SALISBURY, N.C. — The Carson-Newman men’s basketball team was unable to overcome a second-half rally by Catawba, as the Eagles dropped a 71-65 decision to the Indians on Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Goodman Gymnasium.

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 10-16 overall and 5-10 in the conference. Catawba improves to 17-9 on the season and 10-5 in SAC play.

C-N used a 21-6 run in the first half to take the lead, and a Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) layup gave the Eagles a 35-29 advantage heading into the locker room.

But Catawba chipped away at C-N’s lead in the second half and eventually took the lead for good after senior guard Antonio Houston (Charlotte, N.C.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 12:35 remaining to give Catawba a 43-42 advantage.

C-N pulled to within one point on three different occasions down the stretch, but the Indians pushed their lead to as many as nine points during the final minutes to seal the win.

The Eagles struggled on the offensive end during Catawba’s second-half rally as they shot just 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from the floor for the half, while the Indians scored at a 44.8 percent (13-of-29) clip.

Senior forward Darron Maxtion (Huntsville, Ala.) tossed in 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead four Eagles in double figures. Dixon and senior forward Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) added 15 and 12 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville, Tenn.) netted 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists in the loss.

Houston led all scorers with 24 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds. Rob Fields (Orangeburg, S.C.) tallied 13 points for the Indians, while Stephen Coles (Danville, Va.) pitched in 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles return to the court on Saturday in their regular season finale at Wingate. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Cuddy Arena in Wingate, N.C.