HICKORY, N.C. — Plagued by 24 turnovers and missed free throws, the 17th-ranked Catawba Valley Community College men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 92-81 to defending DIII national champion Sandhills at the Tarlton Complex.

E.J. Thomas paced CVCC (3-1, 2-1 in Region 10) with a season-high 23 points. _ Molden added 14 points, and Donovan Evans also reached double figures with 10 points.

Making just 4-of-16 free throw attempts, the Red Hawks trailed the Flyers 39-28 at halftime. Molden led the first-half charge with eight points, while Thomas wasn't far behind with six points.

Sandhills would lead by as many as 21 points in the second half, but Catawba Valley managed to cut its deficit to just 80-73 after a 3-pointer from John Bean with 2:57 remaining.

However, the Flyers would immediately answer on a 3-pointer from Savion Staton to pull them back ahead by double digits for good.

The 17th-ranked CVCC men's basketball team will try to bounce back when it returns to action on Saturday for a road conference contest against Louisburg. Tip off is set for 3 p.m.