Lady Eagles tip off SAC play with Catawba
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Fresh off a win in the home opener, Carson-Newman (3-2) closes the final week of November with its South Atlantic Conference opener versus Catawba (2-1) Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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21 | 7 | 22 | 25 | 75 |
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21 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 79 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Fresh off a win in the home opener, Carson-Newman (3-2) closes the final week of November with its South Atlantic Conference opener versus Catawba (2-1) Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse.
Since joining the SAC, the Lady Eagles are 24-12 in SAC openers, while holding an 11-3 record under Mincey with wins in seven of their last eight. C-N has won its first SAC home game each of the past six seasons.
Carson-Newman continued its elite stretch at home in the opener on Tuesday afternoon. With an eight-point win over #14 North Georgia, C-N won its fourth straight home game against a ranked team. The Lady Eagles have won 28 of their past 29 home games, including their last eight dating back to this past season.
Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) joins Braelyn Wykle and Kailyn Brooks as the three Lady Eagles that have made four or more three-pointers in three straight games over the past decade. Over Sullivan's past three games, she is averaging 24.3 points, 5.3 assists per game and is shooting 48% from the field and 47% from three-point range. The senior guard is the team's leading scorer, averaging 20 points per game and ranks top 20 nationally with her 17 three-pointers.
The Lady Eagles offense led DII in assists per game in 2024-25 and they are putting on another high quality display of passing through the first five games of this season. Mincey's team has a 1.22 assist to turnover ratio, 10th best nationally. They are also averaging near 16 assists per game, 44th best in DII.
The Indians lead this all-time series 42-38 but lost both meetings last season. Carson-Newman scored 94 points in a win at home last year. The final meeting in 2024-25 was a 67-49 C-N win, holding Catawba to its second-fewest points in this series history. In Jefferson City, C-N is 21-15 but has lost three of the past four home games against the Indians.
Catawba is 2-1 and will play its third straight road game on Saturday. The Indians opened the year with a 82-77 over Lees-McRae on a neutral floor. Their only setback was a 73-66 loss at Columbus State but they bounced back well by defeating Augusta in overtime 80-78 ten days ago.
Mary Spry has been outstanding through three games. The senior center has poured in three consecutive 20+ point games to begin the year and is making 60% of her field goal attempts. She is also the team's leading rebounder at five per game. Brooklin Ingram is the only Catawba player that is shooting the ball well from long range. She has made 10 of the team's 19 three-pointers and is shooting 50% from distance.
Catawba's pace of play has led to a scoring offense that averages 76 per game, while also shooting an impressive 44% from the field. They forced nearly 24 turnovers per game and have done an excellent job getting to the foul line. They make 17 of their 26 attempts on average, with both of those marks ranking top 30 in DII.
Tipoff with 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
Catawba
| Game Statistics | Catawba | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-61) | (27-67) |
| Field Goal % | 41.0% | 40.3% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 49 |
| Assists | 16 | 23 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 20 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 20 | 20 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 38 | 34 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 15 | 19 |
| Bench Pts | 10 | 25 |
