NEWBERRY - Catawba College caught fire over the final seven minutes of the game, outscoring Newberry College 18-5 during that span to propel the Indians to a 75-61 victory at Eleazer Arena Wednesday night. Catawba moves to 12-10, 3-6 in the South Atlantic Conference and extends its consecutive win streak over Newberry (14-8, 4-5 SAC) to 19 games.
Catawba won despite a powerful performance from Newberry forward Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.), who contributed a career-high 20 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists in the losing effort.
The 14-point final margin was not indicative of the closeness of the contest. The sets of Indians tied six times and managed 17 lead changes. Catawba secured its last lead at 9:12 in the second half off an Isiaette Darden (Wilson, N.C.) jumper.
Newberry kept the score within five points until Catawba ripped off six consecutive points in a minute and twenty seconds with only a minute remaining in the game. Darden and Ashley Cox (Richmond, Va.) each converted a pair of foul shots, and Christina Carmon (Stafford, Va.) added a jumper during the run.
Darden led all visitors with 17 points. Carmon and Cox scored 15 and 12 points, respectively. Tamekia Foster (Chesapeake, Va.) added nine points and seven boards for Catawba.
Joining Frasier in double figures for Newberry was fellow freshman Carnicha Bellinger (Greenville, S.C.). Bellinger notched 17 points and seven rebounds. Laura Banda (Holcomb, Kan.) added nine points and four assists before fouling out in the game's final minute.
A statistic that certainly favored the visiting Indians was team fouls. Catawba was whistled for only 11, allowing Newberry to the line for seven attempts and three points. Newberry committed 23 fouls, allowing Catawba 30 attempts from the stripe, 26 of which were good.
Newberry seeks its fifteenth win of the season Saturday when it travels to Wingate for a 2 p.m. matchup. Fifteen wins will tie for the third best mark in the program's history. Catawba travels to Tusculum on the 12th for a SAC contest at 2.
