C-N searches for road success in Hickory
January 12, 2024

C-N searches for road success in Hickory

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (11-3, 4-2 South Atlantic Conference) has been one of the most dominant forces in college basketball inside Holt Fieldhouse. 

VIDEO: 2023 Full Lenoir-Rhyne Broadcast

C-N Game Notes

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (11-3, 4-2 South Atlantic Conference) has been one of the most dominant forces in college basketball inside Holt Fieldhouse. 

Outside of the Madhouse on Mossy Creek, C-N has been good, but not crazy elite.  The Eagles will try to change those tides with a trip to Hickory to take on Lenoir-Rhyne (9-6, 4-3 SAC) inside Shuford Memorial Gym Saturday at 4 p.m. 

Carson-Newman has been on another level offensively at home. C-N has topped triple digits in six of its eight home games. The Eagles average 102.1 points at home, while shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three. Those numbers dip on the road, where C-N is averaging 78.3 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting from the field, and 41.8 percent shooting from three.

"Lenoir-Ryne is really good defensively," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We have to figure out early what their defensive strategy is and then what our counter is to that. They have showed they are elite at both defending the paint and the three." 

The Bears boast the top scoring defense in the South Atlantic Conference, only allowing four teams this year to shoot better than 45 percent from the field.  The Bears have also given up more than 80 points just four times this year. 

C-N hasn't scored triple-digits in a true road game since Nov 8, 2019 in a losing effort 103-101 at Lees-McRae. An eighth triple-digit scoring performance this year would match the 2017-18 team for the most in a season in the NCAA era. Carson-Newman hasn't had double-digit, triple-digit performances in a single-season since Chris Jones was coaching in the 1980s. The 1970-71 team holds the record with 12 such games.  

Nick Brenegan's 5.21 made triples per game are the most in the country. He has buried 73 this season, also first nationally among all divisions by pure volume. If he were to maintain this pace, he would break Ish Sanders' single-season record of 99 and become the first Eagle with triple-digit threes in a season. There have been 11 triple-digit three-point seasons in SAC history.

He also ranks third nationally and tops in the SAC in percentage at 52.5 percent for the season. Brenegan has made more threes this season than 39 teams in NCAA Division II. His 73 threes are already tied for the 18th most in a single-season in Carson-Newman basketball history. Another four-three game will move him into a tie with Antoin Davis for the 10th most in a season in school history.

Brenegan has buried multiple threes in every game this season, but the Lincoln Memorial contest. He's made a three in 21 straight games dating back to last season. He has made at least three threes in nine of the last 10 games.

Brenegan, John Zhao, Jack Browder and Trey Hubbard account for a third of the top 12 in the SAC in scoring. The quartet combines to average 71.2 points per game. They average more points per game than Newberry does as a team.

Carson-Newman is one of the top rebounding teams in the country. The Eagles have outrebounded every team they have faced with the exception of Tusculum. Carson-Newman is sixth nationally and number one in the league in total rebounds, averaging 42.29 per game. C-N's 11.3 rebounding margin ranks number one in the nation. Carson-Newman had produced three, three-game streaks where they outrebounded their foes by double digits in Chuck Benson's first 13 years with the program. The Eagles can do that for a third time this year if they go +10 on the glass against the Bears.

Tipoff between the Eagles and Bears is slated for 4 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. 

 

Game Notes Audio Video Live stats Recap Box Score Box Score (PDF)