Lady Eagles overcome slow start to race past Lions
January 2, 2016

Lady Eagles overcome slow start to race past Lions

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After Mars Hill sprinted out to a 15-2 lead less than five minutes into the game, Carson-Newman exploded to close out the first half on a 41-12 run to win its seventh straight against Mars Hill 87-68 Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.

VIDEO: Mike Mincey Interview

VIDEO: Jecca Simerly Interview

VIDEO: Game Highlights

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After Mars Hill sprinted out to a 15-2 lead less than five minutes into the game, Carson-Newman exploded to close out the first half on a 41-12 run to win its seventh straight against Mars Hill 87-68 Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.

"They shot very well early and got up 15-2," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "They came out in a zone and we were very lethargic and stagnant in the zone. They were unwilling to shoot the open shots. We made a few substitutions. We went back with a guard lineup. We played a lot better defense and made it a lot tougher, gave up three offensive rebounds in the first half. I've never been a part of a game like that where we fell behind like that and turned it around 41-12."

The first quarter featured a large run by each team as Mars Hill (3-8, 2-4 South Atlantic Conference) started the frame on a 15-2 run to the 5:40 mark as Carson-Newman (9-3, 3-3 SAC) had missed six straight field goals. The Lady Eagles quickly responded with nine straight points and ended the quarter on a 13-3 jaunt to trail 18-16 after 10 minutes.

The second quarter belonged to the Lady Eagles as the Lions went 3-for-14 from the floor in the second stanza. Mars Hill led 22-21 at the 7:18 mark when the Lady Eagles went on a 17-0 run over the next 5:27 to go ahead 38-22. The Lions were 0-for-10 during that stretch while the Lady Eagles made 8 of 10. A 27-9 quarter for Carson-Newman saw the home team ahead 43-27 at the break.

Junior guard Kailyn Brooks (Lafayette, Tenn.) had nine points during the 17-0 run and scored a game-high 14 points in the first 20 minutes as eight different players scored for Carson-Newman.

At one point in the third frame Carson-Newman made eight straight field goals while going 9-for-13 overall from the field in the quarter. A 15-4 start to the third saw the Lady Eagles cruise to a 64-37 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Mars Hill went 11-for-15 from the floor in the fourth quarter and outscored Carson-Newman 31-21 to make things respectable despite the Lady Eagles extending their lead to a game-high 33 points with 5:53 to play in the game.

Five players scored in double figures for the Lady Eagles for the first time since Feb. 5, 2015 at Lincoln Memorial. Brooks led all players with 20 points and five assists on the night. Freshman guard Briana Smith (Nashville, Tenn.) had 14 points, redshirt-sophomore Katie Stubblefield (Alcoa, Tenn.) and redshirt-freshman Kayla Newman (Alcoa, Tenn.) each had 13 points and sophomore forward Jecca Simerly (Talbott, Tenn.) chipped in 10 points.

"We realized our offense hadn't been flowing the way it had been," Simerly said. "We talked about it and got it fixed. The ball movement was a lot better and that created a lot of offense for us and that fueled our defense."

The Lady Eagles matched a season-high with 22 assists on 30 made baskets and a 53.6 shooting percentage from the floor.

Genice Lane led Mars Hill with 15 points and six rebounds leading three players in double figures as Candence Wilmoth had 14 points and Paige Chavis had 12 points. The Lions leading scorer, Ansley Ricker, was held to five points in 23 minutes.

Carson-Newman embarks on a pair of road trips next week beginning with the short trip to Tusculum Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Broadcast coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off on the Eagles Sports Network.

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