Fourth quarter burst powers C-N past #14 UNG in home opener
Carson-Newman (3-2) continued its success in home openers using a strong fourth quarter to get past #14 North Georgia (4-4) 82-74 on Tuesday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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19 | 13 | 27 | 15 | 74 |
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26 | 18 | 14 | 24 | 82 |
VIDEO: Emily Gonzalez Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (3-2) continued its success in home openers using a strong fourth quarter to get past #14 North Georgia (4-4) 82-74 on Tuesday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
The Lady Eagles have now won 18 of their past 19 home openers and improve to 14-1 under head coach Mike Mincey.
"North Georgia is obviously a fabulous team," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "I knew having a 12-point lead at halftime was not safe by any means. They answered big time with their offense in the third. When we went down 1 after three, I thought are we going to be able to respond. We certainly responded in a big way, getting stops and some timely scores as well."
Carson-Newman continues its success at home, having won 28 of its past 29 including eight straight dating back to last win. That success has also been against ranked clubs as well, having won four straight games over ranked teams at Holt Fieldhouse.
C-N has won 27 straight games when reaching the 70-point mark and shot 50% or better for the 82nd time in the Mincey era and the second time this year.
A trio of Lady Eagles led the scoring charge. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded her third straight 20+ point game scoring 26 points on ten of 17 shooting and drilled four of her eight three pointers.
Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) was fantastic in the home opener resetting her career-high with 21 points on eight of 14 shooting and made both of her three-pointers. She also led C-N in assists with seven.
"Emily is becoming the point guard that we need," Mincey said. "To start the year, we didn't know who he was going to be the point. We eventually settled on Emily. She has good speed and can get the ball down the floor quickly. Now that she is getting more comfortable in that role, you are seeing what she is capable of doing."
Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) rounded out C-N's double-figure scoring with 14 points on seven of 12 shooting. Gonzalez, Nuckolls and Sullivan combined for 61 points on 58% shooting.
Carson-Newman was red-hot from the field in the opening minutes of the game. Gonzalez scored nine of C-N's first 19 points and her team led by 11 with 4:16 left in the first frame. UNG found its offensive groove as the period continued on, making six of its final seven shots to trim the C-N advantage to seven after the first quarter.
The Nighthawks scored seven of the first nine points of the second, to draw within two points at the 6:16 mark. C-N would control the rest of the first half. Three different Lady Eagles nailed a three-pointer during a 16-6 burst over the final five minutes of the first half to storm into the locker room with a 12-point lead.
C-N was threatening to run away with the game early in the third quarter. Sullivan scored eight of C-N's first 10 points of the second half to make it a 54-39 game with 6:15 left in the third. The rest of the third was all Nighthawks. They drilled three triples and outscored C-N 20-4 over the final six minutes to lead by one after three quarters. Mincey's squad missed six straight shots to end the third.
The Lady Eagles would quickly overcome its third quarter shooting woes, and took an early fourth quarter lead that they would never relinquish. A 10-2 run over three and a half minutes pushed C-N over the top against the ranked Nighthawks. The trio of Gonzalez, Nuckolls and Sullivan combined to score the final 14 points to close out the win.
11 straight years with a win over a ranked team
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) November 25, 2025
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The fourth quarter rally is just the 14th win in the Mincey era when trailing entering the final quarter of play.
C-N shot 50% in the game and above 47% in three of the four quarters of play. The two teams were matched one another from distance, both making nine of their 24 three-point attempts. The difference in the game was points in the paint, where C-N outscored UNG 40-32 and made 15 of its 22 layups while the Nighthawks were just 10 of 20.
Mincey's team controlled the glass, outrebounding UNG 41-32. Keeleigh Rogers (Knoxville, Tenn.) led the effort on the glass with her seven rebounds and was a team-high +20 on the floor.
3⃣rd straight 20+ point game for @Jennsullivan02
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) November 25, 2025
Career-high2⃣1⃣points for @emilyrgonz
4⃣th straight home win over a ranked team
Lady Eagles improve to 14-1 in home openers under head coach @MikeMincey @CNwbasketball x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/TRiserjlCf
North Georgia was led by Averie Jones and her 21 points. She made nine of her 16 shots. Three other Nighthawks scored in double figures.
SCORIGAMI! Today's 82-74 final score is the 842nd most unique score in Carson-Newman women's basketball history.
Carson-Newman stays at home later this week, hosting Catawba in the South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday. Tipoff with the is set for 2 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 106.3 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. Fans can also view a courtside cam of the Eagle Sports Network broadcasting on press row on YouTube.
Team Stats
#14 North Georgia
| Game Statistics | #14 North Georgia | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (26-65) | (32-64) |
| Field Goal % | 40.0% | 50.0% |
| Rebounds | 32 | 41 |
| Assists | 17 | 23 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 40 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 16 |
| Bench Pts | 18 | 13 |
