Chuck Benson postgame interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-3, 3-2 South Atlantic Conference) faltered for the first time at home against nonconference competition since Nov. 19, 2011 in 74-66 loss to Limestone in Holt Fieldhouse. 

The Eagles shot a season low 34.9 percent from the field – their lowest tally since hitting 34.0 percent of their shots in a senior day loss to Wingate to close out the 2012-13 regular season.  It's the sixth worst shooting night for a Chuck Benson-coached Eagle team.

"You've got to give credit to Limestone for putting multiple defenders in front of Antoine (Davis) and Ish (Sanders)," Carson-Newman head coach Chuck Benson said. "Unfortunately for us, we couldn't make enough shots. When Ish is one-for-11 from three, it's going to be pretty difficult to win a game."

Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) erupted for 20 first half points, but finished with 25 following a one-for-eight second half effort dealing with Limestone double and triple teams. Ish Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) suffered through a four-for-18 night from the field and a one-of-11 night from beyond the arc.  He finished as C-N's only other double-digit scorer with 12.  Sanders is making just 21 percent of his shots on the Eagles' two-game losing streak. 

"This wasn't about defense, this was about offense," Benson said. "It's so simple, but you've got to score points to win games and we just didn't do that."

Limestone entered the game as the nation's eighth-best three-point shooting team, averaging 10.6 makes per game. The Eagles held the Saints to eight-for-26 shooting from three (30.8 percent), which is eight percent below their average. The Saints finished with four players in double figures, led by Josh Odem and PJ Foster's 16.  Reigning Conference Carolinas player of the week Asaad Woods contributed 13, while Jamal McNeil added 12. 

The Eagles enter the Christmas holiday looking to bounce back in preparation for a January 4 game at Wingate.

"This is more about us mentally and emotionally rebounding," Benson said. "I'm hoping this down time will allow them to recharge their batteries a little bit because we haven't been dealing with rough situations well. When we've struggled to score, we've struggled across the board."

Tipoff from Cuddy Arena in the first game of the new year is set for 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network gets underway at 3:45 on 106.3 ESPN Radio the Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. 

-CN-