Carson-Newman Women’s Basketball Wins Season Opener, 68-57, Sunday Over Anderson
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman College Lady Eagles forced 38 turnovers and pulled down a school-record 27 offensive rebounds to overcome a cold-shooting afternoon and beat Anderson (S.C.) University, 68-57, on Sunday at Holt Fieldhouse.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman
College Lady Eagles forced 38 turnovers and pulled down a
school-record 27 offensive rebounds to overcome a cold-shooting
afternoon and beat Anderson (S.C.) University, 68-57, on Sunday at
Holt Fieldhouse.
With the win, C-N improves to 1-0 on the year, while Anderson
falls to 0-1.
“Our nerves were sky high tonight and that was one of my
concerns about playing our first game at home,” said
Head Coach Dean Walsh. “We played too
high almost the entire game but finally found a rhythm with about
five minutes left in the second half. Although we had way too many
turnovers (26) and let them get to the line too much, I’m
pleased with our level of intensity, our rebounding and our
defense.”
Carson-Newman shot a mere 31.4 percent (22-for-70) from the floor
for the contest, a far cry from its 47.3 percent mark last year
which was second in NCAA Division II.
“We missed way too many layups, if we made them we
probably could have scored 40 more points,” continued
Walsh. “However we did a good job staying in our press
even off of our missed shots, but it would have been better if we
made more shots and had more time to set it up.”
After trailing by one at 5-4, the Lady Eagles held Anderson
scoreless for a six-minute stretch in the first half to build a
lead they would never give up. C-N outscored the visiting Trojans
16-0 to take a 21-9 lead with seven minutes to play before
intermission. Anderson went on a 12-3 run over the final three
minutes of the period to close the margin to 34-24.
After the break, C-N held a single digit lead before the Lady
Eagles saw their advantage cut to its closest margin at five with
2:49 to play. Sophomore guard Katlin Moore (Fort
Mill, S.C.) answered with one of four late three-pointers to push
the lead back out to eight. C-N missed on its first 13
opportunities from outside the arc, before making 4-of-5 to
close.
Senior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.) led
the Lady Eagles with nine points and 17 rebounds, while fellow
All-South Atlantic Conference selection senior guard Ashley
Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.) had 17 points including
8-of-9 from the charity stripe and added four assists. Freshman
forward Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) chipped
in 10 points in her first college game.
“Shari did a great job on the boards, and we will get better
at finishing as the season progresses,” concluded Walsh.
“Courdne did well in her first game also. We got a good
win over a quality opponent that has been in the NCAA Tournament
for the past couple years, and we can be happy about
that."
Anderson was led by Shanice Wilson (Piedmont, S.C.) and Alexa Neal
(Greensboro, N.C.) as the pair tallied 12 and 11 points,
respectively. Ashley Abed (Oakton, Va.) had team highs of five
rebounds and five steals as well for the Trojans.
Carson-Newman returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Augusta
State University at Holt Fieldhouse. Tipoff is for 6:00 p.m.
