Lady Eagles open SAC Tournament with quarterfinal date against UVA Wise
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Four-seeded Carson-Newman (19-9) begins South Atlantic Conference Tournament play with a matchup against five-seeded UVA Wise (16-12) tomorrow at noon from the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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20 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 58 |
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15 | 12 | 22 | 24 | 73 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Four-seeded Carson-Newman (19-9) begins South Atlantic Conference Tournament play with a matchup against five-seeded UVA Wise (16-12) tomorrow at noon from the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The Lady Eagles earned the number four seed in the conference tournament after a 19-9 record and a 15-7 mark in league games. They will be looking for their 20th win of the season in the quarterfinal round. The program has 23 20-win campaigns in 44 seasons and seven in the past nine years.
C-N has been a top four seed 25 times and has an 20-5 record in the quarterfinal round. Overall, C-N is 33-32 in the SAC Women's Basketball Championships, with eight championship game appearances and three championships. The Lady Eagles are one of three teams along with Catawba and Wingate to participate in each SAC Tournament since the first iteration in 1991.
Carson-Newman is meeting UVA Wise for the third time this season and the second time ever in postseason play. The Lady Eagles won by 17 in the quarterfinal round against the Cavaliers in 2022. C-N won the first 15 meetings all-time, with UVA Wise winning the most recent meeting in Wise, Virginia 83-70 on February 4, 2026.
The two regular season meetings were complete opposites of each other. That most recent meeting was a game the Highland Cavaliers never trailed and led by double-digits for a majority of the game. The Lady Eagles defended their home floor by defeating Wise 84-58 on December 17, 2025. They never trailed and led by double digits a majority of the time as well.
"They beat us at their place last time and we didn't play super well," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "It'll be a challenge. They are all challenges for us. But we have the capability of playing super well."
Carson-Newman was one of just two teams in the league to have four different players honored in the all-conference selections. Jennifer Sullivan was a first team pick, while Emily Gonzalez and Mattie Nuckolls made appearances on the third team. Chloe Heath was the fourth Lady Eagle honored, being named to the all-freshman club.
All-SAC forward Mattie Nuckolls has become of the best defenders in the SAC this season. She led the league with 60 blocks, the fourth-most in a single-season in program history. For her career, she has 108 rejections, sixth-best in program history. Nuckolls is just 13 away from moving into the top five. She also led the league in total blocks and steals with 91.
In 57 career games with C-N, Jennifer Sullivan has made 136 three-pointers, the eighth-most in program history. The sharpshooter is 22 more triples away from Kayla Marosites for seventh on the three-point shooting list. Sullivan's 40.8 career three-point percentage is third-best all-time in program history. This season, she has drilled 75 triples which is the second-most in the league.
UVA Wise is the tournament's No. 5 seed after handing Catawba a 70-60 defeat on Saturday. The win pushed the Highland Cavaliers to 13-9 in conference action. They enter postseason play having won three of their last four, like C-N. Despite a lower conference winning percentage than Wingate, the Bulldogs had games nullified due to a violation of NCAA and SAC bylaws, thus moving up the Cavaliers to the five seed.
The Highland Cavaliers have the conference's top scorer from the regular season in Caroline Mullins. The sophomore forward averaged 19.9 points per game and scored in double-figures in 26 of her 27 appearances. She also led the team in rebounding, grabbing 8.7 per game. Her rebounding efforts led to seven double-doubles this season.
Mullins paces the second-most efficient offense in the conference this season. Wise makes 43 percent of its shots and has the third-best scoring offense averaging 71 points per game.
Madison Looney scores in double-figures on average at 11.7 with 52 percent. C-N's defense held Looney to a combined six points in the two regular season meetings.
Tip off is set for noon tomorrow. 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
Virginia-Wise
| Game Statistics | Virginia-Wise | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-67) | (27-60) |
| Field Goal % | 29.9% | 45.0% |
| Rebounds | 47 | 40 |
| Assists | 10 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 20 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 15 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 17 |
