VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (11-9, 7-7 South Atlantic Conference) led by 14 in the second half, but No. 15 Queens (17-2, 11-2 SAC) used a pair of runs to close the deficit and take home the series sweep with an 82-79 triumph Saturday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.
The Eagles, who have spent much of the season playing with nine available players, saw their depth issues catch up with them in the contest.
Mason Bates (Cookeville, Tenn.) played through an ankle injury but was limited in his minutes. Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) went down with a second half knee injury and Sawyer Williams (Owenton, Ky.) spent much of the second half on the bench with four personal fouls.
At times, Carson-Newman only had six available players and spent much of the second half with a back line of Andy Barnett (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), Josh Rogers (Bristol, United Kingdom) and Taylor Hawkins (Madisonville, Tenn.) along the tail end of its 2-3 matchup zone.
"We've had our fair share of adversity this year, probably more than our fair share of adversity," head coach Chuck Benson said. "You don't want to make excuses, but that's what our reality is. It's very difficult for us to handle anything beyond what we are already facing. It's disappointing because this was an important game for our team and our program. Despite all the things that happened with personnel, we still hurt ourselves late."
Carson-Newman used a 10-0 run to grab a 53-39 lead with 15:18 left in the second half on a Zack Pangallo (Newport, Ky.) triple from the right win.
Queens quickly answered with an 11-0 run of its own over the next 2:08 to erase the Eagles' double-digit advantage and bring it down to a three-point deficit.
After Brooks exited with his injury, Queens rattled off an 11-2 run to grab its first lead of the contest with 5:49 to play on a Kendall Jones triple.
Marquis Rankin then kept the Eagles at bay by scoring eight of his 21 points and eight of Queens final 15 points in the game's last five minutes.
"He got no resistance at the rim because Sawyer was in foul trouble, Carson was out and Rogers was incapable of protecting the rim today," Benson said. "They found the soft spot and took advantage of it."
Even with tall the issues, including 11 second half turnovers. Carson-Newman was still in it late. Zack Pangallo's potential game-tying three glanced off the left side of the rim with three seconds left before Queens' Todd Withers secured the rebound and the win.
Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led the Eagles with 22 points. Williams added 16 points and nine boards. Bates had 13 and Pangallo 12 to go along with six assists.
Rob Lewis led Queens with 24 points. He was 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Rankin tallied 21 and Todd Withers chipped in 12.
The Eagles hit the road Wednesday looking to sweep the season series with Mars Hill. Tipoff from Stanford Arena is set for 8 p.m. with coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starting at 7:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
