SALISBURY, N.C. — Chase Daniel's 20-ball paved the way for the Catawba College men's basketball team in an 83-77 season-opening win over defending regional semifinalist Virginia Union on Monday night.
Daniel had a career-high 20 points with five assists and four steals across 35 minutes. Ifiok Peter fell one board shy of a double-double, scoring 17 points while grabbing nine rebounds in addition to two blocks. Peter and LeVionne Lindsey got to the free-throw line often, combining for 22 attempts as Lindsey chipped in 14 points. Terryon Stebbins posted eight points and three rebounds as a team-best +23 on his first night in blue and white.
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Catawba (1-0) forced the Panthers (0-1) to commit 21 turnovers while totaling 12 of its own, generating an off-TO scoring margin of 24-10. Virginia Union had the upper hand in field goal efficiency, going 53.6% from the floor and 41.7% on three-pointers compared to Catawba's 44.3% and 29.4%. The Catawba Indians did a chunk of damage at the charity stripe with a 24-for-34 (70.6%) outing that overpowered VUU's 12-for-24 (50.0%).
After winning the opening tip and missing a three, the Panthers turned it over on four straight possessions while Catawba developed a 7-0 lead three minutes in. Lindsey's jumper just inside the 14-minute mark made it 13-4 in a punishing run to start the year. The Catawba Indians eventually went dry as the Panthers cut the lead to 19-18. They scored the next seven points, then had a second burst of six points to reach a double-figure advantage. Hometown kid Braylon Taylor got the crowd on their feet with a layup through contact at the halftime buzzer, converting the three-point play to make it 45-36 going into the locker room.
The Panthers got into foul trouble early in the second half, being whistled four times by the first media timeout. Joshua Caine began to put VUU on his back, however, blocking a shot with layups on three possessions in a row. Mike Johnson capped the 12-3 blitz with a three-pointer that gave the Panthers a 51-50 lead and forced a Catawba timeout with 12 minutes to go. The hosts mounted a mean 12-0 run in retaliation, getting five from Peter and a three-ball swish by Stebbins. Chase Daniel drew his second hoop-and-harm in 63 seconds to put momentum firmly on Catawba's side. Peter threw down a second-chance slam and got fouled on the ensuing possession, making both tosses to take the largest lead of the contest at 73-55.
VUU came charging back with a 10-1 spurt largely fueled by Israel Yaw on an eight-point surge. Carson Daniel halted the run by drilling a three just before the final media break. Catawba continued to face resistance late, but combatted the Panther attack with a streak of seven made free throws to secure the victory in 83-77 fashion.
Catawba extended its home opener win streak to five consecutive games, adding VUU to the list of strong regional foes that have fallen at Goodman Arena.
The Catawba Indians return to action on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. with a road trip to USC Aiken.
