C-N celebrates seniors in clash with No. 18 LR
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (19-8, 15-6 SAC) will look to end the 2025-26 regular season on a winning streak when it closes the regular season with a Senior Day matchup versus No. 18 Lenoir-Rhyne (23-4, 19-2 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
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32 | 26 | 19 | 16 | 93 |
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17 | 14 | 24 | 19 | 74 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (19-8, 15-6 SAC) will look to end the 2025-26 regular season on a winning streak when it closes the regular season with a Senior Day matchup versus No. 18 Lenoir-Rhyne (23-4, 19-2 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
After the contest, the Lady Eagles will honor three seniors, Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.), Kali McMahan (Dandridge, Tenn.) and Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Gonzalez has played in 121 career games over her four seasons in Mossy Creek. She has produced a career-year, averaging more than 11 points per game this season while leading the team in steals with 57.
McMahan has appeared in 74 games in the Orange and Blue. The senior is part of a senior class that has won 83 games in four seasons and a group that has competed in the NCAA Tournament each of the past two seasons. McMahan has scored in double figures twice this season and five times in her C-N career.
In just two seasons, Sullivan has left her mark on the Lady Eagles program. She has poured in 132 three-pointers in two seasons, the seventh-most triples made in program history. This past season, Sullivan won SAC Newcomer of the Year honors becoming the first Lady Eagle to win that award. She has scored 886 career points in 57 career games in the Orange and Blue.
Regardless of Saturday's result, the Lady Eagles cannot finish any lower than its current positioning in the SAC standings, which is fourth. The only scenario in which C-N can move up to the number three seed is if it beats Lenoir-Rhyne and Coker loses to Emory & Henry on Saturday.
C-N will face a ranked team for the sixth time this season. The Lady Eagles are 3-2 against ranked foes this season, with all three ranked wins being at home. Carson-Newman has won six straight home games against ranked competition. Since 2008, the Lady Eagles are 25-27 against ranked clubs.
In 56 career games with C-N, Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) has made 132 three-pointers, the eighth-most in program history. The sharpshooter is 26 more triples away from Kayla Marosites for seventh on the three-point shooting list. Sullivan's 40.6 career three-point percentage is third-best all-time in program history. This season, she has drilled 71 triples which is the second-most in the league.
Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) continues to lead the conference in blocks with 54. She has nine games this year. For her career, she has 102 blocks and is 16 away from moving into the top seven in program history. Nuckolls' defensive presence has helped C-N lead the SAC in blocks per game, averaging 5.6 per game, a mark that is fifth nationally.
Carson-Newman lost the first meeting to the Bears back on January 10th, 103-92. The loss for C-N was just its third when scoring 90 or more points under head coach Mike Mincey. In that win, LR connected on a program-record 17 three-pointers on just 25 attempts. It was most threes a Lady Eagles team has seen an opponent make in at least 25 seasons.
Overall, C-N leads the all-time series 55-32 and has won seven straight home games over the Bears.
Lenoir-Rhyne locked up a share of the South Atlantic Conference regular season title with a road win over Anderson on Wednesday. The Bears are 23-4 this season and hold a one game edge at 19-2 over Lincoln Memorial. A win locks up the outright regular season title, while a loss and a LMU win would mean a share of it. In Wednesday's regional rankings, LR was picked at the top of the Southeast region.
The Bears are one of the hottest teams in DII. In her first year at LR, head coach Emry Tsitouris has led her club to 18 straight wins since suffering a December loss to UVA Wise. They have the third-longest active winning streak in the DII, only behind 28-1 Colorado Mesa and 24-1 Texas Woman's.
Much of Lenoir-Rhyne's success has been predicated on its ability to score the basketball at a very high level this season. The Bears average 87 points per game, second-most nationally only behind Minnesota State. The best offensive team is the most efficient team in the SAC at 44% shooting on average, while shooting three-pointers at a high clip and getting to the foul line. They are top 40 nationally in three-point percentage, while ranking second in the country in free throws made per game and fifth in free throws attempted per game.
Tip off for Senior Day against the Bears 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
#18 Lenoir-Rhyne
| Game Statistics | #18 Lenoir-Rhyne | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-65) | (29-70) |
| Field Goal % | 47.7% | 41.4% |
| Rebounds | 39 | 38 |
| Assists | 13 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 18 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 21 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 44 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 16 | 20 |
| Bench Pts | 11 | 7 |
