No. 21 Lady Eagles Defeat Tusculum, 99-90, In Overtime Saturday At Home
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 21 Carson-Newman (19-4, 8-4 SAC) took advantage of a career-high performance from freshman forward Tasha Phillips (Clarkrange, Tenn.) as the Lady Eagles defeated Tusculum (14-9, 7-6 SAC), 99-90, in overtime at Holt Fieldhouse. With the victory, C-N remains in the top three in the South Atlantic Conference standings.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 21
Carson-Newman (19-4, 8-4 SAC) took advantage of a career-high
performance from freshman forward Tasha Phillips
(Clarkrange, Tenn.) as the Lady Eagles defeated Tusculum (14-9, 7-6
SAC), 99-90, in overtime at Holt Fieldhouse. With the victory, C-N
remains in the top three in the South Atlantic Conference
standings.
“For the first time in about three weeks we had somebody
play with a lot of heart and effort for the last five minutes of
the first half on through the rest of the game,” said
Head Coach Dean Walsh. “I know it sounds
weird when you allow 90 points, but our defense was big for us
tonight. It got us back in the game in the second
half.”
The Pioneers led early thanks to a 10-2 run in the first half that
produced a 24-14 lead with 7:35 to go before the break. After
Carson-Newman cut the cut the lead to five, Tusculum outscored the
Lady Eagles 9-2 over a two minute period late in the period.
Phillips scored the final five points of the half to cut the TC
lead to 38-33.
After the intermission, Phillips continued where she left off, with
C-N’s first six points of the second half. A 19-6 Lady Eagle
run that covered 4:31 gave them their largest lead during
regulation at 58-54. The two teams battled back and forth for the
final 11 minutes as there were six ties and two lead changes.
A layup by TC’s Catherine Hintz (Hastings, Minn.) with 16
seconds remaining knotted the score at 76 while Lady Eagle senior
guard Ashley Kyle’s (Jefferson City, Tenn.)
jumper from the elbow with one second remaining failed to fall,
forcing overtime.
In the extra period, the two teams traded baskets until
Carson-Newman went on a 10-0 run to break the game open and take a
91-80 lead. The Lady Eagles would eventually lead by as much as 13
with 24 seconds remaining on two free throws by junior guard
Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.). Though
Tusculum hit back-to-back three pointers, Carson-Newman held on for
the nine-point win.
Phillips finished the night with 27 points, the most for a Lady
Eagle this season, and added eight rebounds and three blocks.
Freshman guard Candis Clear (Memphis, Tenn.) had
22 points, connecting on four attempts from behind the arc.
Kyle had 17 points and five assists while Mendenhall posted a
double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and chipped in four
steals. Senior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.)
had 14 points and five rebounds as well for the Lady Eagles.
“Tasha did a great job. She played like the state
tournament MVP that we recruited,” added Walsh.
“Candis Clear did a great job. Shari had a better second
half, Mandy Mendenhall played great defense and rebounded even
though her shot wasn’t falling. Ashley Kyle didn’t
shoot well but still came up big for us with her free throws and
assists.”
Tusculum was paced by Jasmine Gunn (Nashville, Tenn.) with a
game-high 28 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Brittni
Oliver (Kokomo, Ind.) had 16 points while Jasmine Parker (Rex, Ga.)
and Kat Spears (Memphis, Tenn.) chipped in 14 and 12,
respectively.
Carson-Newman will honor its three seniors on Wednesday when the
Tornados of Brevard visit Holt Fieldhouse. Tipoff for the SAC
matchup is set for 6:00 p.m.
-Joe Matthews, C-N Sports Information
