C-N, MHU set to “Play for Ace” Wednesday night
February 24, 2026

C-N, MHU set to “Play for Ace” Wednesday night

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Wednesday’s penultimate regular season game will be about more than basketball for Carson-Newman (17-9, 12-8 South Atlantic Conference) and Mars Hill (9-17, 3-17 SAC). 

C-N Game Notes

VIDEO: C-N v. MHU January Highlights

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Wednesday's penultimate regular season game will be about more than basketball for Carson-Newman (17-9, 12-8 South Atlantic Conference) and Mars Hill (9-17, 3-17 SAC). 

Both teams will be donning "Play for Ace" shirts during pregame warmups prior to Wednesday's 7:30 tip in Holt Fieldhouse in honor of the three-year-old son of first-year Mars Hill head coach and former Carson-Newman associate head coach KT Carter. 

Carter's son Ace was diagnosed before birth with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.  In the three years of Ace's life, he has powered through three heart surgeries, survived a cardiac arrest, and spent many days on life support.  News came through on New Year's Eve that Ace's heart was failing.  He spent 36 days in-patient in a hospital in Charlotte before being placed on a heart transplant list.  He will remain in patient at the hospital through his heart transplant.    

For more on Ace's story, or to contribute to the Carters' on going medical costs, visit the family's go fund me here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-ace-family-through-his-heart-transplant-journey

In his first season at MHU, Carter has led the Lions to nine wins, their most since a 10-17 season in 2019-20. 

Carson-Newman has won five straight against Mars Hill and 10 of the last 11. The Eagles average margin of victory in the 10 wins this decade is 16.65 points per game. Carson-Newman has shot better than 50 percent from the field in eight of the last nine halves of basketball, dating back to a 44.3 percent effort in the first half of an eventual 99-72 win for C-N at Stanford Arena on Feb. 7, 2024.

The Lions have dropped 12 straight games, the ninth-longest active losing streak in the country. 

Carson-Newman won the first meeting in Stanford Arena 87-81. C-N got a second-half spark in that game in Jack Browder. The SAC's leading scorer canned four straight threes and helped C-N outscore the Lions on a 16-4 run over the opening five minutes of the second stanza.  The Eagles flipped that six-point deficit into a six-point lead before going on to win 87-81.

Carson-Newman shot 53.3 percent from the field after halftime, and made 8-of-16 second half threes. 

Carson-Newman's three-point marksmanship was needed.  The Lions were 13-of-27 from beyond the arc. MHU went 7-of-10 from deep in the first half, but cooled off and made 6-of-17 after halftime.  This was just the second time MHU has lost a game this season when making 10 or more threes.

Jack Browder enters the contest on 1,983 career points.  He is sixth all-time in scoring in Carson-Newman history and fifth in South Atlantic Conference history. Browder is 17 points away from becoming the sixth player in school history and the the fifth in league history with 2,000 career points.  Browder is sixth among active NCAA Division II players in career scoring and 16th among all players in all divisions.  Chris "The Swish Doctor" Jones is fifth in Carson-Newman history in scoring with 2,007 points, Browder is 24 points away from him.  Beyond him are Steve "Twinetime" Adams in fourth place with 2,034 points - 51 away.  Luquon Choice of Lincoln Memorial sits in fourth place in league history with 2,039 points - 56 points away. 

With 870 career rebounds, Browder is fourth among active Division II players in career rebounds.  Browder, plus Hall of Famers Mike Ogan and Tommy Everette are the only three members of the 1,500/700 club in Carson-Newman history.  Browder is the only player in the NCAA era to do that. 

Browder is one of three active players in college basketball with 1,900 career points and 800 career rebounds.  Carl Cleveland at Young Harris and Gonzaga's Graham Ike are the only others in the NCAA.  Browder's 870 rebounds are the fifth-most in school history and seventh in SAC history.  He needs 19 more rebounds to equal Wingate's Bryan Grier (2003-08) for sixth on the league's all-time rebounding list with 889. 

With 38 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 most double-doubles among active NCAA Division II players. He has the eighth-most double-doubles amongst players in all divisions. Browder's 13 double-doubles this year lead the SAC and are fourth nationally.

Browder is the only player in NCAA Division II to lead his league in scoring and rebounding. Browder is also the only player in the country in the top 20 in both scoring and rebounding.  Browder is sixth in scoring at 23.5 points per game and 17th in rebounding at 9.7 boards per game. 

Browder's next made free throw will be the 500th that he has made in his career.  That figure ranks fourth in school history and on the fifth-highest percentage (.833) for a career.  He looks to be the third player in league history with 500 career free throws made.  He is also eight threes away from becoming the 12th player in school history with 200 threes made. 

Tipoff from Holt Fieldhouse 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 Flo Sports at cneagles.com/FloMBB.  Fans can also watch the Eagle Sports Network crew at work while listening to the radio call on YouTube. 

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