VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Luke Brenegan Interview
SALISBURY, N.C. – Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) went off for a career-high 34 points and Carson-Newman staved off a late Catawba rally for an 84-81 win over the Indians Wednesday night in Goodman Gym.
Catawba rallied from three separate double-digit deficits, but never could grab a lead as the Eagles collected their fourth wire-to-wire win of the year.
The win gives C-N three straight over the Indians to match the longest win streak in series history for a third time. It also means Carson-Newman has back-to-back wins at Goodman Gym for the first time this century.
"We tried everything in the world to lose this game," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "Despite our best efforts to surrender the win, we held on. That was frustrating because some guys got too excited in the heat of the moment. We did just enough in the first 38 minutes to be able to pull away. I'm happy for our players, and I am proud of the resiliency they showed in the face of a Catawba team that we knew was going to make a run."
Carson-Newman carried a 10-point lead into the halftime break only to go four minutes without a bucket while Catawba rattled off an 8-0 run to tie things at 56 with 9:48 to play in the second half.
Michael Hueitt canned a pair of threes sandwiched around a Caleb Robinson layup to erase the deficit in 90 seconds. However, Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) hit a runner from the free throw line to get the lead back. Carson-Newman would lead the rest of the way. The Eagles used a 9-2 run to take a 74-64 lead with 3:28 to play. Brenegan jump-started the run splashing in an elbow jumper before Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) capped it with a pair of free throws.
C-N lead by nine, 78-69, with 2:09 to play following a Brenegan layup. Carson-Newman wouldn't make another basket the rest of the way. The Indians were able to score four points with the clock stopped following C-N misses after the Eagles committed fouls on the rebounds.
Then, the Indians traded C-N free throws for back-to-back threes from Kris Robinson and Caleb Robinson to get within three with eight seconds left. Carson-Newman aided the run with back-to-back turnovers with under 18 seconds left.
After Robinson three made it a three-point game with three seconds left, the Eagles coughed up the ensuing inbounds. C-N fouled immediately to prevent Catawba from getting a three to tie. Trevion Lamar missed the first and made the second to cut things to two. Brenegan was fouled on the inbounds and made both free throws to take things back to a two-possesssion game, 84-80 with 3.2 seconds left. However, the Eagles fouled on Kris Robinson's three-quarter court heave to extend the game. Robinson made the first and missed the second to get within three. However, the Indians committed a lane violation back to the Eagles to seal the win.
The win snapped back-to-back road losses for C-N.
Playing in front of his mother, Brenegan's 34-pont night reset his previous career high of 22, set Feb. 13 at Catawba. Brenegan was 10-of-16 from the floor, a season-best 5-of-7 from deep and a perfect 9-for-9 at the line. He has made 17 straight free throws in Goodman Gym dating back to last season.
"If momma Brenegan helps this type of performance, I will commit an NCAA violation and personally chauffeur here to each game," Benson said with a chuckle. "Pelote getting in foul trouble helped Brenegan's game. He and our other players were able to attack because he had to play more passively. Luke got some confidence going to the basket. That started paying off as the game went on."
Brenegan's 30-point effort was the first for C-N since Tripp Davis went for 44 against Benedict on Feb. 16, 2021 in Holt Fieldhouse. He had 15 in the first half before scoring 19 in the second half, including 14 in the final 6:39 of the game.
"It was really just taking what the defense gave me," Brenegan said. "There were open lanes and I drove them playing through our offense while reading the defense. I was confident and trusted myself and my teammates."
Brenegan was one of three Eagles in double figures. Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven boards and three steals. Ivan Hadzic (Sabac, Serbia) reset his career high for a second straight game with 10 points. He was 2-for-4 from the field and 6-for-6 at the line.
Meanwhile, The Eagles impacted the Indians efficiency. Caleb Robinson came in leading the SAC in scoring with 21.4 points per game. He became just the second opposing leading scorer to go for more than his average against C-N since December 1. He finished with 23, however, the Eagles impacted his efficiency. Robinson was a season-worst 6-for-18 from the field, the first game this season he has shot below 42 percent from the field.
Washington and Robinson also finished in double-digits with 15 and 12, respectively. Bernard Pelote, who had been averaging 21.3 points per game since returning to the floor in late December, was limited to nine in 19 foul-plagued minutes.
"He (Caleb Robinson) was 2-for-11 in the first half, and we told our team that there was no way that he was going to back off," Benson said. "I am glad that we were able to impact his efficiency. We were interested too in impacting Pelote and Michael Hueitt. You're not going to stop them all, but we wanted to slow down certain ones. I wasn't as pleased with our defense at the end, but it's a win, and we will certainly take a road win in this league."
Catawba knocked down 57.1 percent of its shots and 6-of-10 threes after halftime to spark the rally. Catawba became the second team in the last two months to shoot better than 40 percent from the field against C-N. The Indians made 42.9 percent of their shots for the game.
Carson-Newman knocked down 48.2 percent of its shots for the game, but went 15-for-29 (51.7 percent) after halftime. The Eagles knocked down 24-of-27 free throws.
Carson-Newman stays on the road Saturday at Lenoir-Rhyne. Tipofff with the Bears is set for 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
