Staff report

SALISBURY — Lyrik Thorne broke the program scoring record the way you want to set records — with a big-time performance in a big game.

Thorne scored a season-high 33 in Catawba’s 70-58 South Atlantic Conference win against Lincoln Memorial on Saturday at Goodman Arena. Catawba needed even more points than usual from Thorne with Janiya Downs in foul trouble, and Thorne produced them.

Thorne has scored 1,849 points in her five-season college career. The previous Catawba women’s record was Danyel Locklear’s 1,838, a record that had stood since 2004. Locklear had broken a record set by Lisa Kearns (1,812), who played in the 1980s.

Thorne, who scored more than 2,000 points as a high school player at Ledford, has a great chance to also score 2,000 for the Indians.

She averaged 10.2 points as a Catawba freshman. She averaged 11.7 in her COVID-shortened sophomore season. All athletes got a redshirt option for the COVID season.

Thorne jumped to 15.1 points per game as a junior and was one of Division II’s best players as a senior, averaging 19.4 points per game. Catawba won a regional championship and reached the Final Four.

Team leaders Thorne, South Rowan graduate Downs and Sara McIntosh returned from that stout team to play a fifth season — their redshirt COVID season — as graduate students.

So far this season, Thorne has averaged an even 20 per contest. Catawba was ranked fourth in the most recent Division II poll.

Thorne set the record against a very good team. Catawba (11-2, 6-1) and Lincoln Memorial 11-2, 6-1) are part of a four-way battle for first place in the SAC that also includes Lenoir-Rhyne (12-4, 7-1) and Wingate (11-4, 6-1). It’s possible that Carson-Newman, which won against Wingate, can make it a five-team race before all is said and done.

Catawba now owns big victories against Lincoln Memorial and Lenoir-Rhyne, but lost at Wingate.

In Saturday’s game, Catawba had one of its best shooting efforts — 49 percent. That was mostly due to Thorne, who shot 12-for-16 and was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

Former Carson star Mary Spry’s eight points off the bench were helpful. LMU didn’t get any points off the bench.

Catawba led 35-22 at the half after suffocating LMU defensively, but the Railsplitters owned the third quarter and got back to a 46-44 deficit heading to the final quarter.

Catawba answered with an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter that proved decisive.

Lauren Flowers led LMU with 16 points.

LMU          9    13    22    14    — 58

Catawba    15   20    11    24    — 70

CATAWBA — Thorne 33, Downs 9, Spry 8, McIntosh 8, Porter 6, Baker 2, Helpman 2, Foskey 2.