Lady Eagles erupt after halftime to down Anderson
December 13, 2025

Lady Eagles erupt after halftime to down Anderson

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-3, 3-1 SAC) played some of its best offensive basketball in the second half, scoring 61 points on 68 percent shooting to run away with a 91-66 win over Anderson (4-4, 1-2 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-3, 3-1 SAC) played some of its best offensive basketball in the second half, scoring 61 points on 68 percent shooting to run away with a 91-66 win over Anderson (4-4, 1-2 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.

The Lady Eagles gave us a glimpse of what was to come, after the first five minutes. C-N jumped out to a quick 18-0 start in the first five minutes. Four different players scored during the run and C-N made seven of its first 12 shots to open up the big lead early. During the first five minutes, C-N's defense forced AU to miss its first seven shots and commit seven turnovers.

"The whole team was really locked in early on to start," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "We had a good gameplan and our pace and press worked to some degree and obviously offensively we were hot to get up 18-0. It was darn near perfect."

The next 15 minutes of basketball would be completely different. AU's Ashlyn Sheridan started a 12-0 scoring run with nine straight points to bring AU within six after a quarter. The Lady Eagles their final eight shots of the first frame.

Into the second quarter, C-N's offense continued to struggle. It made just two field goals in the first six minutes off the frame, but AU got no closer than four in the quarter. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored C-N's final two baskets of the half and it was a five-point game at half. C-N was five for 27 from the field in the final 15 minutes of the first half and only shot 26% in the second quarter.

"We just couldn't buy a bucket there during their 12-0 run," Mincey said. "I've never seen it in my career, which is a long one. For us to go 18-0 run and then they go on a 12-0 run and that's how we end the first quarter. We never looked the same the remaining 15 minutes of that first half."

Carson-Newman's entire second half performance was what was on display in the first five minutes of the game. Mincey's team made its first seven shots of the third quarter to push the lead to nine, four minutes into the frame. Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) was a significant contributor to help push the lead back to double-digits. She scored nine straight points for C-N to make it a 14-point game with three left in the third. Four free throws and an Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) and one capped off a 32-point quarter in which the Lady Eagles shot 69 percent from the field. C-N scored more points in the third than it did in the first two combined.

Into the final frame, it was much of the same. After a somewhat back and forth first four minutes to begin the fourth quarter, C-N caught fire halfway through. Six different Lady Eagles combined to make their next shots eight shots to help run away from the Trojans.

Carson-Newman made 68 percent of its second half shots and 57 percent of its three-pointers, also going a perfect 11 for 11 from the charity stripe.

"Coming into the second half, we didn't know what we were going to do and how we were going to navigate it," Mincey said. "The starters were playing great and getting stops for the most part, but they were scoring. They were scoring really well. We had to make the tough call to not rotate players and keep those same players on the floor."

Four Lady Eagles in particular were exceptional in the second half.

Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) led C-N with 25 points, 14 of which were in the second half on five of eight shooting and four assists. Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) reset her career-high for the third time this year, scoring 23 points, with 14 of hers also coming in the second half. Nuckolls shot 75 percent for the game.

Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) scored 10 of her 16 after halftime, making five of her eight shots. Keeleigh Rogers (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored six points in the second half, making two of her three three-pointers while also dishing out six assists with zero turnovers.

The foursome of Gonzalez, Nuckolls, Rogers and Sullivan combined to score 44 second half points on 75 percent shooting, going six for nine from long distance and dishing out 12 assists with just two turnovers. Overall, all five starters had a plus/minus greater than 26, with Gonzalez's +38 leading the way.

"It's just pieces going together with other pieces," Nuckolls said. "The balance of the points with three in double-figures and Keeleigh's rebounds and Chloe filled her role well. It was just our day as a starting five group and I'm glad we played together well."

Carson-Newman's 61-point second half was its most points in a half since scoring 61 in the first half versus Mars Hill on December 15, 2021.

The Lady Eagles continue to win games when they score 70 points or more. Mincey's squad has won 30 straight games when reaching that scoring mark and is 5-0 when it outshoots the opposition.

C-N's 47 percent shooting outdid Anderson's 33%. AU was held to 31% in the second half despite scoring 41 second half points.

Carson-Newman stays undefeated when it wins the battle on the glass, outrebounding Anderson 41-38 and securing a +18 difference in points in the paint. C-N was also good in transition, scoring a season-high 29 fastbreak points.

The Lady Eagles play their final home game this calendar year on Wednesday evening versus UVA Wise. Tipoff from Holt Fieldhouse with the Cavaliers is set for 5:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 5:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A live camera of the broadcast crew "On Press Row" will also be available on YouTube.

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