HICKORY, N.C. — For the second time this season, the Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute men's basketball team got the better of Catawba Valley Community College.

The Cobras handed the Red Hawks an 85-69 defeat at the Tarlton Complex on Tuesday night.

Trevor Willis paced CCC&TI (6-2) with a game-high 22 points, including five made 3-pointers.

Post player Steve Ruszala had the best game so far of his sophomore campaign for the Red Hawks (3-4), recording his third career double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Fifteen of Ruszala's 21 points were scored in the second half.

Trailing 6-0 in the early stages of the first half, the Cobras used a 16-1 run to gain control for good in Tuesday's contest.

After making 14 3-pointers in the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 8, CCC&TI made 12 treys in Tuesday's contest, including nine of them in the first half.

Despite outscoring the Cobras 34-25 in the second half on field goals, the Red Hawks made just eight of their 21 free throw attempts. CVCC shot just 16-of-35 from the charity stripe in the game.

CVCC cut its deficit down to nine points with four minutes to go in the second half, but that's as close as it would get in the game.

Tyrell Oglesby and Myles Williams also reached double digits in scoring for the Red Hawks with 14 and 12 points, respectively, and CVCC's Isaiah Johnson was one point short of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.

The Red Hawks return to action following the Thanksgiving break, hosting Richard Bland in Region X action on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.