Eagles look for first 20-win season since 2002-2003 Wednesday night versus Catawba
February 27, 2013

Eagles look for first 20-win season since 2002-2003 Wednesday night versus Catawba

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (19-4, 12-4 South Atlantic Conference) will try to keep the hot hand following Saturday’s 37-point thrashing of then co-league leader Anderson. The Eagles have an opportunity to win 20 games this year when they hit the road for Catawba (8-16, 4-11 SAC) Wednesday.

Carson-Newman Game Notes

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (19-4, 12-4 South Atlantic Conference) will try to keep the hot hand following Saturday's 37-point thrashing of then co-league leader Anderson.  The Eagles have an opportunity to win 20 games this year when they hit the road for Catawba (8-16, 4-11 SAC) Wednesday. 

Carson-Newman can clinch a first round home game in the SAC tournament with a victory.

The last time C-N won 20 contests in a year, it was 2002-2003 and Kyle Gribble was on his way to becoming an All-American for coach Dale Clayton. 

However, a tough Indian club stands in the way of that goal.  Catawba upset Lincoln Memorial at Goodman Gym by 10 to start the month of February and are coming off a loss to Newberry where the Indians buried 12 treys. 

"This is a potential trap game, but we enter this game like any other game with a focus and seriousness that we have to control the controllables in order to give ourselves a chance to win," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "Are we up? Are we down? No, we're steady and going to try to win this one like we've won the rest of them."

Freshman player of the year candidate Elon Edwards leads the Indians with 13.4 points per game, 3.6 rebounds a contest and 4.5 assists.  Tyrece Little provides a post presence and a formidable 1-2 punch with 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds a game. 

The Eagles won the first meeting 76-65, but little went for 17 points and seven rebounds in that affair.

"Hopefully we can extend our zone out and defend the three but be able to extend to help on the inside to limit Little," Benson said. "They've got inside and out scoring threats and that'll put a strain on our defense."

Carson-Newman's big two have been white hot of late.  Ish Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) is the reigning SAC player of the week and is on a four-game streak where he's scored at least 25 points a game.  He and fellow junior Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) account for 59 percent of Carson-Newman's scoring over the last five games.  The duo is tied for the league lead in points per game with 19.3 a contest.

"It's not like Ish or Toine are doing anything different from a practice or preparation standpoint," Benson said. "I just think it's a testament to their confidence and as a team we're getting them more good looks in the half court. Hopefully they have some more of that in them as we wrap of the regular season and head on into the conference tournament."

The Eagles and Indians tip at 8 p.m. Wednesday.  Coverage on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:45 p.m. with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff. 

-CN-

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