Eagles close out 2025 with old VSAC Rivalry
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (7-3) will aim to tie a bow on 2025 with its final nonconference game and the renewal of a storied Volunteer State Athletic Conference rivalry.
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VIDEO: C-N v. TWU 2023 Full Broadcast Replay
VIDEO: C-N v. TWU 2023 Highlights
VIDEO: On Press Row
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (7-3) will aim to tie a bow on 2025 with its final nonconference game and the renewal of a storied Volunteer State Athletic Conference rivalry.
The Eagles welcome NAIA foe and Appalachian Athletic Conference member Tennessee Wesleyan (5-6) to Holt Fieldhouse for a 2 p.m. tip New Year's Eve.
The Eagles and Bulldogs are playing for the 91st time Wednesday. The Eagles and Bulldogs have met just seven times since Carson-Newman moved to Division II in the early 1990s. C-N is 7-1 in those meetings, losing 78-69 in 1998, winning 78-71 in 1999, 75-60 in 2010, 98-74 in 2014, 81-73 in 2018, 103-70 in 2019 and by a series-best margin of 110-65 in 2022. The Eagles won 107-83 on Dec. 19, 2023. The two teams met every year from 1968-1991.
Carson-Newman hopes the Bulldogs solve some three-point shooting woes. The Eagles are 16-of-64 (25 percent) from beyond the arc over their last three games. In the last two meetings with TWU, Carson-Newman has connected on 22 and 17 threes, respectively.
Carson-Newman and Tennessee Wesleyan share some connections. Carson-Newman head baseball coach Tom Griffin is a Tennessee Wesleyan alum and a member of the TWU Athletic Hall of Fame. Carson-Newman head men's soccer coach Stephen Lyons played and coached for the Bulldogs before moving to Mossy Creek. Carson-Newman's fourth all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Steve Adams coached the Bulldogs' basketball program from 1994-2004.
This marks the third time under head coach Chuck Benson the Eagles tip on New Year's Eve. C-N is 1-1 on the holiday under Benson, with a 76-71 win at Mars Hill to finish 2016 and a 94-85 loss to Lander to end 2022. Carson-Newman is 1-3 on the date this millenium.
Jack Browder enters the contest on 1,601 career points. He is 10th all-time in scoring, and, if you follow numbers, the program's 13th all-time 1,500-point scorer. Jerald Ellington is next to catch on the all-time scoring list with 1,662 points. Browder is 61 away from him. Browder is eighth among active NCAA Division II players in career scoring and 32nd among all players in all divisions.
With 718 career rebounds, Browder is fifth among active Division II players in career rebounds. With 1,500 career points, he has joined 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. Browder, Ogan and Everette are the only three members of the 1,500/700 club. Browder is the only player in the NCAA era to do that. Browder is one of eight active players playing NCAA college basketball with 1,500 career points and 700 career rebounds. Carl Cleveland at Young Harris and Maceo Williams at Ashland are the only others in NCAA Division II.
With 30 career double-doubles, Browder already has career mark for Carson-Newman for all-time double-doubles (at least in the NCAA era where we have game-by-game stats). He has the second-most double-doubles among active NCAA Division II players, behind Young Harris' Carl Cleveland's 31. He has the 15th-most double-doubles amongst players in all divisions.
Browder is the only player in NCAA Division II to lead his league in scoring and rebounding. Browder is the only player in the country in the top 25 in both scoring and rebounding. Browder is sixth in scoring at 22.8 points per game and 10th in rebounding at 10.0 boards per game.
Carson-Newman returns to the floor on New Year's Eve against Tennessee Wesleyan. Tipoff with the Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 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. Fans can also watch a feed on press row on YouTube.
Team Stats
Tenn. Wesleyan
| Game Statistics | Tenn. Wesleyan | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (27-72) | (33-69) |
| Field Goal % | 37.5% | 47.8% |
| Rebounds | 33 | 56 |
| Assists | 15 | 25 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 19 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 50 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 15 | 18 |
| Bench Pts | 26 | 20 |
