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Saturday,
January 29, 2005 BLUE
HOSE DROPS HEARTBREAKER TO INDIANS
SALISBURY,
N.C. -- Catawba College got 17 points from freshman Jamel
Hamilton (Virginia Beach, Va.) and 16 points from
sophomore Brian Graves (Newport News, Va.) as the
Indians defeated visiting Presbyterian 59-56 in South Atlantic
Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon at
Goodman Gym. The Indians remain atop the league
standing, earning their seventh straight win. Catawba
improves to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in the SAC, while the Blue
Hose fall to 12-7 and 4-3. Catawba
earned the win despite shooting just 33% (17-of-52) from the
field and being out-rebounded 34-29. The Tribe was able
to can 10-of-22 from three-point range and had only 13
turnovers to 21 for the Blue Hose. Presbyterian hit half
of its shots (21-of-42), with five three-pointers. Catawba
played a strong first half and held a pair of nine-point
leads. Three-pointers by Helgi Magnusson (Reykjavik,
Iceland) and Hamilton started a 13-5 run that
put Catawba up 22-13. The Tribe led 32-27 at the break. Presbyterian
went on a 10-3 run to open the final half and tied the score
at 37-37 on a layup by Martynas
Versinskas (Kaunus, Lithuania) with 14:48 left.
The Blue Hose would take their only lead of the second half at
the 9:10 mark on a jumper by Johann
Collins (Raleigh, N.C.). Graves
canned a three-pointer on the Tribe’s next possession to
give the Indians a 45-44 edge. Collins tied the game
with a free throw, but Catawba went on top for good on a pair
of free throws by Zach Snyder (Lexington, N.C.) with
6:59 left. Hamilton and Trey
Ballenger (Wellford, S.C.) traded three-pointers and
Catawba held a 51-50 edge with 4:57 left. After
Ballenger’s three-pointer neither team scored for two and
half minutes until Magnusson connected on a three-pointer with
2:29 remaining for a 54-50 Tribe edge. Graves hit a
layup and two free throws to push the Catawba advantage to
58-52 with a minute to play. Drew
Biggs (Alpahretta, Ga.) cut the Presbyterian deficit
in half on a three-pointer with 54 seconds left and Graves hit
one of two at the charity stripe to give Catawba a 59-55 lead.
Sean Dixon (Marietta,
Ga.) hit one of two free throws to again bring Presbyterian
within three at 59-56 with 11 seconds left. Hamilton
missed two free throws with 10 seconds to play, but the Blue
Hose failed to get off a final shot. Collins
and Biggs each had 13 points to lead the Blue Hose.
Magnusson also reached double-figures for Catawba with 13
points, 10 coming before the break. PC will be back in action Wednesday night at they travel to Columbia, S.C. to take on Allen University in a 7 p.m. contest. |