VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: EJ Bush Interview
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Third-seeded Carson-Newman (15-5) had a shot goal-tended with six seconds left and withstood a last-second layup to prevail 60-59 over Tusculum (13-5) Thursday night in Pioneer Arena in the Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Championship semifinals.
The Eagles advance to the title game for the fifth time in school history and will take on Queens Sunday at 4 p.m.
"This was a classic because you have two programs that have a bunch of tough warriors," Carson-Newman head coach Chuck Benson said. "We knew we would get Tusculum's best punch. We have nothing but respect for what Coach JT Burton has built here in a short time and the way they go about things."
The Eagles snatched back a lead with six seconds left when Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) scooted to the rim along the right baseline. Davis floated the ball off the backboard, but Tusculum shot-stopper supreme Brandon Mitchell swatted it away for a goal-tending violation that gave C-N a 60-59 lead.
"Tripp went and made a play," Benson said. "It'd be so lovely if I could sit here and say that our genius coaching staff orchestrated this. That would be a lie. What we wanted to do didn't work, and Tripp went and made a play."
The Pioneers drove the length of the floor as quick as a hiccup following an Eagle timeout. C-N packed its zone in and SAC Player of the Year Trenton Gibson tossed up a 10-foot contested floater that missed long.
Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) rose above all to secure the rebound, and the win for the Eagles.
BALL. FREAKIN. GAME. @_tripp10 is goal-tended.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 5, 2021
Eagles will play for the @SAC_Athletics title Sunday.
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⚫️ @TusculumMBB 59
FINAL
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"This thing could have gone either way and both teams deserved to win this game," Benson said. "We came out of that timeout and our guys did exactly what we asked them to do on that last possession. They collapsed and decided that if we died tonight, we would die by a three. They made it tough for Trent Gibson to get a shot off, then we got that rebound led by Ren Dyer. It was an instant classic and my hats off to our players and Tusculum as well."
Carson-Newman surged out to a 13-point lead following a 7-0 run with 13:05 left in the second half capped by a Ren Dyer three. That made it 46-33 Carson-Newman. Tusculum would outscore the Eagles 26-14 down the stretch.
The Pioneers hindered C-N to eight straight misses and one point over the next six minutes of game action. Even through that, Carson-Newman still maintained a six-point lead.
Tusculum snatched its first lead since going ahead 3-0 in the opening moments on a Gibson floater with 55 seconds left. That merely set the stage for the Eagles' late-game dramatics.
"We went through a dry spell and could not make shots," Benson said. "We struggled to make free throws as well. Some of that goes to Tusculum. They are a really good defensive team too. I literally told our team that we are going to win this thing with our defense. That's what the players did."
Carson-Newman held its second foe of the tournament below 60 points.
The Eagles limited Tusculum to 39 percent shooting for the day. The Pioneers were 5-of-24 from long range.
Meanwhile, Carson-Newman was held to 37.1 percent shooting – the Eagles second-worst shooting night of the year and their lowest shooting percentage in a win since Feb. 7, 2015 when the Eagles won a 59-55 grinder at Lenoir-Rhyne.
EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) was Carson-Newman's lone double-digit scorer. He led all scorers with 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting.
"EJ and I texted last night," Benson said. "He told me he was feeling a way that he hadn't felt since his high school days. I knew going in EJ Bush was going to be ready. He did exactly what he proclaimed he was feeling like doing. Brandon Mitchell was a warrior tonight with seven blocks. He did a great job, but EJ did a better job for our team. The baskets late for EJ were big boy baskets."
The Bryan transfer and former NAIA All-American scored his 1,500th career point with the performance.
Tusculum was guided by Gibson who had 16 points, nine boards and five assists.
Brandon Mitchell had a monster night inside with 13 points, six rebounds and a career-high and 2020-21 NCAA Division II high seven blocks. He came within a rejection of the league's single game tournament block record.
Carson-Newman stopped the Pioneers unbeaten run at home this season. Tusculum was 8-0 in Pioneer Arena.
In doing so, the Eagles ran their win streak to 10 straight games. It marks the Eagles' first double-digit win streak in 19 years and the 10th in program history.
Tusculum became just third team to outscore Carson-Newman in the pain, doing so 28-24 while holding the Eagles to a season low for points scored inside. It snapped a 12-game losing streak for C-N when it was outscored in the paint.
Carson-Newman forced 19 Tusculum turnovers and had 10 steals in the win. The Eagles only had a 6-5 edge in points scored off turnovers in spite of being +8 in the turnover margin.
The Eagles collide with Queens for the SAC title Sunday. Tipoff from Curry Arena is set for 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
