Staff report

WISE, Va. — On paper, it was a sure thing for Catawba strong and seasoned women’s basketball team, but there aren’t many routine road trips in the South Atlantic Conference, this was a long one, and the Indians were upset in the mountains of Virginia on Saturday.

Catawba had a weak shooting day and didn’t rebound. UVA Wise led from tip to horn and beat the Indians 81-71.

Catawba was ranked eighth nationally, so it was the biggest win in program history for UVA Wise. The victory lifted UVA Wise (8-11, 4-7) into a tie for eighth place in the SAC standings.

Catawba (13-3, 8-2) lost some ground in the SAC, but is still near the top of the league standings. Lenoir-Rhyne is 9-2. Carson-Newman and Anderson have three losses, while Wingate and Lincoln Memorial have dropped four games. This one hurt, but Catawba is still in good shape to accomplish all its goals.

UVA Wise got 23 points from Caitlyn Ross and double-doubles from Sable Burnside and Katlin Burger. Burger had 17 rebounds as the Cavaliers demolished Catawba 59-32 on the boards in front of 505 amazed fans at the Prior Center.

Lyrik Thorne had six assists and scored 17, but shot 7-for-21. Janiya Downs scored 14, but shot 5-for-18.

Jada Porter made four of her 10 3-point attempts for 12 points. Indians other than Porter shot 3-for-24 from 3.

Catawba had a 29-15 edge in the turnover battle, but shot 34 percent from the field, while UVA Wise shot 44 percent.

The Cavaliers led 42-30 at halftime. UVA Wise made 18 of 21 from the foul line to make sure the Indians couldn’t mount a comeback.

Catawba will look to bounce back at Limestone on Wednesday.

Catawba     16    14    19   12   — 71

UVA Wise   24   18    18   21   — 81

CATAWBA — Thorne 16, Downs 14, Porter 12, McIntosh 9, Wilson 5, Baker 5, Spry 4, Dixon-Booker 4, Foskey 2.