Crazy Comeback; Catawba Dominance Highlight Day Two of SAC Men's Basketball Championship
Lincoln Memorial advances to SAC semifinal with thrilling victory over Carson-Newman
Rock Hill, SC -- The South Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament delivered a classic postseason encounter as four-seed Lincoln Memorial squared-off against five-seed Carson-Newman for a highly anticipated third meeting of the season. Following a regular season trend where the visiting team emerged victorious in both previous contests, the Railsplitters claimed the rubber match in dramatic fashion to advance in the bracket. The match up lived up to its rivalry billing, remaining undecided until the final second of play in a game defined by scoring runs..
In the closing seconds, with Carson-Newman leading 67-64, the game reached a fever pitch. After a successful free throw by the Railsplitters to push the score to 67-65, Lincoln Memorial had one final opportunity. EJ Smith stepped to the line for the Railsplitters and, trailing by two, intentionally missed his second free throw attempt. In a remarkable display of awareness, Smith tracked down his own rebound and converted a 15-foot putback while being fouled with only one second remaining on the clock. With the game tied, Smith stepped back to the charity stripe and calmly sank the bonus free throw to secure a 68-67 victory for Lincoln Memorial.
Catawba dominates SAC quarterfinal against UVA Wise, 86-66
ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Catawba College men's basketball team mounted a 20-0 run in the first half that ultimately made the difference in an 86-66 victory over No. 6 seed UVA Wise in the quarterfinal round of the South Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament on Thursday night at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (22-7) finished a bucket away from breaking even in shooting, going 49.2% on field goals with great success on jumpers while UVA Wise offered a 39.0% clip sustained by solid inside play
- From beyond the arc, the Catawba Indians went 6-for-14 (42.9%) as the Highland Cavaliers struggled with a 2-for-19 (10.5) ledger
- Three Catawba players were flawless from the charity stripe as the team posted a 20-for-23 (87.0%) night, significantly better than UVA Wise's 18-for-31 (58.1%)
- The Catawba Indians won the rebounding battle 39-33, but surrendered a 14-12 difference on offensive grabs
- The blue and white used their depth to their advantage, crushing the Cavs in bench scoring by a heavy 35-3 margin