GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Catawba women's basketball team placed four players in double figure scoring as the Indians claimed an 83-62 South Atlantic Conference win at Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena.
Catawba (13-9, 9-5 SAC) sweeps the season series over the Pioneers (13-9, 7-7 SAC) for the first time since 2007, while also ending a six-year drought in Greeneville.
Quaneasia Coleman led the charge with 20 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, while teammate Elizabeth Merritt finished with 20 points and four boards. Antionette McPhail contributed 17 points and five rebounds, while Chloe Bully posted 15 markers, and eight assists. Taylor May rounded out the scoring for Catawba with nine points and six rebounds. The Catawba starting five of Merritt (8-of-14), McPhail (7-of-9), Bully (4-of-10), Coleman (7-of-9) and May (4-of-4) shot a combined 30-of-46 from the floor (65.2%), while scoring 81 of the Tribe's 83 points.
Tusculum's Breaira Barksdale tallied 18 points, while shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line, while Kendal Baxter added 15 markers, including three 3-pointers. Ashley Thurman tallied 11 points and four rebounds for the Pioneers.
The Catawba Indians used a 29-6 run in the first half to take its largest lead of the contest at 36-14 following a Coleman jumper with 5:12 remaining in the period. During that span, the Indians held the Pioneers without a made field goal for nearly eight minutes.
Tusculum closed out the half with an 11-2 run including a 10-foot baseline jumper by Barksdale with two seconds left as Catawba took a 37-25 lead into the locker room.
Both teams traded baskets for the opening moments of the first half, including a three-point play by Catawba's May to give her team a 44-29 lead with 18 minutes left in the contest. Baxter followed with a three-pointer for TC, but Merritt answered with a three-point play of her own.
The two teams traded three-pointers before the Pioneers cut the deficit to single digits with six straight points, including back-to-back buckets by Baxter and a Barksdale jumper to trim the Catawba lead to 49-41 with 14:09 remaining.
The Tribe moved out to a 57-46 advantage following a Bully layup at the 9:34 mark. But Tusculum closed the gap again with another 6-0 run to trail 57-52 with 6:41 remaining, thanks to a Baxter basket and four TC free throws.
Catawba pushed its lead back to double digits again with a Coleman jumper and a McPhail trey to lead 62-52 with 5:49 left on the scoreboard.
Following a pair of free throws by Barksdale, Merritt converted a three-pointer to lead again by 11 (65-54), but Baxter answered for TC with her pull-up trey of her own from the top of the key as Catawba led 65-57 at the 4:37 mark.
But the Tribe answered with a final run, outscoring the Pioneers, 18-5 down the stretch to seal the victory and remain in at least a tie for third place in the conference with Newberry (17-7, 9-5 SAC).
Catawba finished the game shooting 58 percent from the floor, including 16-of-23 (69.6%) in the second half alone. The Indians also assisted on 22 of its 30 field goals on the afternoon.
Tusculum shot 39 percent for the game, including 10-of-30 in the second half (33%) as the Pioneers have their four-game home winning streak snapped.
Baxter has recorded 297 made three-pointers in her career, which are second in school and SAC history. She needs three more treys to become only the 26th player in NCAA Division II history to posted 300 three-pointers in a career.
The Pioneers will play its next two contests on the road, beginning with Wednesday's 6 p.m. contest at second place Lenoir-Rhyne. TC posted a 72-54 win over the Bears in Greeneville last month.
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