, Phillips 2, Wampler.

LEES-McRAE (59) — Stacey 17, Johnson 11, Crawford 8, Forbes 8, Blankenship 5, Ammons 5, Basnight 4, Fluette 1.

Catawba        18   12    18   18  — 66

Lees-McRae  23    7     18   11   — 59