C-N tips off home-heavy finish with Wingate
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (16-7, 12-5 SAC) begins a home-heavy stretch to end the regular season on Saturday when it welcomes Wingate (15-8, 10-7 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse at 2:00 p.m.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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16 | 8 | 13 | 29 | 66 |
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18 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 59 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (16-7, 12-5 SAC) begins a home-heavy stretch to end the regular season on Saturday when it welcomes Wingate (15-8, 10-7 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse at 2:00 p.m.
C-N starts a stretch where it will play four of its final five regular-season games at home.
The Lady Eagles will be looking to extend their 15-game home-winning streak on Saturday. It's tied for the third-longest active winning streak in DII and its also the program's third-longest home winning streak. This season, C-N is averaging 86 points per game at home and is shooting 48 percent from the field.
Carson-Newman is on its first three-game losing streak since the 2022-23 season, when it lost three straight in mid-November. The Lady Eagles have lost three straight SAC regular season games for the first time since mid-February of the 2015-16 season.
Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) has anchored the back end of C-N's defense all season. After recording four more blocks on Wednesday, the junior forward is now tied for the conference lead in blocks with 47. She has eight games this year with at least three blocks. For her career, she has 95 blocks and is 23 away from moving into the top seven in program history.
In 54 career games with C-N, Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) has put her three-point shooting on full display. Her 124 three-pointers are 12th-most in program history, just six away from moving into the top ten. To reach that mark, she has done so on superb efficiency. Sullivan's 40.8 career three-point percentage is third-best all-time in program history. This season, she has drilled 63 triples which is the second-most in the league.
Carson-Newman trails the all-time series 41-48 with Wingate, but has won three straight games. A win on Saturday will complete the series sweep of the Bulldogs for the third straight year, something that has not been done by C-N since joining the SAC. Earlier this season, C-N won at Wingate 65-56 just before Christmas.
Wingate finds itself in a tie with UVA Wise for fifth-place in the South Atlantic Conference standings. The Bulldogs have a 15-8 record and a 10-7 mark in league games. Since the December 20th matchup against C-N, WU has won 10 of its last 13 games this semester. The three losses have come to the top three teams in the league (Lenoir-Rhyne, Lincoln Memorial and Coker). The quality start to the second semester has put the Bulldogs in the mix for a NCAA Tournament berth, currently rated ninth in RPI by Inkblot.
Head coach Ann Hancock's team has played well on the road. Their 7-3 record in road games is tied for the second-best mark among SAC schools this season. They have won six of their seven road games, all of which have come in league play.
The Bulldogs have the third-best scoring defense this season, allowing just under 62 points per game. They have only allowed one team to score above 70 points, and it was Lenoir-Rhyne who it did twice.
Laney Beale and Laura Montiel are two standout players for WU. Beale is tied for the conference lead in assists with 86. She is also coming off a season-high 17 points in Wednesday's win over Catawba.
Montiel is one of the top perimeter defenders in the league, notching a league-best 69 steals this season. The junior guard has multiple steals in 19 of the 23 games.
Tip off with the Bulldogs is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 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.
Team Stats
Wingate
| Game Statistics | Wingate | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-61) | (23-60) |
| Field Goal % | 39.3% | 38.3% |
| Rebounds | 40 | 43 |
| Assists | 9 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 20 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 17 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 40 | 30 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 14 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 11 |
