Storylines – vs Catawba College
No. 18 Catawba will look to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season when the Indians visit UVA Wise Saturday. Coach Terrence Baxter's squad will be looking for a season sweep of the Cavaliers after scoring a 101-86 win over
Jamie Cluesman's team in December. In the win, Taisha DeShazo made seven 3-pointers as part of a 13-for-24 shooting performance that saw the forward score 42 points. The 42 points are the most points UVA Wise has allowed to an individual player all season. Catawba's success is in the team's ability to force turnovers. Entering Saturday, the Indians lead the South Atlantic Conference and rank third nationally in turnovers forced at 25.7 per contest. The strong defensive effort has led to a lot of fastbreak chances for the Indians who have lived at the charity stripe. Catawba is the league leader in foul shots attempted and made. The Indians 449 attempted free throws ranks 13th nationally as Baxter's club has made 296 foul shots this season. When you add it all up, Catawba is winning games on average by nearly 12 points a contest. The Indians last lost consecutive games at the close of the 2018-19 campaign when the team lost four straight. The game at UVA Wise is the middle game of a three-game road trip for the Indians who are 10-1 away from home this season.
About UVA Wise
Fresh off the program's first SAC road win, UVA Wise will look to score its biggest SAC win to date when Catawba visits the Prior Center Saturday.
Jamie Cluesman's team has battled through numerous injuries this season but, the team still finds itself in the thick of competing for a conference tournament spot thanks in large part to the play of three freshman. Point guard
Caitlyn Ross dropped a game-high 14 points in Wednesday's win at Mars Hill while
Leah Kestner netted 13 points, including two free throws in the final seconds to clinch the victory. A third freshman
Nia Vanzant has shown to be a scorer at the collegiate level. The guard has four games where she has tallied more than 20 points while having registered 11 double-figure scoring games.
Ada Stanley made her return to the lineup at Mars Hill, playing 18 minutes. The forward scored four points but her impact was greater on the defensive end of the court as she grabbed seven rebounds, blocked a shot and recorded a steal. In the first meeting against Catawba this season, Ross scored 25 points and dished out seven assists while
Kalee Johnson made a trio of 3-pointers en route to 21 points while grabbing eight boards before fouling out.
