HICKORY, N.C. — Playing for the second time in three games, the Catawba Valley Community College women's basketball team overcame a slow start to power its way past visiting Patrick Henry Community College for a 91-64 victory on Tuesday at the Tarlton Complex.

Sophomore guard Tory Agrusa paced CVCC (17-4, 12-1 in Region) with a career-high 21 points, including making 5-of-9 shots from the 3-point line. She added seven assists and six assists in the contest.

The Red Hawks, who are ranked 17th in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) D-II poll released on Tuesday, struggled in the first half of Tuesday's Region X game, shooting just 32 percent from the field.

Catawba Valley trailed 35-33 at halftime to the Patrick Henry (9-13, 7-11 in Region X).

However, CVCC responded in a big way at the midpoint of the third quarter.

Down 37-36, Catawba Valley exploded for a 9-0 run, including six-straight points from Tanisha Wall and a 3-pointer by Nikkyana McCaskill, to seize control for good in Tuesday's conference contest.

The Red Hawks expanded their lead with a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter en route to their sixth-straight victory.

Wall finished Tuesday's game with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Shaniya Lester added 21 points. Both players scored 15 points each in the second half.

The CVCC women's basketball team returns to action on Thursday with a road conference game at Louisburg College. Tip off is slated for 5 p.m.