C-N overcomes sluggish start, collects four-point road win over Francis Marion
December 31, 2025

C-N overcomes sluggish start, collects four-point road win over Francis Marion

FLORENCE, S.C. – Carson-Newman (9-3) shook off a cold-shooting, sluggish first half and rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to earn a 58-54 win, snapping Francis Marion’s (6-5) 11-game home winning streak Wednesday afternoon at the Smith University Center.

VIDEO: Mike Mincey Interview

VIDEO: Jennifer Sullivan Interview

FLORENCE, S.C. – Carson-Newman (9-3) shook off a cold-shooting, sluggish first half and rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to earn a 58-54 win, snapping Francis Marion's (6-5) 11-game home winning streak Wednesday afternoon at the Smith University Center.

Carson-Newman had its worst shooting performance in a half in more than a decade. The Lady Eagles went 6 for 38 from the field (15.8%), going three for 18 in each quarter and scored just 17 points first half points. It was the lowest shooting percentage in a half since making just 14.3% of its first half shots in a win at Newberry on March 1st, 2014.

"I knew there would be rust as there always is after a break," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "I didn't anticipate it to be that bad. We just could never get our footing. It was not a fun first half to be part of. Coming into that third quarter, you want to see a response and we got a good response out of our entire starting five but especially Jenn (Sullivan) and Emily (Gonzalez) in particular. Their offensive prowess helped us find ourselves in the winner's circle."

The beginning of the third quarter was a complete 180 from the first 20 minutes of basketball. The Lady Eagles made six of their first eight shots of the third, starting the half on a 14-2 run to gain a three-point lead, three minutes into the half. Carson-Newman continued to score the ball efficiently, making 11 of its first 13 shots of the quarter and led by as many as nine. C-N missed its final seven shots of the third and FMU made it a five-point game entering the final frame.

Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) made her only three-pointer of the game to start the fourth quarter, and C-N led by eight. The Patriots would chip away at C-N's lead for much of the fourth. The closest they would get was two, but C-N always had answer. Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) helped C-N control the final minutes, scoring back-to-back buckets six with four to play. Carson-Newman made its free throws down the stretch to leave Florence with a four-point win.

The win extends C-N's winning streak to five games, with three of those coming on the road. Entering the game, Francis Marion was tied with C-N for the longest active home winning streak in the Southeast region.

Gonzalez and Sullivan were both very good in the second half. Gonzalez scored 15 of her 16 points after halftime, while Sullivan scored 16 of her 20 after halftime as well. Sullivan's 20-point day was her sixth of the season and 12 of her career. Gonzalez was a menace on the defensive end, tallying a season-high five steals. The senior duo scored 31 of C-N's 41 second half points.

Chloe Heath (Maryville, Tenn.) pitched in with nine points on three of five shooting with five rebounds. Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) was the only other Lady Eagle to make multiple baskets in the win.

While the offense was inconsistent, the defense was steady throughout. C-N's defense never allowed FMU to shoot above 35 percent in any quarter and held the Patriots to just 54 points on 30 percent shooting. It's the fewest points by Francis Marion at home in six years.

Carson-Newman has held its last six opponents to below 40 percent shooting and has limited four of its past five opponents to 60 points or less.

The Lady Eagles controlled the glass, outrebounding FMU 51-46 and 18-13 on the offensive glass.

Francis Marion was led by Kiara Croskey's 13 points and eight rebounds. Terryanna Gray posted a 12-point, 12 rebound game.

The Lady Eagles are off for a week, returning to action next Wednesday at Emory & Henry. Tip off with the Wasps  is scheduled 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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