Rivalry gameday on deck for No. 24/20 Eagles and Pioneers
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (5-1, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) will look to continue its torrid start to the season when it welcomes rival Tusculum (0-4, 0-0 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse for a 7:30 tip Wednesday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
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43 | 48 | 91 |
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57 | 38 | 95 |
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (5-1, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) will look to continue its torrid start to the season when it welcomes rival Tusculum (0-4, 0-0 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse for a 7:30 tip Wednesday night.
While the Eagles knocked the Pioneers out of the SAC tournament last season and triumphed in Greeneville, Carson-Newman hasn't won at home against Tusculum since a 72-68 decision on Jan. 15, 2020. The Pioneers have won four straight in Holt Fieldhouse.
"November successes or failures mean nothing in this kind of game," head coach Chuck Benson said. "As I told our guys, the last time that we beat Tusculum in Holt Fieldhouse was the 19-20 season. Nobody, our roster has beaten Tusculum in this building. So to say that that we will be excited to compete and ready to play is an understatement. I'm sure they're going to be hungry after they've had a slower start this year. I think Coach JT Burton, his staff do a great job. I know that the fabric of that program and what it's made of and they're going to bring their A games to Jefferson City as they do every year. I expect it'll be an intense competitive battle and it'll take 40 minutes of consistent play to get a win."
Carson-Newman has shot 50 percent from the field in five straight games. The Eagles haven't sank 50 percent of their shots in five straight since the start of an 11-game win streak during the 2020-21 truncated CoVID season. The Eagles did it from Feb. 1-13 that year against Limestone, Anderson, Catawba (twice) and UVA Wise before shooting 42.9 percent from the field in an 86-69 win over Benedict. The Eagles haven't shot 50 percent or better in six straight since starting the 2017-18 season with seven straight 50 percent or better shooting nights.
Tusculum did a nice job impacting Carson-Newman's efficiency last season. The Pioneers kept the Eagles below 45 percent shooting in the meetings in the South Atlantic Conference tournament and in Holt Fieldhouse last year. C-N shot 48 percent from the field in Greeneville, Tenn.
Senior shooting guard Nick Brenegan became the eighth member of the 200 three club at Carson-Newman against King on Saturday. He has 212 triples in his career, and needs one more to pass Antoine Davis and move into the top five in career threes made. He is fifth in school history with 213. Brenegan needs 10 more to catch his older brother Luke for fourth on the all-time list, and to prove he is a substantially better shooter than his older brother.
The 1,000-point watch for Carson-Newman's 42nd member of the 1K club in C-N history is on. Nick Brenegan joined the club with a 29-point effort in a 105-101 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Brenegan sits on 1,013 career points as the club's 41st member. John Zhao is within striking distance with 972 points. He needs 28 to become number 42. Chuck Benson has coached 11 members of Carson-Newman's 1,000-point club.
Carson-Newman is clicking into the offensive form in which it spent much of the 2023-24 season. The Eagles have been hyper efficient to begin the year, averaging 53.0 percent shooting, a figure that is 16th nationally. Carson-Newman is 12th in effective field goal perentage at .620. C-N has shot better than 50 percent from the field in all five games on its active winning streak. The Eagles have scored 100 points in four straight games in Holt Fieldhouse dating back to an 84-81 loss to Tusculum on Valentine's Day last year.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Pioneers is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMBB.
Team Stats
Tusculum
| Game Statistics | Tusculum | #24/20 Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (36-75) | (35-64) |
| Field Goal % | 48.0% | 54.7% |
| Rebounds | 33 | 41 |
| Assists | 18 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 4 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 10 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 48 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 3 | 22 |
| Bench Pts | 27 | 2 |
