Midweek road swing sends No. 23 C-N to Mars Hill Monday
January 18, 2021

Midweek road swing sends No. 23 C-N to Mars Hill Monday

MARS HILL, N.C. – For the first time during the 2020-21 regular season, 23rd-ranked Carson-Newman is slated to hit the road Monday night travelling to Mars Hill for a 5:30 p.m. South Atlantic Conference tip-off inside of Stanford Arena with the Lady Eagles looking to extend their momentum.

C-N Game Notes (PDF)

MARS HILL, N.C. – For the first time during the 2020-21 regular season, 23rd-ranked Carson-Newman is slated to hit the road Monday night travelling to Mars Hill for a 5:30 p.m. South Atlantic Conference tip-off inside of Stanford Arena with the Lady Eagles looking to extend their momentum.

"We have had a plan in place knowing that this was going to happen," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "You have to play to win the game in front of you. They have 48 hours. These kids used to do it in AAU all the time to where they a game and then another. Now they have time to get in the training room. It's the nature of the game this particular year. You have to take care of your body, get enough sleep and drink enough water."

With an 18-point win on Saturday against Lenoir-Rhyne, Carson-Newman (4-0, 4-0) has won seven straight regular season league games and 11 of its last 12 dating back to a 79-74 loss at Tusculum on Feb. 19, 2020. It is the second-longest active string in the SAC behind the Pioneers 9-0 start to this season.

The Lady Eagles have tallied 11 wins in true road affairs in each of the last three years going 33-8 in that stretch after posting a 38-39 mark in the first six years of Mike Mincey's tenure. In that span, no team in the conference has been better travelling in SAC affairs. Carson-Newman is 25-6 since the start of 2017-18 in league road games. Anderson is 25-11 during that stretch thanks to an undefeated effort in 2018-19.

After opening the year shooting 42 percent from the field, C-N has converted at least 50 percent of its shots from the floor in each of the last two games making 55 percent (66-for-121). The last time the Orange and Blue produced back-to-back shooting efforts above 50 percent was Dec. 14-18, 2019 against Coker and Mars Hill. Saturday's shooting performance was the best by the Lady Eagles since a program-record 68 percent effort versus Queens on Feb. 10, 2018.

The two clubs are facing off for the 71st affair as C-N is leading Mars Hill 53-18 behind eight straight wins and 15 of the last 16. During the current eight-game winning streak, C-N has scored no fewer than 86 points winning by at least 23 and as many as 63 for an average of 46 per game. Mincey's crew has eclipsed triple digits in four of the last six.

The lone blemish in this recent stretch came at Stanford Arena on Feb. 3, 2016, an 83-82 comeback win for the Lions. Mincey's crew is 7-2 in his tenure on the road in the series and the program is 22-12 overall in the mountains. During a four-game winning streak at Stanford Arena, the Lady Eagles have won by 33, 58, 38 and 23.

Over the last four years, Mars Hill is 8-80 overall with a 4-65 record in SAC play and a 4-37 mark at home. Three of the conference victories have come against Queens including its lone victory this year in the season opener, 83-78 at home. Since the win, the Lions have dropped six in a row with five of the six coming by double figures and the other by nine points. The average differential is 23 points.

Defensively, Mars Hill has been one of the worst in the country allowing 81 points per game and 41 percent shooting. After allowing less than 70 points to Newberry and Tusculum, Lincoln Memorial exploded for 82 in a 32-point win on Saturday over the Lions.

De'Ja Marshall has been a major bright spot for Briana Clark's team ranking first and second respectively averaging 20 points and 16 rebounds per game this year. She has at least 15 rebounds in six of seven games with four contests of at least 18. In her first four games of the year, Marshall converted at a 54 percent clip but has gone 12-for-53, 23 percent, in her last three that includes a two-point showing against Newberry.

Gabby Gianikos is also providing double figures at a dozen per night scoring in double figures in four of her last five games posting 15 a game after notching a total of 13 in the first two outings. She is just 6-for-23 from the field in the last two outings however.

Monday's affair can be enjoyed on two platforms. Radio coverage can be found on 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) with an audio stream available on cneagles.com/live starting at 5:15 p.m. with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off".

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