VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: EJ Bush Interview
VIDEO: Ren Dyer Interview
VIDEO: Ivan Hadzic Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (9-5, 6-4 South Atlantic Conference) was down two starters, but used an overwhelming defensive effort to galivant past UVA Wise (1-13, 0-11 South Atlantic Conference) Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
UVA Wise only made five shots over the final 13:48 of the game. The Cavs were 5-for-20 from the floor in that stretch. Meanwhile, the Eagles exploded on a 15-0 run, the largest scoring spurt of the season to put the contest out of reach.
Carson-Newman was without the services of Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.), Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.), as well as key reserve post Dima Bykov (Moscow, Russia.).
"I'm immensely proud of this team," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "As late as halftime of the girl's game, we lost Bryant Thomas. We had to do some quick maneuvering. We rallied and banded together and were committed to doing the job as it needed to be done regardless of who had to do them. Ivan was incredibly impactful considering the circumstances."
In spite of missing one of the country's best shot-blockers in Thomas and top thieves in Davis, the Eagles limited a seventh out of their last eight opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. Carson-Newman shackled the Cavs to a 35.6 percent effort from the field.
Meanwhile, Carson-Newman got its groove back offensively. C-N knocked down 55.4 percent of its shots – its third game this year on the plus side of 55 percent. Carson-Newman was coming off a season-low 36.8 percent shooting effort in its New Years' Day win over Erskine.
"We got good looks," Benson said. "Our guys saw the ball go in and got some extra confidence as the momentum started building. We're done thinking about shot-making because I know the shots were getting. Our guys were definitely rewarded tonight for their shot-making."
Carson-Newman canned 60 percent of its shots after halftime and went 6-for-11 from beyond the arc in the second half.
6️⃣ career 20-point nights for @Bush2Eric
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 6, 2022
4️⃣ career double-doubles for @Rendyer2000
1️⃣6️⃣ straight dubs over UVA Wise for @CN_Hoops pic.twitter.com/kbezlRSPsm
C-N was able to drop the hammer at the mid-point of the period. The Eagles led 52-47 after a pair of Grayson Honaker free throws with 11:04 to play. Then a bomb detonated.
Carson-Newman knocked down seven straight shots in a 2:38 stretch to turn that five-point lead into a 20-point one with a 15-0 burst.
"We stayed with what we were doing defensively while being more aware of their personnel," Benson said. "We knew we were depleted inside, so we were trying to trap Pettiford to deny him. Once Wise went cold, we started making shots and the momentum really shifted. I thought they got frustrated and we were able to seize the opportunity and make multiple long-range shots."
Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) and Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) connected on back-to-back threes to bounce the lead out to double digits before Dyer connected on another three. Then Dyer threaded the needle from the opposite free throw line to Joshuwa Butts (Fairburn, Ga.) for a layup that gave C-N the 20-point lead.
��♂️ Josh Butts running the floor.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 6, 2022
�� @CN_Hoops 67
�� Wise 47
2nd | 7:59
�� 106.3 FM
�� https://t.co/gipZ7woHxo
�� https://t.co/hiIvfnQa8x pic.twitter.com/mN8UPyOtyL
The Cavaliers wouldn't get within single digits the rest of the night.
EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) paced Carson-Newman with a season-high 21 points – the sixth 20-point scoring outing of his career. He was highly efficient, making 9-of-15 shots and the lone three he took. He grabbed all nine of his boards after halftime.
"He's proven in the past to be an efficient shot-maker," Benson said. "We worked this week at cleaning up by simplifying, some of his shots. He was able to find good rhythm and angles. I was most impressed that he got nine boards all in the second half. That was a big night, and to do it in an efficient manner, I was so pleased."
Bush headlined three double-digit scorers. Dyer tallied his fourth career double-double with 14 points and 10 boards (all on the defensive glass). He stuffed the stat sheet with five assists and a career-best four blocks as well.
Luke Brenegan had 11 and eight rebounds to reset his career high for that stat.
Carson-Newman coughed it up 18 times, one off its season high, leading to a 21-10 edge in points off turnovers for the Cavs.
C-N outrebounded the Cavs 39-30 – a third straight game for C-N with a +9 or better rebounding margin.
Joel Pettiford led UVA Wise with 13 points. The country's most efficient freshman was limited to 3-of-10 shooting. Pettiford entered the contest shooting a league-best 69.1 percent from the field. Kaeleb Carter and Tyler Lloyd each had 12 points, while Grayson Honaker added 11 off the bench.
�� @Bush2Eric joining the three-point party.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 6, 2022
�� @CN_Hoops 40
�� Wise 37
2nd | 17:47
�� 106.3 FM
�� https://t.co/gipZ7woHxo
�� https://t.co/hiIvfnQa8x pic.twitter.com/wyI3YfiTxD
Carson-Newman hits the road Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip at Anderson. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
