Byrd and Taylor pace C-N’s SAC Quarterfinal win
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Addison Byrd and Lindsey Taylor combined to score 44 points as second-seeded Carson-Newman advanced to the South Atlantic Conference semifinals with an 86-69 victory over seventh-seeded UVA Wise Wednesday evening at Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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13 | 13 | 24 | 19 | 69 |
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24 | 18 | 27 | 17 | 86 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Addison Byrd and Lindsey Taylor combined to score 44 points as second-seeded Carson-Newman advanced to the South Atlantic Conference semifinals with an 86-69 victory over seventh-seeded UVA Wise Wednesday evening at Holt Fieldhouse.
"Lindsey gives us that inside presence," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "Byrd has been playing really well of late. The way she shoots it, the ball is above her head, she's a very difficult guard. When she is shooting like that she can do that about every game. I am not surprised by that. We see it a lot in practice. As a senior, that is the last time they will play in this gym. I am certainly happy for her."
The Lady Eagles have now won all eight meetings with UVA Wise (12-16) winning by double digits for the seventh time. Carson-Newman (24-5) wins a sixth straight home game and improves to 10-6 all-time as the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
With two more quarters of at least 50 percent shooting, the Orange and Blue have made at least half of their shots in 16 of the last 24 quarters finishing the game with a 49 percent margin outscoring the Cavaliers 44-30 in the paint.
Byrd finishing one point shy of a career high posting 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting adding nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. The Nashville, Tenn. native moved past Mandy Mendenhall for 17th on the school's scoring list in her final home game at Holt Fieldhouse.
"I always tell myself to make the shots you are capable of making," Byrd said. "Don't play outside your box. If you don't make the shots, get rebounds and do something else to contribute to the team – defense and hustle plays. After my first four shots, I had to refocus and play within myself. That has helped me a lot these past few games."
Taylor cashed in the ninth 20-point scoring effort of the season making 10 of 18 from the field with 20 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes on the floor. Skylar Boshears (LaFollette, Tenn.) was the only other Lady Eagle to finish in double figures adding a dozen off of the bench.
✅ Double-digit @CNwbasketball win
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) March 3, 2022
✅ @AddisonByrd3 fills it up
✅ 8-for-8 against Wise
The Lady Eagles start the postseason with a win. pic.twitter.com/CmomLSG5A4
The Lady Eagles started 1-for-7 from the field and fell behind 6-3 before rattling off 13 unanswered points capped by a layup from Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) with 3:36 to play in the first frame. By the end of the quarter, the home unit had pushed the margin out to 11 points at 24-13.
Using an 8-0 burst spanning the break and a 8-0 run when the Cavaliers failed to score for four minutes, C-N built up a 19-point differential at 38-19 on a layup from Taylor. Despite stretch where the team made 10 of 11 shots, the Lady Eagles made 46 percent in the first half and led 42-26 at the half.
"We are very happy obviously after what happened last year to come into this game," Mincey said. "We got off to a slow start then we hit back-to-back threes. The second group that came in played really well especially on the defensive end. That first quarter set us up for the success we didn't necessarily see in the second half."
In a high-scoring third quarter, the teams combined for 51 points but neither side score more than five points in a row. After making six of its first nine shots, C-N missed eight of its final 10 taking a 69-50 advantage into the fourth.
After buckets from Byrd and Taylor to start the fourth, C-N built up its largest lead of the day at 73-50 one minute into the final frame. Despite making 67 percent from the field, the Lady Eagles were outscore by two in the final period settling for a 17-point win.
Four Cavaliers finished in double figures led by 21, 19 in the second half, by Kaitlin Burger who went 9-for-12 from the field adding eight rebounds. Nia Vanzant went 6-for-17 from the field and added 13 points. Kalee Johnson and Caitlyn Ross each chipped in 11.
The Lady Eagles will get a rubber matchup against third-seeded Catawba on Saturday in the SAC semifinals for a 2:30 p.m. tip-off from Furman's campus. Air time on the Eagle Sports Network is 2:15 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) with an audio stream available on cneagles.com/live.
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Team Stats
#7 Virginia-Wise
| Game Statistics | #7 Virginia-Wise | #2 Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-65) | (36-74) |
| Field Goal % | 38.5% | 48.6% |
| Rebounds | 36 | 47 |
| Assists | 15 | 25 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 20 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 9 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 44 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 17 | 21 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 32 |
