Eagles look to rebound against Hiwassee

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman's men's basketball team last took to the court 12 days ago.  The Eagles have had that week and a half to stew over a 69-57 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne – the Eagles' first of the season. 

"We've had a chance to go back to the drawing board," Carson-Newman head men's hoops coach Chuck Benson said. "But these guys are probably sick of me referring to that Dec. 1 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne.  They're ready to try and get a little redemptive win under their belts."

The Eagles (5-1, 1-1 SAC) shot at a redemptive win comes Thursday evening at 7 at Hiwassee (3-12). 

C-N beat the Tigers 93-60 22 days ago at Holt Fieldhouse.  Thursday's affair comes at Hiwassee's Rudy Yuell Gymnasium. 

Carson-Newman had four players finish in double-figures that game.  Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) led Carson-Newman with 25, while Corbin Jackson (Rutledge, Tenn.) and Collin Crane (Knoxville, Tenn.) each set career highs with 15 and 14 points, respectively. 

"When we played that game, we made a big deal that it's not about who you play it's about how you play." Benson said. "When we broke down that game, we had played 14 minutes of quality basketball of the 40 and that's not even close to where we need to be."

Justin Browner and Rico Stanley continue to pace the Tigers in scoring with 13.3 and 13.1 points per game, respectively.  Browner had 17 points and seven assists in the first meeting between the two schools.  The Eagles held Stanley to nine points on 4-for-7 shooting and one rebound. 

"Browner's a kid that shoots the ball well," Benson said. "He did a good job in the first meeting.  Our guys will know that he's had success and know to keep in front of him and contest all his shots early and often."

In spite of playing exclusively in a matchup zone, Carson-Newman has outrebounded all of its opponents, doing so handedly as well – by more than eight boards a game.  The Eagles are unbeaten this year when they produce a 20-point scorer. 

Carson-Newman fans can catch coverage of the contest on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network.  Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff on 106.3 ESPN Radio The Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com. 

-CN-