JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (7-5) will open up a new year with a non-conference foe it hasn't faced in just over a decade.
The Eagles welcome Erskine (1-9) into Holt Fieldhouse for a 2 p.m. tip New Year's Day.
Carson-Newman hasn't played Erskine since Nov. 12, 2011. The Eagles downed the Flying Fleet 73-70 in overtime at the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge in Harrogate, Tenn. Ish Sanders made the go-ahead three-pointer with 38 seconds left in overtime and added a steal-and-score in the final 10 seconds to lead the Eagles past Erskine.
Antoine Davis (23) and Sanders (26) combined for 49 points in the game that saw C-N blow a 17-point lead before winning in OT.
Carson-Newman hasn't faced Erskine in Holt Fieldhouse since playing the Fleet in back-to-back seasons in November of 1993 and 1994. The Eagles won those two games 73-57 and 67-56.
Bryant Thomas comes into the contest with 92 career blocks, eight away from becoming Carson-Newman's second triple-digit block performer for a career. He is second all-time. Andy Tipton holds the school record (2004-09) with 109 career rejections - Thomas is 17 rejections away.
Thomas is once again among the best in the nation at rejecting shots. He is third nationally with 25 blocks and 16th in the country with 2.27 re-directs per game. Thomas is the league leader in both categories. • Carson-Newman has the country's 15th best shot-blocking team with 48 total rejections. The Eagles lead the league for the category.
Carson-Newman struggled from the field in the month of the December, The Eagles scored 5.5 fewer points per game in December than in November while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from three. In November, the Eagles made 47.4 percent of their shots and 45.5 percent of their threes.
Limestone became the first team to shoot better than 45 percent from the field against Carson-Newman in the finale for 2021. Carson-Newman had held five straight foes under 40 percent shooting and every team this season below 45 percent.
Erskine shoots 38.4 percent from the field on the year, a figure that ranks in the bottom seven of the county. The Flying Fleet has shot worse than 40 percent from the field in six games this year. They knocked down a season-high 46.4 percent of their shots in a 79-73 win over Chowan - the Flying Fleet's lone win of the year.
Erskine has an elite shot-blocking team. The Flying Fleet has rejected 50 shots this season - third most in the country. Erskine has blocked at least five shots in seven of their 11 games this season.
The Flying Fleet ranks 10th nationally with 14.4 offensive rebounds per game.
Erskine is seventh from the bottom in the country in assist to turnover ratio. Erskine only averages 10.1 assists per game while turning it over 15.5 times per game.
Tipoff on New Year's Day is set for 2 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
