No. 18 LR spoils C-N’s senior day
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 18 Lenoir-Rhyne (24-4, 20-2 SAC) got off to a hot start and never looked back winning 93-74, spoiling Carson-Newman’s (19-9, 15-7 SAC) Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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32 | 26 | 19 | 16 | 93 |
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17 | 14 | 24 | 19 | 74 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 18 Lenoir-Rhyne (24-4, 20-2 SAC) got off to a hot start and never looked back winning 93-74, spoiling Carson-Newman's (19-9, 15-7 SAC) Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
"They are the second-highest scoring offense in the country for a reason," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "They have a lot of weapons everywhere. Today, it was people that don't necessarily score as much. When their hitting through multiple people and getting inside and out, it just makes it really difficult. Then, we weren't scoring and it dragged the energy down. We just couldn't get things under control in the first half."
Lenoir-Rhyne's offense had an absurd first half. The Bears made eight of their first ten shots to gain a 10-point lead with 4:47 left. An Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) brought the Eagles within five with 2:43 left, but LR went on a 10-0 scoring run to lead 32-17. That is the most first quarter points C-N has allowed this season.
The lead pushed out to 20 after back to back triples by the Bears early in the second quarter, part of an 8-0 run. They ended another quarter well, scoring the final eight points of the first half to lead by 27 at halftime.
Carson-Newman was held to 31 percent shooting in the opening half, while the Bears made 59 percent of their shots.
LR scored seven of the first nine points to start the third quarter to gain its biggest lead of the day at 32. The Eagles would begin chipping away at the deficit. They used a pair of 6-0 scoring runs and a 7-0 scoring run to make it a 16-point game with 1:28 left. In total, it was a 19-4 run, but the Bears scored six straight points to finish the third up by 22.
The Lady Eagles made one last push early in the fourth. A Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) three-pointer ended a 10-0 run to make it a 15-point game with 5:32 to play. The Bears erased any more of a C-N comeback, scoring the next points to push their lead back to 20 and ultimately close out a 19-point win.
In the second half, Carson-Newman made 57 percent of its shots and held LR to 35 percent shooting to outscore them by eight.
Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) and Keeleigh Rogers (Knoxville, Tenn.) had standout days in a losing effort. Nuckolls poured in 21 points and matched her career-high with three triples. She matched a season-high in blocks with six, adding to her conference-best mark.
Rogers finished with her fifth career double-double, scoring 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
In her final game in Holt Fieldhouse, Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored 20 points on efficient seven of 12 shooting with four three-pointers.
"Jenn has been a shot in the arm since Braelyn (Wykle) graduated," Mincey said. "Jenn has come in and provided big-time scoring the past two years. She continues to move up the charts in three-point makes, which is impressive in two years."
Senior guard Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) made four baskets to score 12 points and led the team with six assists.
"Emily has improved every single year," Mincey said. "She had to change positions and become our point guard this year. She has done a remarkable job leading the charge as our starting point guard. I think she is one of the best point guards in the country, especially in the assist-to turnover area and average double-figures.
Kali McMahan (Dandridge, Tenn.) was C-N's third senior honored today. She made one of her two field goals in the game.
"She shows up everyday to work," Mincey said. "Never gives us an ounce of a problem. She has been a great ambassador to have on our team, both on and off the floor. They are all a joy to coach. She was easy to have a coach/player relationship with.
The Bears collected the win thanks to a +15 advantage at the free throw line. They went 22-26 and C-N went just seven of 10. Two separate LR players shot the same number of foul shots as Carson-Newman. C-N attempted just two free throws in the first half, to LR's 12.
The Lady Eagles assisted 22 of their 29 baskets, with four different players having at least four.
Three Bears scored 20 points or more, led by Abigail Brown's 25 points on an inefficient seven of 19 shooting.
Carson-Newman is the number four seed in the South Atlantic Conference Basketball Tournament and will battle fifth-seeded UVA Wise on Thursday, March 5th at noon from the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 11:45 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 |
