Benson eyes career win 400 as C-N heads to North Georgia
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men’s basketball coach Chuck Benson gets his first crack at career win 400 when Carson-Newman (3-0) travels to Dahlonega, Ga. to take on North Georgia (4-0) Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
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32 | 43 | 75 |
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43 | 35 | 78 |
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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson gets his first crack at career win 400 when Carson-Newman (3-0) travels to Dahlonega, Ga. to take on North Georgia (4-0) Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Both teams are receiving votes in the NABC Coaches Poll.
Benson and the dean of SAC coaches Wingate's Brian Good are the only active coaches in the league with 300 wins, let alone 400. Good's 412 career victories in 31 seasons as a head coach are the most among active coaches in the league.
Carson-Newman has won eight straight non-conference games dating back to last season's opening contest against Lake Superior State.
The Eagles are 4-4 this decade against the Peach Belt Conference. Lander and Columbus State account for all the losses, whule Clayton State, Lander and North Georgia represent all the wins.
Carson-Newman is making its first visit to Dahlonega, Ga. since New Year's Eve 2008. The Eagles lost to UNG that night 104-95. Joey Cameron had a double-double in defeat with 24 points and 10 boards.
Jack Browder enters the contest on 1,433 career points. He is 19th all-time in Carson-Newman history in scoring. He can fairly routinely move up to 16th Wednesday. Jay Cuny and Ray Evans are tied for 17th with 1,438 career points, just five points in front of Browder. Meanwhile, Lawrence Ingram sits in 16th with 1,442 career points, nine in front of Browder. It would take another player of the week effort for Browder to move into the top 15. Jerry Cannon is 29 points away with 1,462.
With 651 career rebounds, Browder is sixth among active Division II players in career rebounds. When her gets to 1.500 career points, he will join Mike Ogan, Tommy Everette, Charles Clark, Sawyer Williams and Antoine Davis as the sixth player in school history with 1,500 career points and 500 career rebounds.
The contest features two of the top 10 active scorers in NCAA Division II.
UNG guard AJ White is a three-time All-PBC selection. With 1,593 career points, White is fourth among active DII players in career scoring. Browder is ninth.
North Georgia is the preseason favorite to win the PeachBelt Conference. North Georgia received nine first place votes for a total of 99 points.
The Nighthawks own a one-point overtime win over SAC preseason favorite Lincoln Memorial in a tournament at Young Harris.
In spite of losing seven seniors and 5,200 career points from last year's roster, Carson-Newman's offense clicked into gear quickly on opening weekend. C-N, last year's NCAA statistical champion for field goal efficiency, started the year averaging 93.3 points per game (11th in NCAA DII, first in the SAC) on 52.8 percent shooting (eighth in NCAA DII, second in the SAC). Carson-Newman averaged 21.3 assists per game in its three contests (sixth in NCAA II, first in the SAC).
That pace will probably slow against North Georgia. The Nighthawks are 34th nationally in scoring defense and tops in the PeachBelt giving up 66 points per game.
Carson-Newman's bench scored 83 points in its first two games of the season. The Eagles non-starters accounted for 332 points all last season. Carson-Newman is nearly a quarter of the way to the bench's scoring output last season. Oli Smith scored 22 points off the bench in the opener against King, the first player to come off the bench and score 20 or more since Ren Dyer's 20-point night against Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 31, 2024. There have been seven 20-point nights off the bench since 2022.
C-N heads to North Georgia Wednesday for a 2 p.m. tip. Coverage from the Convocation Center begins at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A live look at the broadcast crew On Press Row is available on YouTube.
Team Stats
#11 North Georgia
| Game Statistics | #25 Carson-Newman | #11 North Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (27-58) | (31-65) |
| Field Goal % | 46.6% | 47.7% |
| Rebounds | 30 | 35 |
| Assists | 18 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 6 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 3 | 9 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 18 |
