Lady Eagles enter final week with home tilt versus Mars Hill
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (18-8, 14-6 SAC) begins the final week of the regular season against Mars Hill (5-21, 2-18 SAC) on Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm. from Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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15 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 58 |
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27 | 26 | 24 | 28 | 105 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (18-8, 14-6 SAC) begins the final week of the regular season against Mars Hill (5-21, 2-18 SAC) on Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm. from Holt Fieldhouse.
Carson-Newman won its final road regular season game of the season by defeating Newberry 79-48 on Saturday. It was C-N's 10th win by 20 points or more this season and fourth on the road. Under head coach Mike Mincey, the Lady Eagles now have 124 wins by 20 points or more.
Entering the final week of the regular season, the Lady Eagles can finish as high as third and as low as sixth in the SAC standings. One win in the final two games secures the third or fourth spot. The only way to move up third is to win out and hope Coker loses one of its final two regular season games.
C-N's three-point shooting has been ridiculously good the past two games. After going 19-81 (23%) from three during a four-game skid, it is 24-43 (56%) in the past two wins. Carson-Newman has made 50 percent or better of its threes in consecutive games for the first time since late February of the 2009 season. It's just the third time that mark has been reached and the first when making double-digit three-pointers in both games.
In 56 career games with C-N, Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) has made 128 three-pointers, tied for the 11th-most in program history. She is just two away from moving into the top ten. To reach that mark, she has done so on superb efficiency. Sullivan's 40.6 career three-point percentage is third-best all-time in program history. This season, she has drilled 67 triples which is the second-most in the league.
Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) continues to lead the conference in blocks with 53. She has nine games this year with at least three blocks including back-to-back. For her career, she has 101 blocks and is 17 away from moving into the top seven in program history. Nuckolls' presence has helped C-N lead the SAC in blocks per game, averaging 5.6 per game, fifth nationally.
Individual scoring bursts have been a theme for this year's group. At least one player has recorded six or more straight points for C-N in 20 consecutive games. Seven different players are part of this, with Sullivan's 13 runs being the most on the club.
Carson-Newman has 61 wins in 82 all-time meetings with Mars Hill. The Lady Eagles have won 13 straight home games in the series and are 35-6 all-time against the Lions inside Holt Fieldhouse.
With just a 5-21 overall record and a 2-18 mark in conference play, Mars Hill has already been eliminated from South Atlantic Conference tournament play. The Lions picked up their second league win of the year two weeks ago at Tusculum but have since dropped three straight games including a two-point loss to Catawba last time out. The Lions had a one-point lead with 73 seconds left, but failed to score the rest of the way in that loss.
The Lions thrive off getting to the basket and drawing fouls. They are second in the SAC in free throws made and attempted this season. But, they make just 14 of their 22 attempts per game, the second-worst mark in the league.
Felesia Ondongo and Makayla Street both average in double-figures at just over 11 points per game. That duo each scored 20 points in the first meeting earlier this season. They lead a MHU offense that makes more than seven three-pointers per game, fifth-best in the SAC.
Tip off with the Lions 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.
Team Stats
Mars Hill
| Game Statistics | Mars Hill | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (22-63) | (40-85) |
| Field Goal % | 34.9% | 47.1% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 52 |
| Assists | 14 | 36 |
| Turnovers | 21 | 6 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 7 | 26 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 7 | 19 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 28 |
| Bench Pts | 30 | 41 |
