Carson-Newman Game Notes

Chuck Benson By the Slice – Limestone preview

Limestone (7-3, 1-1 Conference Carolinas) is number eight in the nation in made threes while guard PJ Foster leads the nation in three-point attempts (107) and three-point makes (47).  He makes, on average, 4.7 a game, which is second in the nation. In comparison, the Eagles' Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) and Ish Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) each nail 3.0 per contest, which is tied for 43^rd nationally. 

"They are a team that the adage, 'live by the three; die by the three,' certainly applies to them," C-N head coach Chuck Benson said. "They are a scary team because they can make shots and then they play a positionless game where everyone can play the perimeter."

Carson-Newman is coming off a loss to Lenoir-Rhyne where the Bears, who came in averaging 32 percent from three, sank 11-of-21 from deep.  But that doesn't both Benson as much as how and where the Saints can score. 

"I'm not that worried about their three-ball, although it is something to consider," Benson said. "What worries me is that they have so many guys who can shoot it, it's considering where you have to defend on the perimeter."

In addition to Foster, the Saints bring Josh Odem to the table.  The 6-5, 185-pound junior makes 41 percent of his three pointers, and combined with Foster, the duo averages 36.8 points per game. C-N's Sanders and Davis average 36.6 points. 

"Foster is very aggressive in getting his shots," Benson said. "He's versatile enough to create his own shot off the dribble.  And that makes him dangerous. But he can do that, so can Odem and that's really tough to deal with when you've got two guys who can create for themselves. That being said, I wouldn't trade them for our duo."

Davis and Sanders are coming off the first game in their careers where they were both held to single digits.

This will be the schools' first meeting since 1990 when they played twice within a two week span. Limestone took the meeting in Gaffney, S.C. 100-96 on Feb. 5 before the Eagles won in Holt Fieldhouse two weeks later 85-84. 

Wednesday night is Community Appreciation Night at Holt Fieldhouse, the donation of a canned food item gets one in free for the doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. with the Lady Eagles' contest against Kentucky Wesleyan. The men's game tips at 7 p.m. with pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starting at 6:45 p.m. with the Countdown to Tipoff on 106.3 ESPN Radio the Zone and online at cneagles.com/live.

-C-N-