Lions Comeback Falls Short at Catawba

SALISBURY, N.C.- Mars Hill's late comeback attempt fell short as the Lions dropped a 69-62 decision to Catawba in South Atlantic Conference action Wednesday evening in Goodman Gym.

After trailing by as much as 25, Mars Hill cut the Indian lead to single digits in the closing minutes but was unable to complete the comeback. Armeka Booker paced the Lions with a game-high 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting, adding nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a pair of steals. Catawba was paced by Elizabeth Merritt's 17 points, one of four Indians in double-figures. Mars Hill fell to 3-12 overall and 0-7 in SAC play. Catawba is now 8-7 overall and 4-3 in conference play.

Ansley Ricker scored 17 points and dished out four assists for the Lions. Cadence Wilmoth came off the bench to provide a spark with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. The freshman added seven rebounds. Mars Hill shot 40.3 percent from the field (27-of-67) and scored 21 points off Indian turnovers.

Antionette McPhail notched a double-double for Catawba with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Chloe Bully and Taylor May added 10 points apiece for the Indians. Catawba shot 44.3 percent from the field (27-of-61), including 6-of-16 beyond the arc (37.5 percent).

Booker helped get Mars Hill off to a good start with eight points in the game's first five and a half minutes, as the Lions took a 10-9 lead with 14:35 to play in the first half. However,Catawba was able to break open the game a bit with a 12-2 run to open up a nine-point lead. Merritt scored five points on a three and a pair of free throws to spark the run, while May added a pair of layups.

A 6-0 response by the Lions put MHC right back in it and cut the deficit to three. A jumper by Ricker, a layup by Wilmoth off a feed from Erica Warren and a fast-break layup by Ricker cut the score to 21-18 in favor of the Indians with 9:48 to play in the half.

Once again, Catawba was able to rip off another big run to extend their lead to 13 points. A 10-2 spurt, highlighted by a pair of Mallary Clay threes put the Indians up 33-20 with 4:41 to play in the half. That was the largest lead of the half for Catawba. Hot three-point shooting keyed the Indians offensive effort in the first half, as Catawba connected on 5-of-9 attempts (55.6 percent) of their attempts from distance.

The two first half runs helped the Indians carry a 39-27 lead into the break. Catawba shot 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from the field in the half, while Mars Hill connected on 12-of-34 of its attempts (35.3 percent).

Catawba opened the second half with another big run, this time a 10-0 spurt to effectively put the game out of reach. Merritt led the way with four points during the stretch as four different Indians contributed points during the run. That run stretched the Indian lead to 49-27 with 14:27 to play. Catawba would go on to lead by as many as 25 before the Lions began their comeback.

Mars Hill outscored the Indians 29-11 over the game's final 9:21. Wilmoth and Booker combined to provide points with muscle inside, with each player scoring 10 points over that stretch. Ricker added six points during the comeback attempt. The Indians hit 5-of-6 free throws during the final 1:29 to preserve the victory. The Lions shot 45.5 percent in the second half (15-of-33), while holding the Indians to a 40 percent clip (12-of-30).

Mars Hill will host Lenoir-Rhyne in South Atlantic Conference action this Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2:00 p.m. in Stanford Arena.