Stellar OT session helps C-N to season sweep of TU
January 28, 2026

Stellar OT session helps C-N to season sweep of TU

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – There’s no surprise given the history between the two East Tennessee rivals that it took overtime for Carson-Newman (11-8, 6-7 South Atlantic Conference) to beat Tusculum (8-11, 4-9 SAC) 69-60 Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse. 

VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview

VIDEO: Highlights

VIDEO: Jack Browder Interview

VIDEO: Rylan Houck Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – There's no surprise given the history between the two East Tennessee rivals that it took overtime for Carson-Newman (11-8, 6-7 South Atlantic Conference) to beat Tusculum (8-11, 4-9 SAC) 69-60 Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse. 

With seven of the last 12 meetings decided by four points or less, a tight showdown was no shock.  However, the path to the 69-60 OT final was a peculiar one.  Carson-Newman sweeps the regular season series with TU for the first time since 2017-18. 

Carson-Newman dropped the hammer with a 21-5 run over a 10-minute stretch in the first half to grab an 18-point lead three minutes before halftime.  The burst saw Carson-Newman limit Tusculum to two made buckets in that 10-minute stretch. The Pioneers started 6-of-29 from the field. 

The Eagles carried a 35-20 lead into the halftime lockerroom. The 20 points are the fewest C-N has allowed in a half this season and the first time an opponent has scored 20 or fewer points in a half since Jan. 6, 2024 against Newberry.  However, Tusculum was undaunted. While C-N failed to score for the first 6:39 seconds of the second half, TU rattled off an 18-2 run to take a 38-37 lead with 12:16 to go in regulation.  The spurt was aided by seven C-N turnovers in the first 6:30 of the second half while the Pioneers switched from a zone defense to man. 

"Credit to Tusculum," head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "They caught us off guard with their man defense in the second half. They'd not been using that of late. I knew (Tusculum head coach) JT (Burton) would get them riled up. They got up in us in the second half and our response was less than what I'd hoped it would be. Between the adversity they created and the adversity we created for ourselves with free throws, we could have ended it in regulation.  We demonstrated some resiliency when faced with that adversity. I'm proud of them for showing that because that's always a step in the right direction." 

Carson-Newman held a 52-47 lead with 2:57 to go in regulation following a Matt Bilbrey (Crossville, Tenn.), and likely could have ended things after 40 minutes if the conference's best free throw shooting team had made its free throws.  Carson-Newman was 1-of-7 from the charity stripe in the second half and finished the game 9-of-17 at the line.  The Eagles, who make 81 percent of their free throws in the final five minutes of games, were 0-for-5 in the final five minutes of regulation.  C-N missed the front end of three one-and-ones in that stretch.

Leading by three with 29 seconds left, Bilbrey got fouled with C-N in the double bonus.  He shorted the first before TU called for time.  After the break, Bilbrey's second went halfway down before popping out over the front lip of the rim to give the Pioneers an opportunity to force OT. 

Bryce Jackson delivered for the Pioneers with a running left wing three that knotted the game with 14 seconds left. Bilbrey's would-be game-winning three from the right wing was online but short. The rebound bounced out of bounds with 1.9 seconds left, giving Jackson a chance to be the hero.  His halfcourt heaved caromed off the right side of the rim to guarantee bonus basketball. 

"Our guys were a little frustrated down the stretch," Benson said. "I told our guys when we took that timeout after Bryce tied it, that we were either gonna win the game now, or we were gonna win it in overtime. We were deflated after it went to overtime, but we would shake that off, not regret anything and be present in the moment to do the job. They came out and delivered on that request.  It wasn't easy."

Tusculum outscored C-N 32-17 in the second half. It marked the first time C-N had scored fewer than 20 in a half in half a decade, since tallying 19 in the second half at Newberry on Dec. 11, 2021.  In fact, its just the eighth half of basketball under Benson the Eagles have scored 20 or fewer, and tied for the second-fewest points in a half in Benson's 16 years at C-N.  Carson-Newman had lost the previous seven games it happened. 

All Carson-Newman's frustrations melted away in the overtime session. C-N matched its scoring output from the second half in OT. Carson-Newman made 4-of-5 shots from the field, 2-of-3 threes and 7-of-8 free throws in the extra session.

"We got a big boost from the Mossy Creek Maniacs," Benson said. "The group across from their bench were out of their minds. They applied extra pressure to Tusculum's bench, staff and guys on the court. It was fuel for our guys." 

Furthermore, Tusculum didn't make a shot from the field until under a minute to go.  C-N outscored TU 16-2 to start OT. Braden Ilic (Morristown, Tenn.) and Bilbrey jump started a 12-0 run with back-to-back threes. Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) put the game on ice with the next six. 

Carson-Newman was stellar defensively, holding Tusculum to a season-low 28.6 percent shooting.  The Pioneers were 8-of-29 (27.6 percent) from distance.  It marks the first game C-N has held an opponent below 30 percent shooting since that game against Newberry on Jan. 6, 2024. 

"I thought our defense for the entire game, we met our number one target in an exceptional way," Benson said. "To beat them on the glass by double-digits is really hard to do. That's a team that prides themselves on their ability to rebound. Our defense, even when it gave up shots, they made some tough shots. And that includes the shot to send it to overtime." 

Carson-Newman outrebounded the Pioneers 54-41.  C-N had 47 defensive rebounds, only giving up 11 offensive boards and 12 second chance points to a Pioneer team that missed 55 shots. 

Browder led Carson-Newman with his 35th career double-double and his league-leading 10th of the season. 

The SAC's leading scorer poured in 26 points and snared 14 boards.  He was 8-for-18 from the field, 3-of-8 from the line and 7-of-8 at the stripe. 

Browder surpassed both the 1,800 point and the 800-rebound thresholds in the win. He is the program's eighth all-time 1,800-point scorer and its fifth past 800 boards. 

"The idea that we could get two from them this season really motivated Jack," Benson said. "After last weekend's game at Catawba where he struggled a little, today was a chance to get back and perform in such a way that he is a guy who performs at an elite level 99 percent of the time." 

Browder was transcendent in the first half, scoring 17 points before the break.  He then went 0-for-4 in the second stanza before bursting for nine in OT. 

Bilbrey and Ilic joined him in double figures. Bilbrey had 14, including 4-of-7 from deep, and handed out six assists. Ilic finished with 11 points and eight boards. 

Rylan Houck (Oxford, Ala.) came within a stones throw of a double-double with eight points, a career-high matching 10 rebounds and a career-high six assists. 

Jordan Attia led TU with 13 points.  The Pioneers leading scorer Jackson added 11 and nine boards, albeit on 3-of-14 shooting.  Malachi Hale had 10 points off the bench, including six of TU's eight in OT. 

Carson-Newman shot 43.1 percent from the field for the game and went 10-of-26 from beyond the arc.  C-N handed out 20 assists on 25 made baskets.  C-N turned it over 17 times, compared to eight for the Pioneers. However, TU only had a 9-4 edge in points of turnovers. The Pioneers only scored off four of C-N's 17 giveaways. 

Carson-Newman faces a short turnaround with a second straight weekend game moved up 24 hours. C-N plays host to Coker at 4 p.m. Friday from inside Holt Fieldhouse.  Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.  A video stream is available through FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMbb.  Fans can also watch the radio crew at work with a feed of press row on YouTube. 

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