The Eagles hit just 41 percent of their field goals and 27 percent of their threes. The Eagles' four threes are a season low. Carson-Newman is 3-7 over the last two years when sinking less than seven threes in a game.
Coker turned a one-point Carson-Newman lead into a nine-point advantage 90 seconds before halftime thanks to a 10-3 run. The Eagles would not get within six the rest of the way.
"If you told me that we held a team to 68 points and 40 percent from the field, I'd tell you that we had a chance at the win," Carson-Newman head coach Chuck Benson said. "Offensively we struggled and credit goes to them because they're a veteran team. We'll have to go back to the drawing board and see if we can't put together a better plan."
Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) led the way for C-N with 18 points on seven-for-13 shooting, but he was relegated to the bench for much of the game due to foul trouble and played a season low 24 minutes. Ish Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) struggled to get his 12 points, only breaking into double figures on a late three. He was five-for-17 from the field and two-for-nine from deep.
"Ish is putting a lot of pressure on himself," Benson said. "But he and Antoine draw so much heat from the opponent. They've got green lights, but when it's not there, they have to send it back around. Tonight it got the best of us."
The Cobras outrebounded the Eagles 42-34 and got sophomore big man Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) into foul trouble. The 6-5 post fouled out in 12 minutes.
Coker was led by preseason all-conference selection Julian Nelson, who plopped in 17 points, but was just one-for-nine from beyond the arc. Larry Felder was the only other Cobra in double figures; he had 12.
The Eagles remain on the road for a rare Tuesday contest at Mars Hill. Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:45 p.m. for an 8 o'clock tip. Fans can listen online at cneagles.com/live and over the air on 106.3 ESPN Radio The Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville).
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