January 23, 2013

Lady Eagles bounce Lady Railsplitters 63-51

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles basketball team (10-4, 4-3 South Atlantic Conference) defeated their in-state rivals the Lincoln Memorial Lady Railsplitters (8-9, 1-6 South Atlantic Conference) by a score of 63-51 at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) and Jai Jai McLaughlin with their 13 points, and the duo was joined in double figures by Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) who added 10 points on her 19th birthday as Carson-Newman improved to 6-0 at home this season.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles basketball team (10-4, 4-3 South Atlantic Conference) defeated their in-state rivals the Lincoln Memorial Lady Railsplitters (8-9, 1-6 South Atlantic Conference) by a score of 63-51 at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.

The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) and Jai Jai McLaughlin with their 13 points, and the duo was joined in double figures by Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) who added 10 points on her 19^th birthday as Carson-Newman improved to 6-0 at home this season.

"I thought we came out and played really hard in the first half, especially out of our press that we were running," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "To have those threes back from Tatum, that's a huge key and certainly her and Jai Jai getting in double figures as freshmen, that's good for us because they're doing it now because they're going to be able to do it for three more years."

For Miles, her 13-point performance marked the third straight game where she scored in double-figures for the Lady Eagles, raising her scoring average to seven points per game.

The Lady Eagles shot 48 percent from the field in the first half and hit on a trio of three-pointers to help Carson-Newman lead going into the locker room, 39-33. Burstrom was the leading scorer for the Lady Eagles in the first half with her 10 points, thanks in large part to her trio of three-pointers.

LMU opened the second half with a three-pointer from Kalasia Green to cut Carson-Nemwan's lead to three points, but that would be as close as the Lady Railsplitters would get for the rest of the game. Carson-Newman went on an 8-3 to grow the lead to nine with 15:07 to play, and the lead would never get under seven for the remainder of the contest.

The Lady Eagles finished the game shooting 44.2 percent from the field, and also won the rebounding battle 39-27 as Carson-Newman picked up the 12-point victory. Lashawnda Peacher (Springfield, Tenn.) provided solid play off the bench for Carson-Newman as she added seven points and six rebounds in her 24 minutes.

"I felt great," said Peacher. "I promised the coaches I would give them 100 percent and it felt good to be out there and get the win."

Carson-Newman will next play at home on Sat. January 26 against Catawba at Holt Fieldhouse at 2 p.m. Coverage of the game is available on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network, beginning with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff at 1:45 p.m. and the broadcast is also available on www.cneagles.com.