VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Zack Pangallo Interview
VIDEO: Chris Harris Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (8-7, 4-5 South Atlantic Conference) drained eight first half threes and bounded out a 20-point halftime lead to get back on the winning track with an 86-60 decision over Brevard (2-12, 1-6 SAC) Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
Saturday in a loss to Wingate, the Eagles hit a five-year low for points (48), while shooting their second worst percentage of the season (38 percent).
Wednesday, the Eagles corrected their offensive woes by finishing 34-for-59 (57.6 percent) from the field with 11 made threes, the second highest total of the season.
Things started inauspiciously for the Eagles. The first four minutes featured five ties and star guard's Charles Clark's (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) exit with a pair of fouls. However, Zack Pangallo (Newport, Ky.) and Christian Harris (Gold Canyon, Ariz.) filled in nicely and guided the Eagles on a 15-3 and 12-1 runs to build a 22-point first half lead.
"When Charles got in foul trouble in the first half, Zack and Chris came in and stabilized us," head coach Chuck Benson said. "It started on the defensive end where they were stingy. Then Chris gave us a boost of confidence by knocking down those threes."
With the game tied 13-13 with 11:38 left in the first half, Harris drilled back-to-back treys from the left wing to spark C-N's first run. Josh Rogers (Bristol, United Kingdom) added a rare dunk and Harris buried another triple to give C-N a double-digit lead it would not relinquish the rest of the night with nine minutes left in the half.
The Eagles also closed the half on a strong note buy building their first 20-point lead of the night. Three straight Sawyer Williams (Owenton, Ky.) buckets from the low blocks, coupled with Pangallo's first triple of the night, produced the 12-1 spurt that put C-N up 44-22 with 3:25 left in the half.
The Eagles dished out 16 assists in the first half on 19 made baskets. The Eagles would end the game with 25 dimes dropped – matching their high water mark for the season.
"We always want to get inside out action going," Benson said. "Our bigs passed the ball well, especially Carson with his five assists. We've got 25 assists, that means we're sharing the ball well, but it also means we're knocking down shots."
The second half saw Brevard catch fire and get within 12, 67-55 with 8:25 to play following a Miles Leathers 10-foot fadeaway from the middle of the lane. That capped a frenetic start to the half where the Tornados hit 11 of their first 13 shots.
Brevard quickly cooled off after that and C-N went on a 10-2 run to push the lead back to 20. The Eagles closed the game on a 9-0 run. Brevard didn't score the last 3:03 of the contest.
Williams led a balanced C-N attack that featured seven players who scored at least six points. The junior forward had 16 points and five rebounds. Mason Bates (Cookeville, Tenn.) matched his career high with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Pangallo produced the second highest scoring effort of his freshman campaign with 15 and was one assist away from matching his career high with six. He only turned the ball over once.
Clark rounded out the Eagles double-digit scorers with 12 points, four assists and three steals.
Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) also added eight points, nine rebounds and five assits against one turnover.
The bulk of Brevard's work was done by two players. Demarcus Threatt went 10-for-18 from the floor and 4-for-8 from three to finish with a game-high 27 points. Miles Leathers added 12 on 5-of-10 shooting. No other Tornado had more than five points.
"Those are the two guys, Threatt in particular," Benson said. "Moe was another guy we we're concerned about, and he was inefficient. This was more about us pounding that thing inside and making open shots."
C-N produced a season-high 11 steals. Brevard's 60 points are the fewest an opponent has scored on C-N this season.
Carson-Newman is back in action at home Saturday against Coker. Tipoff with the Cobras is set for 4 p.m. with coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starting at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
