Angling to get back in the win column, C-N visits LMU
HARROGATE, Tenn. – Looking to bounce back after its fourth loss of the season, Carson-Newman goes on the road making the short journey to visit fellow Volunteer State program Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in a South Atlantic Conference clash.
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HARROGATE, Tenn. – Looking to bounce back after its fourth loss of the season, Carson-Newman goes on the road making the short journey to visit fellow Volunteer State program Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in a South Atlantic Conference clash.
"They are very dangerous from the perimeter," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "They shoot the three ball well. They are a dangerous team. If they are making their shots, the can compete with anybody. They have some very nice offensive players and can put five three-point shooters on the floor at any point in time which makes them difficult to guard."
The Orange and Blue have not dropped back-to-back regular-season games since Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 2019 with losses to Wingate and at No. 16 Anderson. This year the team has rebounded from its first three losses with 53-point drubbing of USC Aiken, a 15-point toppling of Lenoir-Rhyne and a 28-point dismantling of UVA Wise.
Carson-Newman (15-4, 12-3) has won all six of its Wednesday games this year rattling off nine in a row since losing 87-82 at Lincoln Memorial (8-7, 6-6) on Jan. 27, 2021 and 14 of its last 15. Over the last three years, the school has recorded a 21-3 mark in Wednesday affairs.
The Railsplitters are the only team in the league that the Lady Eagles have not played and will see them twice in a span of 29 days. It will be the 90th meeting with C-N holding a 53-36 advantage but it is 12-12 since Mincey took the reins in 2011-12.
A visit to Tex Turner Arena has rarely been friendly with the unit losing seven of the last 10 trips to Harrogate including an 87-82 decision last season. In the other two meetings, the Lady Eagles bombarded the 'Splitters 85-46 in the regular-season finale to clinch the SAC title before turning around and losing 78-72 in the SAC Tournament's opening round affair.
Coach Devan Carter's team had won four straight contests but has lost two in a row including a 19-point home loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on Monday night. The club has shot at least 50 percent in four of the last six games. However in the two where it failed to hit that mark, the team shot 33 percent and 31 percent.
Despite scoring the fifth-fewest points per game in the SAC this year, LMU is the third-most efficient team making 43 percent from the field. A key part of the reason lies in turnovers where they are averaging 17 per game with 23 in each of the last two outings.
Defensively, the 'Splitters are best the scoring defense in the league surrendering a mere, 57 points per game, good for 31st in the country, and opponents are shooting 38 percent from the field, the third-best margin in the league. Only two teams have scored more than 70 points with Catawba's 72 from Saturday the season high. Eight teams have scored 60 points or fewer and nine have shot 40 percent or worse.
Despite ranking 12th in the SAC in rebounding with 35 per night, the team has only been outrebounded eight times having pulled down fewer than 40 boards in all but five games. The team has the third-fewest offensive rebounds per game in the entire country yanking down seven per game.
Four players are scoring double figures on a nightly basis led by Belmont Abbey transfer Irelynn Davisson's 13 a year after she helped the Crusaders to the region title. She has 11 double-digit scoring games but has held to six points or less three times. The guard leads the conference with 47 three-pointers having hit at least two in eight games in a row.
Overall, 41 percent of the team's made field goals this year have come from long range as LMU has connected on at least six in all but one game making a season-low three at Wingate on Nov. 20. It has made at least seven in 10 straight games with five double-digit nights.
Fans can tune into the broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network starting at 5:15 for "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off" on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) with an audio stream available on cneagles.com/live free of charge.
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Team Stats
Lincoln Memorial
| Game Statistics | Carson-Newman | Lincoln Memorial |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (26-62) | (19-54) |
| Field Goal % | 41.9% | 35.2% |
| Rebounds | 46 | 31 |
| Assists | 13 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 7 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 3 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 8 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 19 | 21 |
