Lady Eagles face North Georgia Wednesday
December 4, 2012

Lady Eagles face North Georgia Wednesday

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (5-1) women’s basketball team steps out of conference play as they welcome the North Georgia Lady Saints (2-4) to Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Carson-Newman is riding a five-game winning streak, including a 78-66 victory over North Georgia on Nov. 16 in Dahlonega, Ga.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (5-1) women's basketball team steps out of conference play as they welcome the North Georgia Lady Saints (2-4) to Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.

Carson-Newman is riding a five-game winning streak, including a 78-66 victory over North Georgia on Nov. 16 in Dahlonega, Ga.

"It's nice to have that five-game winning streak," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "Those last three games where we haven't necessarily played as well as we would've liked but nevertheless we've got it done at the end to pick up the three victories. North Georgia was the last game where we really played well and we certainly did down there."

Carson-Newman's most recent victory came last Wednesday, as the Lady Eagles won their South Atlantic Conference Opener against the Brevard Tornados 62-59 in overtime at Holt Fieldhouse. The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by junior Shyra Brown (Cleveland, Tenn.) as she came off the bench and scored 13 points. Carson-Newman also saw senior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) and freshman Jai Jai McLaughlin pick up their first double-doubles of the season.

The Lady Eagles continue to be led in scoring by freshman Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.), as she averages 15 points a game, with Brown and James also averaging double-digit points per contest.

In Carson-Newman's first meeting against North Georgia, Burstrom scored a season-high 23 points as she hit five three-pointers in the Lady Eagles' 12-point win. North Georgia's Jaymee Carnes, the 2011-12 NCAA Division II Player of the Year, scored 27 points yet missed key minutes in the second half due to foul trouble.

"She's going to get her shot attempts, and she always scores an efficient 26 or 27 points when she gets it," said Mincey on Carnes. "North Georgia's scheme is to look for her and to get her the ball so she can have those opportunities. We're going to have to do a good job against her tomorrow."

The Lady Saints were picked to finish sixth in the preseason Peach Belt Conference coaches poll, and Carnes leads North Georgia in scoring, averaging 22 points a game.

Coverage of the game is avaliable on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network, beginning with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff at 5:45 p.m. and the broadcast is also available on www.cneagles.com.

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